Imagination sells Atlanta arm

Imagination’s Atlanta business has been bought by US presentation company Carabiner International for an undisclosed sum. Brian Shepherd, who headed Imagination’s US operation, is now employed by Carabiner as executive vice-president.

Paul Hammond, who quit Imagination as group creative director in June this year, has joined Carabiner as creative director.

Imagination has set up a new office in New York, headed by board director Paul MacKay. “The decision to move to New York is driven by business reasons,” says marketing director Ralph Ardill.

“We’re repositioning Imagination into a company focusing on … building long-term client relationships, moving away from the one-offs. This means smaller numbers of clients but more strategic relationships and New York is better placed for that,” says Ardill.

Shepherd has taken all “local-based presentation jobs” to Carabiner, says Ardill. But the 67m Atlanta-based Expo, planned to run for six months to cash in on the centennial 1996 Olympics, stays with Imagination in its New York office, claims Ardill.

Shepherd says “no energy or time” is being spent by Imagination to resurrect the Expo, in jeopardy through funding doubts first revealed in April this year.