| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Key people | Founders Dan Wieden, David Kennedy CEO Bill Davenport Executive Creative Directors Mark Fitzloff, Susan Hoffman Creative Director Aaron Rose Content Director Janice Grube Producers Shayla Hason, Ava Hegedus, Jason Roark |
| Products | Film & Radio |
| Website | www.wk.com/wke |
WKE (abbreviated from WKEntertainment or Wieden+Kennedy+Entertainment) is an independently owned American production company and arts and culture delivery channel, a subsidiary of the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. The site contains material from a number of contributors, as well as original materials created by W+K under the creative direction of filmmaker Aaron Rose
Contents |
Wieden+Kennedy had created original contents for various brands under the moniker ‘W+K Entertainment’ since 2001, with Bill Davenport as CEO[1]. Its productions include Battlegrounds[2], an MTV2 series showcasing street basketball[3]; Ginga[4], a documentary about Brazilian soccer players; Road to Paris[5], documenting Lance Armstrong's path to his third Tour de France victory in 2001; and Say My Name, a worldwide documentary project about women by Nirit Peled[6].
Wieden+Kennedy's exploration into producing its own non-branded content was started after in early 2009 after five prior months of refinements with WK Radio[7], an internet radio station. WK Radio was created by singer-songwriter Janice Grube, in collaboration with Davenport and under the executive creative direction of Mark Fitzloff and Susan Hoffman[8]. WK Radio broadcasted DJs, live music performances and interviews with "low key emerging talents, musicians and designers"[9], where staffers often pitch in as well as outside artists and musicians.
WK Radio stream was put on hiatus on mid 2009, and Wieden+Kennedy hired creative director and filmmaker Aaron Rose to help relaunch the station as entertainment content delivery platform and production house [10]. The studio’s first project is a daily recap coverage of Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Time-Based Art Festival 2009, done in collaboration with Portland Radio Authority and Radio23.[11]
A full site launched in October 2009, with episodic shows such as: