The big three – entertainment, media and advertising – are coming together to form Agency 3.0 in a bid to create the perfect storm of digital technology and strategically developed content.

The entertainment powerhouse William Morris Agency is partnering with Peter Adderton, the founder of Boost Mobile and Amp’d Mobile and a team of digital media pioneers to launch Agency 3.0. The company bills itself as one part digital technology leader, one part next generation marketing agency, one part strategic content developer — designed to go beyond the scope of traditional agencies by serving clients in this new world of mobility, convergence and digital entertainment.

The company plans to work with interactive advertisers and content providers to bridge the gap between ideas and their execution in the digital media space. Its core offerings include digital strategy implementation, new product and brand development, content creating and user interface and content platforms.

Greg Johnson has joined Agency 3.0 as a partner and president of brands and agencies; he hails from McCann Worldgroup. Steve Stanford is partner and president of content and entertainment; previously, he created ICM’s Digital Media Group. Scott Anderson is partner and chief creative officer; he was the creative head and co-founder of Boost and Amp’d.

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.

The CEO behind one of digital media's most spectacular flameouts is rising from the ashes.

Peter Adderton, whose Amp'd Mobile declared bankruptcy and shut its doors in July despite attracting $360 million in funding, has resurfaced as chairman and CEO of a new digital-minded firm being launched along with William Morris Agency.

Dubbed Agency 3.0, the venture aims to help consumer brands or packaged goods companies map out a digital distribution strategy as well as technology companies in need of branding support.

It's the kind of services Adderton said he learned at Amp'd, which managed to draw 100,000 subs and spawned a shortform video program, "Lil' Bush," that became a Comedy Central series.

"We know what can go wrong, and if you're a client in the digital space, I'm not going to make the same mistakes twice," said Adderton, who faulted the demise of Amp'd on the challenges inherent to the multiple virtual network operator market. "When you look at what Amp'd did extremely well, that's the area we're staying at and specializing in."

"We've always been impressed with Peter as a creator and a businessman," WMA chairman and CEO Jim Wiatt said.

WMA has been stepping up its efforts in the digital space as of late. In March, the agency announced the formation of a venture capital fund together with Accel Partners, Venrock ands AT&T. Agency 3.0, however, is not connected to the fund; WMA did not disclose how much it will invest in the venture.

Adderton said Agency 3.0 already has signed up clients but would not identify any yet. He did reveal that some of the same companies that initially funded Amp'd were clients, a list that could include Viacom, Universal Music Group and Columbia Capital Equity Partners.

Another likely source of clients for Agency 3.0 are the corporations WMA already services, including General Motors, Anheuser-Busch and Starbucks.

Agency 3.0, which will be housed in WMA's offices, also will be led by partners Greg Johnson, founder of the Interpublic Emerging Media Lab; Steve Stanford, who launched defunct Internet entertainment company Icebox; and Scott Anderson, who co-founded Amp'd and Boost Mobile with Adderton.

Peter Adderton, the man behind Boost Mobile and Amp'd Mobile, has unveiled his next business venture. And like those before it, the plan doesn't lack one bit in the department of grandiose.

This time, William Morris Agency's got his back. WMA represents authors, actors and entertainers.

For WMA, Adderton's Agency 3.0 marks a new foray into the digital media space that brings together a group of veterans in entertainment, telecommunications, marketing and business development. The agency will consult, develop and build digital media businesses out of existing companies, Adderton told RCR Wireless News.

Adderton and his team are thinking big. "I'm about game changing," he said.

"To be honest, I'd like to take something on like Sprint," Adderton added. "Because that's a challenge."

Later on, he mentioned Motorola Inc.

Both Motorola and Sprint Nextel Corp. are suffering serious financial difficulties.

The old crew

In his latest venture, Adderton teamed with longtime business partner Steve Stanford, the founder and CEO of Voce, an MVNO that imploded even more quickly, and in the same spectacular fashion, as Adderton's Amp'd Mobile. Adderton and Stanford took light-hearted jabs at each other's not-so-distant business failings. Stanford was also COO at Amp'd Mobile and senior VP at Boost Mobile.

Success and failure follow the pair like shadows, yet both presented a sense of clarity as they played up their strengths and experience while culling the successes they found in even the businesses that have ended in tatters.

"We're going to do what we do well and stick to it," Adderton said.

Pointing to accolades on marketing and development initiatives that were driven internally at Boost and Amp'd, Agency 3.0 plans to capitalize on those skills and more for a wide pool of clients already available at WMA and others that are showing interest.

The team is already working with some big names in wireless, but was not yet able to name any.

Urging improvement

Agency 3.0 is taking on everything from marketing and pricing to business models while playing an equally heavy hand in the development of content and user interfaces. The group pointed to a series of areas where entertainment companies, large and small, will have to improve before they reach success in the digital arena.

Agency 3.0 has already done work on new logos for existing companies. It is also diving into programming and began consulting clients on what types of content it believes play best in different environments.

Content and marketing are not mutually exclusive, Adderton said. He's learned how intrinsically linked they are. Adderton said he's looking to take on companies just entering the digital space or those that have remained stagnant while more innovative platforms rise. He called wireless companies "low-hanging fruit" for the joint venture.

Adderton heads up the group as chairman and CEO. Stanford, a partner and president in the joint venture, will focus on content and entertainment while Greg Johnson, partner and president, will target brands and agencies, building on his extensive experience in digital marketing campaigns. Finally, Scott Anderson is partner and chief creative officer of Agency 3.0. Anderson co-founded Boost and Amp'd with Adderton.

Agency 3.0 operates out of WMA's Beverly Hills headquarters and ownership is shared among WMA, Adderton and the rest of the executive team.