Horizon Media "BrandStorm" Hackathon Creates Inventive Ideas for Clients

BrandStorm Part Of Agency's INVENT@horizon Initiative

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Jun 29, 2015, 08:07 ET

NEW YORK, June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Media, the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world, hosted its first-ever "BrandStorm" meeting of the minds on June 25, 2015. The hackathon-style event, launched under the agency's INVENT@horizon initiative, gives Horizon employees the opportunity to work within a team to brainstorm, ideate, and deliver creative solutions to a client-based problem.

"Today our people are inventing," said Taylor Valentine, Chief Invention Officer at Horizon Media. "They are thinking and acting differently, working with new people, being exposed to new concepts getting a fresh perspective on client service and generating great opportunities for brands. Our clients expect world-class media solutions, which we deliver daily, and BrandStorm serves to enhance the level of creativity that we bring to them."

The hackathon was created to encourage employees to think about clients' business through a different lens by unconventional and non-linear opportunity identification. The program is part of the agency's INVENT@horizon initiative, helmed by Chief Invention Officer, Taylor Valentine. Valentine is tasked with creating and executing on a blueprint for bringing invention to life across the agency, which includes numerous programs and projects.

"As we move towards an agency of collaboration and away from an agency of record, it's important that we adjust the way we think about our clients' needs," said Bill Koenigsberg, President, Founder, and CEO of Horizon Media. "BrandStorm is an exciting opportunity because it allows our employees to think differently about our clients' businesses. It is just one of many ways we are encouraging invention and deep-seated ideation within the walls of Horizon."

75 Horizon employees have signed on to be a part of BrandStorm. Teams will be briefed on creating innovative solutions to challenges faced by clients across multiple categories, including financial services, entertainment, insurance, quick service restaurants (QSR), consumer packaged goods (CPG), and automotive. Teams will present their ideas to senior leadership at the agency.

INVENT@horizon was launched in 2014 and acts as a launch pad to drive invention across all facets of the agency. The invention team is responsible for pioneering product development and new forms of media, formulating better ways to solve client problems, and seeking new ways to recruit and motivate employees, among other activities. The BrandStorm event follows the May 2015 launch of the agency's new invention development program, Dunes of Dreams, which invites employees to submit their best ideas for the opportunity to turn their concepts into a reality.

The next BrandStorm event will take place in Q4 at the agency's Los Angeles office.

About Horizon Media

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world's ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry's leading trade association.

The company's mission is "To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere." By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.2 billion and over 1,100 employees.

The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

Contact
Horizon Media
Kaya Lobaczewski
(212) 220-2102
[email protected]

SOURCE Horizon Media