Midnight Oil has announced that it has entered a definitive agreement to be acquired by Minneapolis, MN based visual marketing communications leader, Imagine!.

The additional resources afforded to Midnight Oil through this venture are expected to help propel the strategic and creative agency. Further, with the addition of Midnight Oil (and the continued support of Oak Hill Capital Partners), Imagine! is positioned for future growth and delivery of its vision: to become the world’s most admired visual communications company, thrilling customers through innovation and execution.

Midnight Oil’s creative capabilities will enhance Imagine!’s value-added service offering and go-to-market strategy, and bring immediate value to existing Imagine! clients, says the company. Midnight Oil will continue to operate independently and deliver high-quality creative services to its clients, while leveraging Imagine!’s design, production, and fulfillment capabilities.

John Hans, CEO of Imagine!, says about the partnership, “Adding Midnight Oil’s creative capabilities, its talented team, and its leadership position in the gaming and entertainment industries to Imagine!’s capabilities and network make this a partnership built for success.”

"We’re making this strategic move to position Midnight Oil as a global, industry leader," states Tom Stillwell, CEO of Midnight Oil. "The partnership with Imagine! will provide ample support and resources to drive expansion into new categories and markets. With our larger and stronger infrastructure, we will delight our current client base and open the doors to many new opportunities."

"Midnight Oil is a great fit. We share a common culture and vision, and we look forward to welcoming the Midnight Oil team to the Imagine! family," adds Bob Lothenbach, Founder of Imagine!. "Combining our resources and talents will provide all of our customers with access to a wider, more sophisticated array of services and capabilities."

The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016. New Direction Partners acted as financial advisor to Midnight Oil in the transaction. RBC Capital Markets and Societe Generale and their affiliates have underwritten and will arrange first lien financing in connection with the transaction.

Buchalter Nemer LLP is serving as legal counsel to Midnight Oil. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to Imagine!.

Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil is a dynamic marketing agency dedicated to creating meaningful connections through experiences that inspire. A team of strategic thinkers, creative artists and expert craftsmen, Midnight Oil takes seriously its role as brand caretakers and culture-makers. Leveraging its nearly 40-year history with a diverse team of premium talent and state-of-the-art workshop, Midnight Oil has earned a reputation as premier thought partners its clients can trust. Headquartered in Burbank, CA., the Midnight Oil team consists of over 250 agency professionals and partners with clients such as Disney, Netflix, Sony Pictures Television, Microsoft, Warner Bros., Activision, EA, and Universal Pictures, among others. Midnight Oil has received numerous accolades from the CLIO Key Art Awards, Game Marketing Awards, OMA Awards, Effie Awards, the Golden Trailer Awards and more.

Imagine! Print Solutions

Imagine! is one of North America’s leading provider of visual marketing products for retailers, quick serve and fast casual restaurants, CPG companies and more. The company’s retail and brand-based marketing services breadth enables it to execute recurring, large scale point-of-purchase / point-of-sale displays and in-store signage campaigns. Imagine!’s single-source capabilities include design, campaign production, kitting and fulfillment. Proprietary, technology-based services enable Imagine! to help streamline customers’ traditional, complicated supply chains to enhance quality, improve speed-to-market and lower total costs. Fortune 500 companies, Fortune 1000 retailers, quick-serve restaurants, convenience stores and branded consumer goods companies depend on Imagine!’s customer-integrated store profiling, kitting, merchandising, inventory management and on demand e-commerce services to execute mission critical in-store campaigns. Imagine! was founded in 1988 and is based in Minneapolis, MN.