Ex-Clemenger BBDO creatives Marie-Celine Merret and Vinne Schifferstein have launched their own independent agency, MC&V, a creative and production house focused on artificial intelligence.
Trading as MC&V AI Creative Production, the agency will operate as an AI specialist, using the technology to develop live-action productions, scalable content systems and end-to-end production workflows.
The launch marks the second agency offshoot to emerge this week from former Omnicom talent, with Merret and Schifferstein previously working at Clemenger BBDO’s production arm, Made This. Yesterday, former Porter Novelli Australia partners officially launched their new communications agency MRG&Co.
Speaking on the Mumbrella podcast, Schifferstein said she was inspired to explore embedding AI into the production process after seeing a former client’s business become disrupted “almost overnight” by the launch of ChatGPT.
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“That was a real eye-opener for me,” she said. “Advertising is basically made up of three elements: copy, imagery or moving image, and sound — and all three were already being disrupted by AI two years ago. Seeing that happen to that client made me realise how serious this was.
“When I took the job at Clemenger, the first thing I knew we had to do was build an AI capability. If we didn’t lean into it, it was going to eat us from the outside. That’s really what triggered it for me.”
Merret and Schifferstein met six years ago while working at Media Monks in Sydney, with Merret following her former boss to Made This in February 2024.
Speaking on the Mumbrellacast about the opportunities for AI in production in Australia, Schifferstein said the technology was already reshaping how content is created.
“Where I see the low-hanging fruit right now is in volume,” she explained. “A lot of content out there isn’t great quality, but AI gives you the ability to produce at scale while making it look fantastic. Especially in markets like Australia, where budgets are tighter, AI can help you create content for multiple channels without the heavy cost of traditional production.
“From a budget perspective, the biggest disruption is already happening: real-life shoots are becoming less necessary because AI can do so much. That’s not to say everything will be AI — there will always be a mix — but there’s no reason to fly talent to multiple locations, spend on travel and accommodation, when you can swap locations with AI and still make it look amazing.”
While Schifferstein acknowledged that platforms like Meta and Google are increasingly embed AI across the entire campaign process, including content creation, media buying and performance, she said some fundamentals remain.
“You still need consistent storytelling across all channels,” she said. “That might mean adapting work for different platforms, which people are already doing. I don’t think that part will change much; you still need strategy, creative thinking, and a maker to actually create the work, whether that’s on Meta, Google, or anywhere else.”