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Monks
FormerlyMedia.Monks (2001-2024)
Company typePrivate
Industry
Founded2001; 23 years ago (2001)
FoundersFounders:
  • Wesley ter Haar
  • Gin Roberscheuten
  • Terrence de Kat (formerly Terrence Koeman)
Co-Founders:
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Justin Billingsley (CGO, Marketing)
  • David Kullmann (CRO, Technology)
ProductsMonks.Flow (AI Platform)
Revenue£1.01 billion (2023)[1]
Number of employees
7,500+ (2024)
ParentS4Capital plc
Websitewww.monks.com

Monks is a digital-first marketing, technology services and consulting company that connects content, data and digital media and technology services and provides solutions in the consulting, enterprise software, gaming, film, social, digital advertising, data, and measurement ecosystems.[2] It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of S4 Capital, Plc.

History

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Formation and early years

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The company's head office is based in London, United Kingdom. Monks was founded in the Netherlands in January 2001 as Media.Monks by Wesley ter Haar, Erçin "Gin" Roberscheuten, and Terrence de Kat. Additional co-founders were added after the acquisition of Monks by S4Capital in 2018.

Victor Knaap joined the company in 2003 as "Sales Monk" and would manage it as CEO from 2004 until 2018, at first acquiring a 15% share in the company, but later an equal 25% to the other three owners.[3] Monks joined the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) in 2012, with Ter Haar serving as chairman of that collective today.[4] Monks won 23 Lions at Cannes, including one for the Universal Typeface Experiment in 2014.[5]

Acquisition by S4Capital

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In July 2018, S4Capital plc purchased Monks for $350 million.[6]

In August 2019, the former "Head Creative of Film", who quit and sold his shares in the company at the end of 2017 (more than 6 months before the acquisition by S4Capital), sued the company. He argued that had he known about the upcoming acquisition, he would not have decided to quit.[7] The lawsuit was settled in December 2019.[8]

In 2018, S4 Capital acquired data and digital media firm, MightyHive for $150 million. Monks and MightyHive were later merged under the combined Media.Monks brand.[9]

Post Acquisition

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In January 2021, S4Capital merged Decoded and Metric Theory into Monks. Jam3 joined Monks in March 2021, and, in August of the same year, all 24 S4Capital companies, plus culture agency Cashmere, became part of Monks. Further mergers include TheoremOne,[10] and XX Artists, both in 2022.[11]

Monks was the fastest growing company in The Netherlands in 2021 and 2022.[12]

On July 18, 2024, Media.Monks was rebranded to Monks, with a focus on AI.[13] Campaign US noted this occurred in the midst of the introduction of new AI products, an earnings miss, and multiple acquisitions.[13]

Awards

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In January 2020, Monks was the first company to be awarded 200 Favourite Website Awards.[14]

Monks was awarded a 2022 Peabody Award in the Immersive & Interactive category for The Uncensored Library project.[15] The project's profile page describes the library as "a monument to press freedom and an innovative back door for access to censored content."[16]

References

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  1. ^ "S4Capital Annual Report 2023" (PDF). s4capital.com. 2024. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  2. ^ "What We Do". monks.com. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  3. ^ Mulder, Wietze Willem (2018-07-10). "Zo werd MediaMonks groot". mtsprout.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  4. ^ Otto, Richard (2014-04-30). "Victor Knaap (MediaMonks): "Je hoeft niet op het podium te staan om gekend te worden."". adformatie.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  5. ^ "MediaMonks: Wow, look at them now". thestable.com.au. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  6. ^ Weissbrot, Alison (12 September 2018). "WPP vs. S4: Sorrell's Approach To Building An Empire, Then And Now". adexchanger.com. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  7. ^ Koster, Mark (2019-08-27). "Nieuwsoverzicht: Ex-medewerker Media Monks eist geld na overname en hacker rooft rekeningen". Quote Net (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  8. ^ "Schikking tussen MediaMonks en oud-aandeelhouder Rogier Schalken". emerce.nl (in Dutch). 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  9. ^ Wingate, Keira (December 27, 2021). "Top agency mergers of 2021: Stagwell, S4Capital and MNTN were active on the M&A front". Ad Age. Vol. 92, no. 19. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  10. ^ Glenday, John (2022-05-17). "S4 Capital confirms TheoremOne and Media.Monks merger". The Drum. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  11. ^ Ralph, Alex (2022-07-02). "S4 Capital merges Media.Monks with XX Artists". The Times. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  12. ^ Ouwerkerk, Gabi (2022-10-10). "Media.Monks scoort opnieuw titel van snelstgroeiende bedrijf: 'Lastigste jaar ooit'". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  13. ^ a b Doerrer, Brandon (2024-07-18). "MediaMonks reorgs and rebrands to Monks, puts focus on AI-powered services". Campaign US. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  14. ^ Koigi, Bob, ed. (2017-11-03). "MediaMonks first company to win 200 FWAs". Dutch Creative Industry. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  15. ^ "RSF win its first Peabody Award". Reporters Without Borders. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  16. ^ "The Uncensored Library". The Peabody Awards. 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
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