The William Morris Agency and Amp'd Mobile founder Peter Adderton have teamed to launch a new-media venture that marries brands and content with emerging distribution platforms.

Called Agency 3.0, it's the latest digital foray by the tenpercentery, which unveiled a venture capital fund for fledgling digital media outfits in March. This venture, however, is less a tech incubator than a next-gen marketing agency that will also develop and produce content.

Based in Beverly Hills alongside the main William Morris offices, the Agency 3.0 team will work in conjunction with the percentery's existing digital media operation.

Adderton will serve as chairman and CEO and share ownership with William Morris and the senior exec team there.

He's lured former Hollywood execs who had headed up online entertainment ventures during the first dotcom boom to join Agency 3.0.

They include Steve Stanford, who created ICM's Digital Media Group and co-founded Icebox.com. He now serves as prexy of content and entertainment at Agency 3.0.

Greg Johnson, who created Interpublic's Emerging Media Lab, will serve as prexy of brands and agencies; Scott Anderson, who was creative head and co-founder of Boost and Amp'd with Adderton, has been named chief creative officer.

Agency 3.0 is Adderton's latest digital venture after Amp'd went bankrupt last June. He had positioned Amp'd as a mobile phone venture whose target was younger consumers interested in watching content on their cell phones.

The goal of the new company, Adderton said, is to identify emerging technologies three to five years ahead of time, then place brands onto them as they start to break through.

"We want to get brands onto Facebook before it becomes the No. 1 site," Adderton said. "When they really start to explode, we'll be ready with tried and tested techniques."

The topper said the need for such guidance became clear to him while running Amp'd and Boost, where all such analysis had to be done inhouse. "I felt a real need in the market," he said.

"It was a space that we thought was deficient," said William Morris chairman-CEO Jim Wiatt, who said the new venture is an outgrowth of months of conversation between him and Adderton, a longtime client.

Wiatt declined to specify the tenpercentery's investment in the joint venture, saying merely that William Morris has committed enough money to insure it can operate profitably.

Peter Adderton, the wireless industry executive behind Boost Mobile and Amp'd Mobile, has joined with William Morris Agency to create a hybrid firm that seeks to combine the Hollywood connections of a talent agency with the digital media expertise of a technology consultancy.

The venture, dubbed Agency 3.0, will help companies, content providers and advertisers navigate the digital landscape by performing some of the traditional functions of an ad agency in addition to tackling technical areas such as user interfaces and product development.

"If there's anything that this does represent, it is a recognition that an agency no longer [simply] develops a marketing strategy and pushes messages out to consumers. They have to work the nuts and bolts of making sure the customer experience and the advertising experience line up," said James McQuivey, a digital media analyst with Forrester Research.

For example, Agency 3.0 worked with one wireless company to create a logo that better reflected the features of a new-media technology.

Then, drawing on Adderton's mobile experience, it developed a software interface for mobile devices that retained its look when displayed on bigger screens, such as those installed in car dashboards.

Agency 3.0's founding partners come from varied backgrounds.

Adderton is best known for the success of Boost Mobile, a cellular phone provider that targeted multicultural youth. He sold the firm to Nextel in October 2003. He also is known for Amp'd Mobile, a phone service aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds that wound up in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Greg Johnson, Agency 3.0's president of brands and agencies, created the Interpublic Group's Emerging Media Lab and has more than 20 years of digital marketing experience.

Steve Stanford, president of content and entertainment, was a co-founder and chief executive of Icebox, an Internet entertainment company that created original content for the Web.

William Morris' decision to take an undisclosed equity stake in Agency 3.0 signals the talent agency's desire to play a larger role in digital media.

This year it announced it was joining with Silicon Valley venture capital firms Accel Partners and Venrock, as well as telecommunications giant AT&T Inc., to invest in consumer technology and media start-ups.

Other talent agencies have taken different tacks when it comes to new media. Creative Artists Agency joined with Sequoia Capital to back Will Ferrell's online entertainment site, Funny or Die. And advertising agency Spot Runner and United Talent Agency helped start 60 Frames Entertainment, which creates short-form online content.

Beverly Hills, CA, May 21, 2008 – Entertainment powerhouse William Morris Agency (WMA), Peter Adderton, founder of both Boost Mobile and Amp’d Mobile, and a team of digital media pioneers today announced the creation of Agency 3.0.

The new agency combines WMA’s deep entertainment expertise with the award-winning creativity and experience of the founding team to assist clients in designing, implementing and monetizing their digital media strategies. One part digital technology leader, one part next generation marketing agency, one part strategic content developer, Agency 3.0 is designed to go beyond the scope of traditional agencies by serving clients in this new world of mobility, convergence and digital entertainment. 

