EXCLUSIVE: IW Group has promoted industry veteran Karen Tran Wood to Group Director of Entertainment Marketing and Publicity as the agency specializing in multicultural youth marketing looks to grow its efforts in the entertainment space.
Wood was previously IW’s Director of Publicity and had joined the agency in 2020 from MPRM Communications. At IW, she has overseen multicultural theatrical and television marketing and publicity campaigns for clients including Warner Bros, Disney, Netflix, Hulu and Fox, with recent campaigns under her purview including Barbie, American Born Chinese, The Cleaning Lady and Turning Red. She also led the agency’s TikTok and influencer marketing team on campaigns for Avatar: The Way of Water, Elemental and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In the new role, she will oversee the growth of the entertainment marketing division with a focus on diversifying its digital and creator/influencer offerings, in addition to spearheading the development of a new brand-partnerships team to fuel collaborations between studios and consumer brands.
“The seismic shifts that Hollywood has undergone in the past several years demand a reimagined approach to how we promote content,” said Telly Wong, Chief Content Officer and SVP at IW Group, to whom Wood will report. “Under Karen’s leadership, IW has helped our clients meet today’s modern audiences where they truly are — at the intersection of technology and culture. In her new role, she will take our vision even further as we delve deeper into new digital and creator-driven platforms, analytics and XR while reinforcing the creative innovation that our agency is built on.”
Said Wood: “There’s never been a more exciting time than now to be a marketer in the entertainment industry. Agencies today are being challenged to be as creative and culturally fluent in their approach as the films and shows they promote, which is exhilarating. I’m looking forward to leading this new chapter of IW Group and working with our client partners to explore new, industry-first strategies and tactics that motivate — and resonate — with modern moviegoers and television viewers.”
Los Angeles-based IW specializes in advertising, social media, publicity, experiential marketing and Web3, focusing on engaging social-first AAPI, LGBTQ+, African American and Hispanic Gen Z consumers.