• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 13, 2015

Grey New York, part of WPP, has launched a new unit, Grey TLC, which will address talent, licensing and casting needs of its clients.

The new operation, headed by Amy Tunick, President, Grey Activation & PR, will handle all aspects of partnerships with celebrities, athletes, experts, digital influencers, and models, among others.

Grey TLC will also be launching a proprietary process and tool to guide the strategic selection of talent and licensed properties for marketing campaigns. The new tool factors in key elements such as interest to and influence on target audience, social media followership and reach, social media engagement of followers, alignment of social media followers to brand’s target audience, and PR appeal.

The TLC unit has already crafted a number of deals, including one for client Canon U.S.A with film director Ron Howard and a separate agreement for the American Egg Board with actor Kevin Bacon. It’s also done content licensing for Best Buy and Norton, and a variety of influencer programs with vloggers, Instagrammers, and celebrities for brands including the National Park Foundation and Nestlé La Lechera.

Grey has had an in-house casting department for decades and over the years has added expertise on celebrity outreach, negotiation and management, as well as content and third party licensing. Now those capabilities are being brought together into a single dedicated entity.

“Talent no longer provides brands with just a famous name or face,” said Tunick. “Talent and property partnerships are a strategic and contextual channel to communicate a brand’s message. “

While the agency has offered talent, licensing and casting services to clients some time, Tunick said the agency created the new division “to continue to stay ahead of the curve and offer clients a more turnkey, comprehensive and integrated approach.”