Hearst UK, in partnership with social media and influencer talent agency Sixteenth, has announced the launch of the Hearst Influence Network, an in-house talent and influencer initiative that will grow and develop the already established social footprint of Hearst’s talent. The launch adds to Hearst Solutions’ broad marketing services proposition which also includes Hearst Content Agency and Hearst Live to name a few of these integrated offerings. 

To drive this innovation, Hearst and Sixteenth are launching an internal development project, Hearst Academy, to provide training and development for those of its near thousand storytellers, who want to further grow their profile. The Academy will nurture talent that will span across a range of genres from health and wellness to beauty, luxury, food and fashion. The Academy will offer a range of workshops to support talent across Hearst’s many premium brands.

James Wildman, CEO of Hearst UK and President of Europe says: ‘By more effectively leveraging our extraordinary editorial talent, we can provide an antidote to the increasingly apparent and significant issues associated with influencer marketing generally. Our editors and media brands are the original ‘influencers’ and represent to marketers the rare combination of reach, trust and influence. We are delighted to launch this new service which will complement our broader, differentiated Marketing Services proposition.’

Danny Lowney, MD of Sixteenth says: ‘‘We’re delighted to be partnering with Hearst UK on this exciting venture. Our current talent roster is changing the way that influencers are perceived amongst the media industry, by creating excellent content and initiating meaningful conversations on their platforms. We have seen how this has built extraordinary value in the influencer space and are looking forward to continuing this with all of Hearst’s outstanding storytellers.”