Whybin\TBWA joins forces with Starseed to launch new-look ELEVEN

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – 27 May 2015 – Whybin\TBWA is expanding its services by restructuring its existing PR division with the integration of the Starseed agency. Whybin\TBWA will be welcoming Starseed co-founders Karen Maurice-O'Leary and Angelina Farry as group heads of its integrated communication division, bringing world class strategic and creative skills to the team. To emphasise the expanded capabilities and new direction, it will be rebranded as ELEVEN.

"Karen and Angelina bring a unique combination of award-winning creative talents as well as industry-leading earned and social media skills to our existing team. The integration of Starseed with our current team’s expertise will provide clients with a complete, true full-service offering that can touch all parts of their business from corporate communications to risk management, digital, social and more.

"The line between public relations, digital marketing and other parts of the communications mix are becoming increasingly blurred and the cornerstone of any comprehensive communications strategy is increasingly becoming content creation in one form or another. When you get the right content channeled through the right media, it's a magical thing," says Whybin\TBWA CEO Todd McLeay.

Karen Maurice-O'Leary will take up the role as ELEVEN's creative director and Angelina Farry as managing director. Group account director Rebecca Hyndman, account director Louise Cargo and account manager Bayley Kite will be joined by Starseed’s Juno Scott-Kelly, Heidi Thompson, Priya Ratan and Kirsty Hitchcock.

"We are looking forward to joining forces with the talented team at Whybin\TBWA and drawing on the global resource of PR powerhouse Fleishman Hillard, with whom ELEVEN is aligned," says Angelina Farry, managing director of ELEVEN.

Karen Maurice-O'Leary, previously ranked number 2 top creative in the Asia Pacific region by Campaign Brief, originally started her creative career at Whybin\TBWA under Executive Creative Director Andy Blood and is looking forward to returning to 11 Mayoral Drive as creative director of ELEVEN.

"Our whole team is ready to plug in and hit the ground running. Being in the same building as the country's leading digital offering DAN (Digital Arts Network) is hugely exciting. The media landscape is changing at hyper-speed with new opportunities presenting themselves daily. Whybin\TBWA has some very exciting plans in the pipeline that we look forward to being a part of in the coming months," adds Karen Maurice-O'Leary.

ELEVEN will be operating from the Whybin\TBWA office from 8th of June 2015.