Horizon Media Pilots YesAND@Horizon, Agency's First-Ever Improvisational Program

The program will be spearheaded by Alison Joseph, TrendSights Strategist, WHY Group, and Chelsea Ramsey, Brand Strategist. YesAND@Horizon is being brought to life and supported through the agency's award-winning INVENT@horizon team, responsible for executing Horizon's invention blueprint to bring the agency employee's best ideas to life. yesAND@Horizon will officially launch at the agency this month with monthly classes for individual employees and private group sessions for teams.

"YesAND@Horizon allows employees to step outside of their comfort zones in pursuit of stronger, more mindful communication and presentation skills,"said Alison Joseph, TrendSights Strategist, WHY Group. "The INVENT@horizon platform has been invaluable in providing us with the resources we need to get our program up and running."

Joseph and Ramsey piloted YesAND@Horizon with the agency's most recent "Media 101" Class – a course that integrates new employees into the Horizon Media ecosystem and exposes participants to the media planning and buying process.

"After the success of the pilot class, we knew YesAND@Horizon was a viable program that would undoubtedly benefit our employees across multiple areas including collaboration, public speaking, communicating, storytelling and engaging an audience," said Chelsea Ramsey, Brand Strategist. "It's quite remarkable to see how improvisation skills translate so well into the day-to-day tasks of agency life."

Horizon's invention group, helmed by Chief Invention Officer Taylor Valentine, launched in 2014 and acts as a launch pad to drive invention across all facets of the agency and increase agency value. 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. 

Horizon's employees have shared overwhelmingly positive feedback about the yesAND@Horizon program:

"The improv class was really fun, but beyond that, incredibly valuable for teams," said Mike Ogurick, Brand Group Director at Horizon Media. "The class teaches your how to think on your feet, work with your team to achieve a common goal, and helps teams with on-the-fly communication skills. It really brings out each participant's creativity."

"I personally had an amazing time at the improv session," said Michele Donati, SVP, Managing Director, Horizon Media. "It was a great opportunity to flex some different muscles and to be more creative- or at least creative in a different way. We were really challenged to be imaginative on the spot and to have fun with the exercises. Ali and Chelsea did a great job of helping us understand how the exercises they took us through could help improve our day-to-day work performance. The experience enabled us to see another side of our colleagues, which is also a nice benefit!"

"I'm so happy Ali and Chelsea took it upon themselves to bring this idea to fruition and share their passion for improv with their co-workers. I recently took one of their classes and it was a blast," said Richard Johnson, VP, Talent Development. "It was great watching everyone get out of their comfort zones. We learned so much, and I'm thrilled to be adding the class to our Learning Center to enhance our offerings on presentation skills."

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 $6.3 billion and over 1,200 employees.

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

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SOURCE Horizon Media, Inc.

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