Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Fountainhead Entertainment

Post-acquisition, Fountainhead will continue to be led by co-founder and CEO Brian Tellis, who will report to Ashish Bhasin, chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia.

Dentsu Aegis Network announced the acquisition of Fountainhead Entertainment, an event and experiential agency. Fountainhead's expertise and presence in the advertising industry will enhance Dentsu Aegis Network's presence in this market.

Established in 1994, Fountainhead is headquartered in Mumbai and has offices in Delhi and Bengaluru. Founded by chairman Brian Tellis, managing director Neale Murray, and director Otis D'Souza, the agency later welcomed co-directors Pradeep Guha, V G Jairam and Owen Roncon.

Fountainhead supports its client base of more than 100 on all types of events, digital initiatives, product launches, brand activation and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. The five brands within the growing business are Fountainhead Events, Oranjuice Entertainment, Fountainhead Activations, Fountainhead Corporate Journeys and Fountainhead Digital. Together, they claim to deliver in excess of 350 events annually.

Post-acquisition, Fountainhead will continue to be led by co-founder and CEO Brian Tellis with the same management team. Tellis will report to Ashish Bhasin, chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia. It is envisaged that in 2016, the existing experiential offering of psLIVE, with 86 people in India, will be merged with Fountainhead, positioning it among India's largest experiential and activation agency businesses.

Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific, says, "Fountainhead's reputation in the event and activation market, and its extensive experience in both music and sports marketing, complements and strengthens our experiential offering in one of the region's most exciting markets. This move represents a further step in our continued investment programme in the Indian market."

Says Bhasin, "As the fastest growing network in India, we are continuing to expand our portfolio of diverse specialisations available to our growing client base. Fountainhead's creative quality and reputation in the market make it the perfect addition to Dentsu Aegis Network India. Our unique 'One P & L' philosophy will help us bring its expertise to all Dentsu Aegis Network clients.

Tellis further adds, "Our vision is to deliver world class experiences to our stake holders and to set benchmarks in delivery through cutting-edge creativity, innovation, value pricing and practices and processes. Dentsu Aegis Network's dynamism will open up opportunities for us. Our values are well aligned and the potentially combined entity of Fountainhead and psLIVE will become the most comprehensive experiential offering in India. Fountainhead, a full service experiential agency, will now align with an enviable spectrum of brands through the Dentsu Aegis Network."

Fountainhead will retain its identity and branding, working alongside Dentsu Aegis Network brands locally: Carat, iProspect, Isobar, Posterscope, Vizeum, Amnet, Dentsu media, Dentsu branded agencies (Dentsu Creative Impact, Dentsu Marcom, Dentsu Communications, Taproot Dentsu, Dentsu Webchutney), WATConsult and Milestone Brandcom.