Inside Omnicom Studios NY with Sarah DiLeo

To put it mildly, 2024 was a headline-making year for Omnicom – part of which involved the launch of Omnicom Production (OP), announced in the summer. Back then, Sergio Lopez told LBB that this global practice area would be “a new type of production, for a new type of world”. And now we’re getting an insider’s view of that new world through Omnicom Studios New York, a state-of-the-art space in the heart of the city.

You can take a peek at the space and facilities on offer in the gallery below: 

Photo credits: Images 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9 by Emma Gillespie and 3, 4, 5 & 6 by Eric Laignel.

Sarah DiLeo, who joined Omnicom Production as their head of studio, NY, last summer, tells LBB that the new space is one part of how OP is planning to make good on its staggering potential. 

“One of the powerful benefits of OP is the ability to foster a much deeper integration between strategy, creative and production minds and workflows across the Omnicom network,” she explains. “I think so much of delivering on the promise of OP is about how we bolster the success of our agency and client partners – whether that’s as a key resource in elevating pitch material, executing client briefs with creative excellence and greater efficiency, or collaborating on content delivery systems at scale. As we hit our stride six months in, we’re seeing all of this work bear fruit in exciting ways, and even bigger things are in store.”

The new space illuminates both the practical opportunities it’s providing OP and the company’s clients, and the company’s broader investment in quality production at scale. 

“We’re fortunate to have this beautiful studio space that’s been purpose-built for all the modern needs of production and is also thoughtfully designed from a hospitality lens, so we can welcome our client and agency partners into the production process,” continues DiLeo. “We have a number of post-production suites with editorial, audio, VFX/finishing and colour capabilities, as well as a sizable cyclorama studio and prep kitchen where we can shoot a wide variety of work. From the lovely interior design to the leading-edge tech that enables these facilities, it really is a dream come true for us to have this space.”

And, in a number of ways, the company believes it’s all coming about at the perfect time. Many of the trends that are set to define the coming era – content saturation, AI, and stretched budgets – all require a mixture of efficiency, craft, and quality from production. Striking that balance can be challenging but, as DiLeo goes on to explain, the new facilities help OP’s teams to rise to those challenges. 

“There are, of course, myriad ways in which AI is driving change, from how we design our delivery pipelines to how the content gets ideated and produced, and this will continue to raise novel challenges and opportunities for everyone in the industry,” she says. “OP brings the scale, the creative caliber, and the balance of innovation and purpose needed to embrace these opportunities head-on. As we evolve, we know that to continue building the production agency of the future, we need to fully leverage the incredible tools available to us. Our collective Omnicom Production team understands that the future of creativity depends on working differently.”

It also depends on working collaboratively. The investment in a new studio space reflects OP’s commitment to ensuring its multidisciplinary teams are as well-connected as possible. 

“One unique and wonderful aspect of our new studio space is that we’ve been able to combine our high-end production and post facilities with office spaces that accommodate our robust Omnicom Studios team, as well as much of our OP leadership,” she states. “So our physical space acts as a microcosm of our company-wide structural model of close collaboration and greater efficiency, and also underscores our cultural commitment to the value of togetherness.”

Throughout her own career, Sarah has been an advocate for interdisciplinary creativity – finding the connective points between different cultures and ways of both thinking and making. “I do believe the interdisciplinary creative spaces are where the true magic happens,” she notes. “What we’ve done at OP in bringing together hundreds of people from across the network with different skills, as well as disparate backgrounds across work cultures and business models, is like a secret weapon for leveling up creative excellence. Not only does the work get better, but ideally our people get exposed to a wider breadth of ideas and methodologies, thereby enhancing their own abilities and their sense of belonging as well; a virtuous cycle.”

And it’s happening right in the heart of New York City. “We’re very lucky to be able to have the footprint size that we do, while still being in the midst of everything,” adds DiLeo. “Many of our agency partners are mere steps or blocks away, and Midtown is a convenient gathering place for clients and out-of-town visitors. We have both the space and the location to really lean into hosting people and creating community here – whether through regular gatherings of our team members, or through supervised post-production sessions and shoots with client and agency partners.”

It’s a hopeful, optimistic play for growth and the future of production. And it’s also a reminder that, for all the talk of industry trends and technology becoming a more dominant force in the creative world, it’s still human beings who need to harness that potential and make work that’s worth watching. 

“We have a truly stellar team at Omnicom Production,” concludes DiLeo, “some of the best people in the industry who have come together to meet this watershed moment, and build a place unlike any other.”