ICM has launched a global branded entertainment division and appointed Lori Sale to run it. Sale had been exec veep of worldwide promotion at the Weinstein Co., where she made tie-in deals on movies and the series "Project Runway."
Most agencies have brand departments, repping beers, soft drinks, carmakers and the like for consulting fees. Sale said the ICM program will be different as the agency won't make clients of individual brands. She was hired by ICM chairman-CEO Jeff Berg.
"ICM will not represent brands, but the agency will work with them, creating matches for the talent and intellectual property which the agency does rep," Sale said. "We will be agnostic, working with any brand, its talent agency or media-placement agency that represents it. The goal is to create opportunities."
Sale made numerous strategic product alliances while at Miramax and TWC. These ranged from a relationship with Elle Magazine on "Project Runway" to a deal that established an Isuzu model as the flying, amphibious car in "Spy Kids." Before that, Sale was president of the entertainment agency Marketing Mix. "Lori has been a key part of our company over the past six years, bringing her knowledge and relationships with the world's largest brands to our content in film, television, publishing and home entertainment," Weinstein Co. co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said. "We look forward to working with Lori in her new role at ICM and continuing to foster relationships between global brands and our intellectual properties."
One goal, she said, is to help the agency's existing client base. ICM has been looking for ways to expand its business since Berg restructured the agency after bringing in outside investors.
"The convergence of entertainment and brands gets bigger every day," Sale said. "The change in distribution systems affords a lot of room to create programs that can have a lot of impact for brands."
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