Havas launches AI production hub POP Australia

Havas has launched POP Australia, establishing the first Asia-Pacific origination Centre of Excellence for its global Prose on Pixels production network and appointing Raoni Lima as Head of Creative Technology.

The operation will combine traditional production, including filming, editing, post-production, animation and VFX, with AI-enabled workflows and Havas technologies including Vermeer.ai and Converged.AI.

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Production meets AI

POP, short for Prose on Pixels, is Havas’ global AI-powered content production network. Havas says the Australian arm has been designed to help brands adapt creative work across audiences and markets without adding the same production complexity or forcing ideas to be scaled back because of time and budget constraints.

The move extends Havas ANZ’s broader push into AI and integrated capability. The group introduced its “Deliberately Different” positioning in 2025, alongside increased investment in technology and collaboration across its Village agencies.

Globally, Havas has committed €400 million to data, technology and AI investment through 2027. Vermeer, developed by Prose on Pixels, forms part of that strategy and brings generative AI tools into a production environment overseen by creative and technical teams.

Matt Hearn, Managing Partner of POP Australia, said the operation was built around a recurring production problem: ambitious creative being reduced to fit available budgets.

“I've watched the best idea in the room lose to the budget more times than I can count. Trimmed down, made safe, sent out to everyone. That's the thing we wanted to fix, so we built POP Australia to fix it. Real craft, and the AI chops to match, with a global network behind a team you can actually get in a room,” he said.

Raoni Lima joins as Head of Creative Technology

Lima joins with more than 20 years of experience across agencies, holding companies and studios in Brazil and Australia, according to Havas. He previously worked with the group and will lead the integration of creative technology into POP Australia’s production model.

“Anyone can generate images and video. The real value comes from knowing which tools to use, when to use them and how to integrate them into the creative process to achieve better outcomes,” Lima said.

“Real change starts at the root, a complete redesign of the entire process from the ground up, and that is exactly the bet we are making with the POP model.”

Havas builds out its ANZ AI capability

James Wright, Group CEO of Havas ANZ, said the launch was another step in the network’s local strategy.

“Clients want agility, integrated capability and production that delivers real outcomes, and that's what POP gives them: global craft and genuine AI capability, purpose-built and close to the work, backed by the full Village. It's a significant investment in production for this region, and it's how we keep playing and winning differently.”

POP Australia will sit within Havas Village ANZ, connecting its production capability with the group’s wider creative, media and customer experience operations.

Chavvah Stuart, Head of Creative Innovation, said: “The goal isn’t volume, it’s relevance. It’s about smarter content that cuts through, connects, and lands when it matters. That is where craft and technology finally pull in the same direction.”