“There’s a whole new world in the marketing, distribution and monetization of digital media, with unique demands for new approaches to both design and implementation,” states Jim Wiatt, Chairman and CEO of WMA. “Peter and the team we have assembled at Agency 3.0 are the best there are in recognizing trends and creating digital businesses ahead of the curve. We recently announced a digital media venture fund and now with Agency 3.0, we’ll be providing services as well as making investments in this sector.” 

Agency 3.0 is in the field of building businesses. By working with companies, content providers and advertisers to bridge the gap between great ideas and go-to-market executions in the digital media space, Agency 3.0 strategically leverages clients’ assets to create new revenue opportunities. The founding partners understand content, the convergence of networks and open platforms, and how to bring all the pieces into a cohesive strategy for the ultimate customer experience. Core offerings include digital strategy implementation, new product and brand development, content creation and user interface (UI) and content platforms.

Bringing skills sets across technology, content, marketing and the user experience, Agency 3.0 founding partners include:

Peter Adderton, Chairman and CEO.

In addition to helming Agency 3.0, Adderton will lead the Agency’s practice for mobile and wireless clients. Adderton was the founder and CEO of both Boost Mobile and Amp’d Mobile, each of which became leading mobile brands in the youth market and received numerous awards including Red Herring’s Top 100 North America 2006 list, Advertising Age’s ‘Entertainment Marketer of the Year’, BrandWeek’s ‘Marketer of the Year’, Wireless Week’s ‘Entertainment Company of the Year’, and in 2006, Adderton himself was dubbed a “Mobile Maverick” by Laptop Magazine. Adderton also founded Promotional Partners World Wide (PPW), one of the largest and most successful fully integrated marketing and promotions agencies in Australia.

Greg Johnson, Partner and President, Brands and Agencies.

Johnson heads Agency 3.0’s practice addressing consumer brand companies and traditional agencies. He brings over 20 years of innovation in cutting edge digital marketing campaigns for top agencies including McCann Worldgroup and Digitas. He was also responsible for the creation of the Interpublic Emerging Media Lab and is known globally for his vision and leadership in the digital landscape.  Johnson is a multiple recipient of the Cannes Lion Award and has been recognized as a ‘Media Maven’ by Advertising Age.

Steve Stanford, Partner and President, Content and Entertainment.

Stanford focuses on Agency 3.0’s practice in the entertainment industry. His extensive entertainment and digital media background includes creating ICM’s Digital Media Group, and being a co-founding partner and CEO of Icebox, a venture backed Internet entertainment company and the first site to create original programming for the web using a-list Hollywood talent, and most recently General Manager of the HBO/AOL broadband comedy joint venture. He was also co-founder and COO of Amp’d Mobile and VP of Marketing at Boost Mobile.  Stanford has won numerous coveted industry awards including having been named one of the top 100 Internet entrepreneurs by Time Magazine, and one of the Digital Dozen by Time Digital.

Scott Anderson, Partner and Chief Creative Officer.

Anderson leads the creative and design team at Agency 3.0 and is one of the most highly respected designers in the telecommunications industry both in the United States and Australia. Anderson was the creative head and co-founder of both Boost Mobile and Amp’d Mobile, where he launched two of the leading youth brands in the mobile marketplace and secured numerous awards for his work including Custom Publishing Council’s annual design award. 

“Experience has taught us how to work with advertisers and brands into the digital media space, and we earned ‘Entertainment Marketer of the Year’ awards at both Amp’d and Boost Mobile where we demonstrated that design, branding and tailored content through an integrated user experience could drive rapid adoption. With Greg’s pioneering work in the digital agency world, Steve’s digital content prowess and Scott’s branding genius, we formed a team at Agency 3.0 with unparalleled creativity and technical expertise to integrate branding and distribution across all digital platforms,” states Agency 3.0 CEO, Peter Adderton. “Our partnership with William Morris Agency gives us incredible access to their talent, content and the entertainment business as a whole, which will play very well into our efforts at both brand marketing and content distribution.” 

Over the course of its 110-year history, WMA has been a springboard for innovation within the entertainment industry. From its earliest days, WMA has forged success for a multitude of platforms by developing and driving new forms of content for theater, radio, television, film, Web, video games and now mobile, both domestically and abroad. This new partnership offers William Morris clients the opportunity to benefit from their innovative approach to client management as they open the door to moving beyond management and toward activation and implementation. Agency 3.0 is located onsite at WMA’s Beverly Hills headquarters. Agency 3.0 is a joint venture, with ownership shared among WMA, Adderton and the other principals on the senior executive team. Agency 3.0 will work alongside WMA’s Consulting and Digital Groups to identify projects that will benefit from the groups’ shared knowledge and relationships.

About Agency 3.0.

