Lynsey Atkin, who made her name as ECD at 4Creative, has teamed up with Chris Watling, MD of top production company Somesuch, and Rebecca Lewis, the brand and partnerships director at Gordon Ramsay Brand, to launch a new creative business, Baby Teeth. The trio are backed by Common Interest, a holding company led by former Havas exec Anthony Freedman, which just bought 51% of global experience agency Amplify.
Baby Teeth comes with excellent credentials: Atkins is most famous for the Paralympics campaigns and idents at Channel 4; and Lewis, who comes straight from the flames of Ramsay’s kitchen, also spent five years as MD at Droga5 London. Watling (who previously worked with Atkin at BBH and with Lewis at Droga5) led powerhouse production company Somesuch, whose directors include Kim Gehrig and Sam Hibbard.
Baby Teeth plans to offer a service that spans film, content, brand partnerships and intellectual property. As well as working with brands, the business will work directly with talent and entertainment properties.
Atkin, who recently did a brief five-month stint at McCann London, said: “It is no longer good enough for advertising to be its own reference point. In a landscape where entertainment dominates, modern brands demand more. We’ve established Baby Teeth with a specific group of skills and sensibilities to meet that want. Now is the time to work with the most progressive, interesting voices and talents to create work that sits in step with an ever-shifting visual language and tone, to push commercial creativity forward in a genuinely different way.”
Watling said: “As the traditional lines between brands and entertainment continue to blur, there is a massive opportunity to elevate how we bring together the artistry of modern creatives with the ambitions of like-minded brands to create things that audiences actually want. And the unique combination of skills and experience that Lynsey, Rebecca and I bring means that we can do this in ways and at levels that others cannot. Whether we’re concepting, commissioning, supporting or executing, it’s about partnering with the right people, in the right way, at the right time—to make something with real value and meaning.”
Freedman, the founder and chief executive of Common Interest, said: “Baby Teeth is exactly where the future of brands and entertainment is going. And who better to reimagine what is possible within these worlds than Lynsey, Rebecca and Chris – three of our industry’s most awarded and creative leaders. I can’t wait to see what they build now we’ve joined forces.”
It’s a formidable team with global ambitions and a broad range of experience. Common Interest has not revealed the extent of its investment, but the group bought 51% of Amplify in April.
CEO Freedman describes Common Interest as “The world’s first communications and entertainment group focused on building brands in popular culture.” The ”building brands in culture” line is all-too familiar, but this new talent line-up looks convincing enough to deliver. Baby Teeth is a piece of optimism for an industry that needs it.
