Content agency
Somethin' Else is a London and New York content agency, specialising in content strategy and production across video, television, audio and social media. It was founded in 1991 by Jez Nelson, Chris Philips and Sonita Alleyne, with Steve Ackerman and Paul Bennun later becoming key directors, and was acquired outright by Sony Music Entertainment in 2021, after a number of joint venture projects between the two. The audio department of the company became part of Sony Music's Global Podcast Division heased up by Somethin' Else principles Steve Ackerman and Jez Nelson.
History.
Somethin' Else is a media production company set up in 1991. The company's first production was the "Gilles Peterson Show", created for the UK's independent radio network in 1993 and currently broadcast by BBC 6 Music in a Saturday afternoon slot.
It is responsible for producing a number of radio programmes for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1xtra, BBC Radio 2 and 6Music with "The Kitchen Cabinet" and "Gardeners' Question Time", made for BBC Radio 4 and "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review" produced for BBC Radio 5 Live for 21 years. It is the BBC's biggest multi-platform supplier, and as well as producing over 35 weekly radio shows for the corporation, it makes television for BBC 4 and iPlayer and creates social media for the BBC's music radio brands. Television projects have included the modern day version of "Jazz 625" for BBC Four, a jazz music programme originally broadcast by BBC 2 in the mid 1960s.
In addition to the BBC, other past and present clients of Somethin' Else have include the TOPMAN, The Economist, Channel 4, Interflora, Swarovski, ITV, Penguin Random House, Red Bull, Boots UK, Porsche, Chivas Regal, FIAT, Nissan, Wrigley, Rolls-Royce and The British Phonographic Industry.
Somethin' Else is involved in the social media production of "The BRIT Awards" as well as a number of productions for Sky Arts such as "Guitar Star", "The Ronnie Wood Show" and Brian Johnson's "A Life on the Road".
In 2017, it was the only company in the UK to feature in Campaign Magazine's School Reports and Broadcast Magazine's Top 100. In 2018 the company established an office in New York. After becoming a pioneer in the fledgling UK podcast industry, on 16 June 2021, Sony Music Entertainment announced that the company had acquired "Somethin' Else".
On 1 April 2022, the last ever episode of "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review" was broadcast by the BBC, with Somethin' Else announcing that the replacement show, called "Kermode and Mayo's Take", would be a twice weekly podcast series featuring film and television reviews, with the "Take 2" podcast being exclusive to subscribers.
People.
Somethin' Else's key shareholders at the time of the Sony Music acquisition were Jez Nelson, Steve Ackerman and chairman Tom Barnicoat (former COO at Endemol group). Jon Wilkins (founder of Naked) and Lindsey Clay (CEO Thinkbox) were non-executive directors. Paul Burdin (FD), Lee-Anne Richardson and Ben Kerr were other directors
Awards.
Somethin' Else has won Cannes Lions, eight BAFTA awards and multiple Sony Radio Academy Awards. They were awarded Children's Company of the Year award in the 2013 and 2015 Children's BAFTAs. In 2016, the agency also won a Marketing Week award for 'Most Compelling Content' for their game Silverpoint for Absolut Vodka, and a Broadcast Digital Award for Best Social Media Campaign for its work on the BRIT Awards.
References.
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