SAN FRANCISCO — Hotwire and the production company Irresistible Films have launched a new video arm, called Hotwire Reels. The new venture expands Hotwire’s video offerings by boosting the scale and speed of content production and delivery. Hotwire and the multi-lingual Irresistible Films, which has offices in London and New York, have worked together informally for the last three years.

LOS ANGELES — USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism has launched a new Center for Third Space Thinking dedicated to helping under-served businesses and nonprofits navigate today’s business world using communications-based methodology. The new methodology, built around the five core competencies of adaptability, cultural competency, empathy, intellectual curiosity and 360-degree thinking to approach problems from multiple perspectives, will be applied to the center’s work in three areas — leadership development, education and community engagement. The center, founded by former dean Ernest J. Wilson, III (pictured), is being funded by $1.5m grant from the Annenberg Foundation.

NEW YORK — Huntsworth has acquired AboveNation Media, joining other health, wellness and lifestyle marketing companies operating under the Evoke umbrella organization. AboveNation is a full-service media strategy, planning and buying agency. It will boost Evoke’s services by providing integrated advertising technology solutions across the group.

NEW YORK — Vested Ventures, the investment arm of the public relations agency Vested, has completed a seed round investment in Vancouver financial software company Dojo Technology Corp.  Dojo’s iOS and Android-friendly mobile platform reimagines how families and young people interact with their banks and credit unions by providing reward-based gamification and nudging users towards positive financial habits.  Vested Ventures’ financial investment and strategic counsel will help Dojo activate its brand across the US and Canada, driving new prospects and revenue opportunities. Vested’s support to Dojo will include marketing support, media relations, content development, corporate messaging, and executive positioning.

NEW YORK — Evins Communications and Sheila Donnelly & Associations, the Honolulu-based travel and lifestyle firm, have struck a formal partnership. The agencies are aligning to bolster the breadth, depth and scope of capabilities, expertise and client services. The partnership has been in the works since 2016, when the agencies started collaborating on projects.

NEW YORK — Ketchum has launched a new paid internship, called the Bee Marks Nutrition Communication Fellowship, which will be awarded to a candidate who is a registered dietitian or completing his or her dietetic internship or master's in nutrition in spring 2018. The fellow will be based in New York and will work with Ketchum’s Borderless Nutrition team of on-staff registered dietitians and food marketing and communication experts around the globe, growing their nutrition expertise through tailored training and projects. The program honors the life and legacy of the late Beatrice “Bee” G. Marks, whose tenure with Ketchum spanned more than 40 years, and who was a leader in developing the modern practice of food and nutrition marketing during the 1960s and 70s.

BOSTON — PAN Communications has launched an influencer marketing program, called The Power of Voice, to help  marketers create new ideas, identify market opportunities and build the right engagement program tailored to their industry. PAN’s process starts with an intensive audit built off of a powerful data-driven platform, which leads to a strategy aligning influencers from initial brand introductions to relationship building to ongoing engagement. The approach targets all five key categories of relationships that make up a strong influencer strategy – from creators to analysts to media to influencers – and is tailored to address a variety of program needs and audiences, including: audit and assessment of the market; ID and align for impact and engagement; move ideas with stories that matter; prioritize programs and channels; and 360° measurement.