Ex-Edelman and We Are Different directors have launched Star & Sigma, a consultancy built to power creator growth and close the gap between brands and the talent they work with.
The consultancy was founded by Maddy Grey, former associate client director at Edelman, alongside Liam Bettinson, former performance director at We Are Different.
Together, they have positioned the consultancy as a departure from the “drop in deal management” model that has long defined talent agencies in this market, where an agent’s involvement typically begins and ends with the paperwork on a single inbound deal.
Star & Sigma offers full-service partnership oversight, strategic advisory, publicity and personal branding, aiming to sit closer to the brand and campaign strategy rather than the contract.
It has already signed five creators upon its launch including youth mental health charity founder and women’s lifestyle influencer @millyrosebannister. Alongside her, the consultancy has taken what it described as a clean sweep of Australia’s leading tech creators, with @ramalmedia, @liessshy, @sambeckman and @TPZIZZY all on the roster.
More signings are expected in the coming weeks, with the consultancy looking to build out both the tech and lifestyle sides of its roster.
Between them, the co-founders have spent close to two decades working in PR and communications. Grey has led campaigns for major bluechip brands including Microsoft ANZ, LinkedIn and Google, while Bettinson has built and scaled influencer and talent programs for brands including Fujifilm, Spotify and Jack Daniel’s.
Over the course of that work, both say they repeatedly saw the same pattern play out: influencer briefs getting lost in translation between brand and creator, creators being squeezed into corporate processes that were never built with them in mind. They were seeing brands walking away from partnerships without the value they were promised at the outset.
“We’re moving away from a “one and done” model where creators give away a chunk of their earnings to manage an inbound deal, without getting any proactivity or strategic guidance from their agents. Our experience means we understand how to work with media and PR agencies, how big brand budgets are set and how influencer campaigns attach to wider business narratives. We’re giving so much more value than just taking over comms on a deal,” said Grey.
Star & Sigma was built to close that gap, across three areas.
First, by delivering career-shaping partnerships for creators. They aim to offer strategy and counsel that grows reputation and value, for both talent and brands alike.
Second, by supporting brands to get the most out of their investment, through best-in-class partnership management, quality communication and a genuine, brand-side understanding of how creator work actually needs to function.
Third, by piecing together the corporate and creator puzzle, helping brands get what they need from a partnership without stifling the creativity that makes a creator worth working with in the first place.
“For brands, we make things run properly. For talent, we make things feel right. Too often, creators are treated like a media channel rather than a collaborator – and brands miss out because of it. We want to change that dynamic in Australia. Better relationships, better partnerships, better outcomes for everyone in the room,” Bettinson added.
