One Great Studio buys another firm, but still operating with low leverage

One Great Studio Company Ltd (1GS), the Junior Market-listed digital agency, has acquired FarmHouse Creative Marketing Ltd for $36 million as it continues assembling a portfolio of marketing brands across the Caribbean.

The transaction, which includes a performance-based earn-out structured over three years, brings FarmHouse founder Vanessa Henderson into the group as director of brand & creative. She will continue to lead FarmHouse, which will operate under its own name as 1GS’s dedicated creative, social media and brand strategy arm.

FarmHouse Creative, established in 2023, has built a client base across hospitality, real estate, consumer and lifestyle brands. It is the third acquisition completed by 1GS, following High Voltage Digital and DRT Communications.

1GS continues to grow via acquisition and still has room to expand, based on its low debt-to-equity ratio at 2.0 per cent to March, comprised of $13 million in loans and $599 million in equity. These acquisitions — which include US-based High Voltage Digital LLC and, more recently, DRT Communications — have grown annual revenue from roughly $128 million in 2021 to peak at $461 million in 2023 and $376 million in 2025. Profit, however, remains subdued from its peak of $59 million in 2023 to a loss of $24 million in December 2025. It, however, rebounded, recording profit of $14.7 million for its March first-quarter 2026.

“FarmHouse is exactly what our portfolio needed at this stage,” said Djuvane Browne, chief executive of 1GS. “Vanessa has built something truly special. In a short time, FarmHouse has earned the trust of its clients by consistently delivering thoughtful strategy, exceptional creative work, and meaningful results. We’re excited to give the team access to the scale, specialist expertise, and technology that will help them continue growing while staying true to what makes FarmHouse unique.”

Henderson said the partnership would allow FarmHouse to offer clients a broader range of capabilities without abandoning its founding principles.

“FarmHouse was built on relationships, creativity, and trust, and every opportunity we’ve had has come from people believing in what we do,” Henderson said. “As marketing continues to evolve, our clients need a partner that brings together creativity, strategy, data, technology, and measurable performance. This partnership gives us the scale and expertise to deliver even greater value, while staying true to the principles that have guided FarmHouse from day one.”

The 1GS brand portfolio now comprises One Great Studio, High Voltage Digital, DRT Communications and FarmHouse Creative, offering services spanning website and app development, search engine optimisation, paid media, branding, video production, public relations, strategic communications and media monitoring.

The acquisition comes as 1GS enters a period of improved financial performance. The company reported revenue of $102 million for the first quarter of 2026, up 34 per cent from $76 million in the corresponding period a year earlier, and returned to profitability with net profit of $15 million, compared with a net loss of $13 million in the first quarter of 2025. The turnaround followed a difficult 2024, when full-year revenue declined to $342.3 million from $461.1 million and net profit fell to $35.7 million from $79.1 million as management restructured the business around its house-of-brands model. The company’s shares, which listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s Junior Market in September 2023 at $1.00, were recently trading around $0.34.

business@gleanerjm.com