Josh Mandel, Former R/GA Executive & Global CEO of The Mill, Appointed as Managing Director of New Division

DNEG, a world-leading visual entertainment services company, announced today the launch of a new division, DNEG IXP, with Josh Mandel named as Managing Director to lead the new business area. Using the global capabilities and talent of the DNEG group, DNEG IXP (Immersive Experiences) delivers super-premium content in service of businesses, brands, and game publishers looking to craft breakthrough creative experiences across gaming, concerts and other live events, theme parks, retail, product launches, location-based experiences, and more.

Combining an unmatched creative offering with a unique combination of market science, audience insight, technological leadership, and production excellence, DNEG IXP brings DNEG’s Academy Award-winning services to new audiences. Businesses can work directly with DNEG IXP creatives and thinkers to create and deliver high-quality experiences that resonate with and engage their key audiences.

“As we expand and fortify DNEG’s services on a global scale, this new division allows us to diversify our offering to complement our Hollywood partnerships and projects,” said DNEG CEO Namit Malhotra. “Ambitious businesses can now leverage DNEG’s Academy Award-winning talent and creative capabilities in order to fully realise and maximise the ways in which they connect with their audiences, whether on-stage, in-game, at a theme park, as part of a location-based experience, or through state-of-the-art headsets.”

Mandel brings more than 20 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry to his new role as Managing Director of DNEG IXP. Having held numerous senior leadership roles, including CEO, President, CSO and Head of Marketing, at leading companies such as The Mill, R/GA and Wieden+Kennedy, he has notably collaborated with culture-rich brands like Nike, adidas, Samsung, EA, Google, Beats by Dre, Apple, and Activision.

“It has never been more challenging for a business to create a resonant, emotional relationship with its key customers,” said Mandel. “An ever-fragmenting media landscape makes it harder than ever for a business to reach its audience in meaningful ways. Businesses need a partner that can help them decide what to make and how to make it; a partner that can provide breakthrough creative ideas, the technologies to craft them, and the production nous to get them from concept to reality. This is where DNEG IXP comes in.”

“No-one knows the ambitions, desires and needs of a brand’s key audiences better than the brand itself,” continued Mandel. “Through DNEG IXP, brands can work directly with the entertainment industry’s most talented thinkers and makers to create immersive experiences across a range of media that resonate with and feed the passions of their most important audiences.”

DNEG IXP’s work is already underway with several projects currently in production for world-leading brands, with an initial focus on the worlds of gaming, virtual concerts, and theme park ride experiences.

“At DNEG, our overarching mission is to provide our partners with creative liberation through a potent combination of cutting-edge digital tools, artistic collaboration, and financial acumen,” Malhotra added. “Josh has a wealth of experience working with some of the world’s biggest brands, building approaches around the vision of clients to support how they want to tell the story or shape the brand experience. DNEG IXP, under Josh’s leadership, brings to the fore yet another way in which DNEG is transforming the future of storytelling.”

About DNEG

DNEG (www.dneg.com) is a world-leading visual entertainment services company for the creation of feature film, television, and multiplatform content, with worldwide offices and studios across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

DNEG’s critically acclaimed work has earned the company seven Academy Awards^® for Best Visual Effects and numerous BAFTA and Primetime EMMY^® Awards for its high-quality VFX work. Current and upcoming DNEG projects on behalf of its Hollywood and global studio and production company partners include Masters of the Air (January 2024), Avatar: The Last Airbender (February 2024), Dune: Part Two (March 2024), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (March 2024), The Garfield Movie (May 2024), Furiosa (May 2024), Borderlands (August 2024), Mickey 17, Here, That Christmas, Eden, The Gorge, and Animal Friends.

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