The Advertising Producers Association (APA), the UK’s leading trade body for creative production companies creating commercial content, has announced the launch of a new industry initiative; Production Unplugged, presented in partnership with ISBA, IHALC, and Inside Out.

This pioneering initiative is designed to foster direct partnerships between multi-disciplinary creative studios and the UK’s leading brands, bringing together over 500 industry leaders, marketers, and production experts for a full day of networking, knowledge-sharing, and creative collaboration on May 1, 2025, in London.

Senior representatives from Waitrose, Diageo, Estée Lauder, Channel 4, Vodafone, Sainsbury’s Zest, Merlin Entertainments, Reckitt Benckiser, Pernod Ricard, The Mix, SKY Creative, and what3words have pledged their support as event curators, hand-picking the very best production content to showcase to attending brands. This ensures Production Unplugged delivers a curated experience that highlights innovation, effectiveness, and strategic creative partnerships.

By bringing together brands, procurement specialists, and production specialists in a uniquely creative environment, Production Unplugged aims to break down barriers within the advertising industry. Attendees will gain first hand insights into how creative partners contribute to brand storytelling, sustainability efforts, content effectiveness, and multi-platform marketing strategies.

The initiative was inspired by findings from the APA’s 2024 industry report, What Clients Want from Advertising Production Today, which underscored the increasing need for stronger connections between brands and creative entities across their content pipeline. Production Unplugged is APA’s response to that demand—a dynamic forum where marketing professionals can engage directly with APA members to explore cutting-edge production solutions and build long-term strategic relationships.

More than just a single event, Production Unplugged will serve as an ongoing initiative, creating a year-round community focused on knowledge exchange and creative discovery. Post event, Production Unplugged will be launching a digital directory, making production partners and their capabilities easily searchable to brands.

The event will feature six carefully curated zones tailored to key brand priorities, each sponsored by a leading industry partner:

Network Zone – Sponsored by Heads Up

Agile Zone – Sponsored by Get Set Hire

Smart Zone – Sponsored by Murphy Cobb (MCA)

ESG Zone – Sponsored by Advertising Association Ad Green Ltd

Future Zone – Sponsor to be announced shortly

Consumer Experience Zone – Sponsor TBC

“Our goal with Production Unplugged is to create an ecosystem where brands and our members can collaborate more effectively,” said Steve Davies, CEO at APA. “By removing barriers and sparking new conversations, we hope to redefine the future of commercial creativity and create opportunities for all involved.”

Janet Markwick, co-founder of the J&R Collective, who with co-founder Rhona Glazebrook, designed and developed Production Unplugged adds,

“Through our research, we discovered brands want to meet the makers of their work; and see first-hand the talent, creativity and capabilities of the team they are spending a large portion of their advertising budget with. Meaning they can identify the best fit for their brief and culture, and make sure their investment is delivering the greatest return, both creatively and commercially. The single biggest benefit for brands working directly with production houses is to do more, better - creatively and commercially. New platforms and technologies mean that all marketers benefit from understanding how production works. And this will help brands to further push creative boundaries.”

Special thanks to the official Production Unplugged media partner, Little Black Book and supporting partner Bikini List.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Media contact: Isabelle du Plessis - isabelle@pr-concierge.com

Read more about the APA at (https://www.a-p-a.net)

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