PRODUCTION FIRM MAKES ACQUISITION AS PART OF AMBITIOUS GROWTH PLANS

Multi-award winning full-service technical production partner, JLL has acquired Scruffy Bear Pictures, an acclaimed independent film company. 

The acquisition comes hot off the heels of the business’ recent merger announcement. A progressive step forward will further JLL’s ability to support its client’s needs by expanding its full-service production partnership offer, allowing JLL to deliver high quality, professional corporate films and editing and postproduction needs.  

As members of EVCOM, ICE-HUB, Essa, Isla and Albert, the acquisition will enable JLL to further underline commitments to deliver sustainable and by 2030, net zero carbon technical production services to all sectors of the television and events industries. 

By bringing the Scruffy Bear Pictures team into the JLL fold, their combined skills will ensure the full team can continue to support agencies, studios, and creative teams, as well as innovate and lead the way as the world of corporate events continues to evolve. 

Additional support will include capturing high-quality, engaging content with a televisual or cinematic quality look-and-feel for use in Conferences, product launches, trade shows and similar in-person events. 

Creating brand videos or adverts, as well as filming interviews and vox pops that can be displayed utilising large format LED or projection screens – whether that be for information sharing or to support the creation of an opening sting. 

Furthering live stream or on-demand capabilities and reach by delivering a multi-camera televisual live steam record for keynotes, breakouts, speaker sessions and panel discussions, all delivered on brand, on time and on budget.  

In addition, the extra knowledge the Scruffy Bear Pictures team now brings in-house will allow JLL to further its capabilities and support production companies and clients within the TV Drama and film sector as it seeks to enhance and tailor its existing lighting delivery for both physical and virtual set demands. 

Phil McMichael, Group Commercial Director at JLL, comments: “The first three months of 2023 have been game-changing for the team here at JLL. The coming together of JLLighting and JLLive, followed by the acquisition of Scruffy Bear Pictures, shows our commitment to our evolved ‘one team’ approach.  

We pride ourselves in being a forward thinking and dynamic business which continues to invest, develop, and evolve with the industries we work so closely with. Whether a client wishes to use our corporate film offering to deliver attention-grabbing content for conferences, or whether we can use our bolstered skillset to further support a production partner in the world of TV drama, we are looking forward to seeing where the rest of 2023 takes us.” 

Darren Cook, Founder of Scruffy Bear, notes: “This is an extremely exciting time for Scruffy Bear Pictures to be joining JLL. With the incredible business growth JLL are witnessing, we are thrilled to be joining Jack, Phil, Dan and the team to combine our years of experience and amplify our sustainable production offering.”  

The acquisition comes at a time when JLL has witnessed exceptional business growth, including working with more than 50 new clients and a 150% increase in revenue. Additionally, the team numbers tripled in growth between 2020 and 2023.

JLL has also significantly invested in its owned assets, including investment of over £1.5 million in new products across all sectors of lighting, video, sound, power, set, staging, and rigging to further the promise of never being limited by technology.