Agency 3.0 is a new breed of agency that merges technology and content to create digital media businesses across multiple platforms for consumer brand, technology, telecom and entertainment companies.  Backed by entertainment powerhouse William Morris Agency (WMA), Agency 3.0 combines WMA’s deep entertainment expertise with the award-winning creativity and senior management experience of the founding team to assist clients in designing, implementing and monetizing their digital media strategies. One part digital technology leader, one part next generation marketing agency, one part strategic content developer, Agency 3.0 goes beyond the scope of traditional agencies by serving clients in this new world of mobility and digital entertainment. Core offerings include digital strategy implementation, new product and brand development, content creation and user interface and content platforms.
 
Agency 3.0’s principals include executives with extensive senior experience at Amp’d Mobile, Boost Mobile, McCann Worldgroup, Digitas, Icebox.com and the Digital Media Group of International Creative Management.

The former head of Amp’d Mobile is leveraging some of his MVNO experience with a new company designed to assist clients with their digital media strategies.

This time, Peter Adderton, founder of Amp’d as well as Boost Mobile, doesn’t have to worry about getting financing from venture capitalists, which dried up when Amp’d needed it and led in part to its Chapter 11 filing. Now, he’s got the backing of the esteemed William Morris Agency (WMA), complete with company digs in one of WMA’s buildings on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Expect more of what Adderton is known for: “We like big-thinking ideas,” he said in an interview.

Agency 3.0, which he described more or less as a name by default rather than one they spent a lot of time dreaming up, is working with companies, content providers and advertisers to “bridge the gap between great ideas” and go-to-market executions in the digital media space, including wireless. Core offerings include digital strategy implementation, new product and brand development, content creation and user interface (UI) and content platforms.

Adderton serves as CEO and chairman. Greg Johnson, who delivered digital marketing campaigns for agencies such as McCann Worldgroup and Digitas, serves as partner and president of brands and agencies. Steve Stanford, whose background includes creating ICM’s Digital Media Group and being a co-founding partner of Icebox, is partner and president of the content and entertainment division. Scott Anderson, a co-founder of Boost Mobile and Amp’d, is partner and chief creative officer.

Agency 3.0 is a joint venture, with ownership shared among WMA, Adderton and other principals on the senior executive team.

The JV already has clients but isn’t publicizing who they are, preferring to let the clients do the talking, he said.

While the company has various goals, one of Adderton’s interests is showing developers how they should market and advertise their services, even if they are early stage and rely on VC funding. A lot of VC-funded startups spend their money on technology, but “there’s no point building the best app in the world if nobody knows about it,” he said, adding it’s important to set the brand and marketing strategies early.

Peter Adderton is best known for the success of Boost Mobile. (Jessica Silverstein / May 20, 2008)

Peter Adderton, the wireless industry executive behind Boost Mobile and Amp'd Mobile, has joined with William Morris Agency to create a hybrid firm that seeks to combine the Hollywood connections of a talent agency with the digital media expertise of a technology consultancy.

The venture, dubbed Agency 3.0, will help companies, content providers and advertisers navigate the digital landscape by performing some of the traditional functions of an ad agency in addition to tackling technical areas such as user interfaces and product development.

"If there's anything that this does represent, it is a recognition that an agency no longer [simply] develops a marketing strategy and pushes messages out to consumers. They have to work the nuts and bolts of making sure the customer experience and the advertising experience line up," said James McQuivey, a digital media analyst with Forrester Research.

For example, Agency 3.0 worked with one wireless company to create a logo that better reflected the features of a new-media technology.

Then, drawing on Adderton's mobile experience, it developed a software interface for mobile devices that retained its look when displayed on bigger screens, such as those installed in car dashboards.

Agency 3.0's founding partners come from varied backgrounds.

Adderton is best known for the success of Boost Mobile, a cellular phone provider that targeted multicultural youth. He sold the firm to Nextel in October 2003. He also is known for Amp'd Mobile, a phone service aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds that wound up in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Greg Johnson, Agency 3.0's president of brands and agencies, created the Interpublic Group's Emerging Media Lab and has more than 20 years of digital marketing experience.

Steve Stanford, president of content and entertainment, was a co-founder and chief executive of Icebox, an Internet entertainment company that created original content for the Web.

William Morris' decision to take an undisclosed equity stake in Agency 3.0 signals the talent agency's desire to play a larger role in digital media.

This year it announced it was joining with Silicon Valley venture capital firms Accel Partners and Venrock, as well as telecommunications giant AT&T Inc., to invest in consumer technology and media start-ups.

Other talent agencies have taken different tacks when it comes to new media. Creative Artists Agency joined with Sequoia Capital to back Will Ferrell's online entertainment site, Funny or Die. And advertising agency Spot Runner and United Talent Agency helped start 60Frames Entertainment, which creates short-form online content.