United Talent Agency has bought New York-based entertainment marketing firm Blue Group Entertainment for an undisclosed price, Variety has learned exclusively.
BGE’s roster includes the Coty-owned Cover Girl and Rimmel, several Procter & Gamble brands, and GE Appliances. The move, announced on Friday, is aimed at deepening UTA’s rapidly expanding in-house marketing practice.
The BGE team, led by Samantha Woolf, will join UTA Marketing and oversee its New York operations and expansion, reporting to co-heads David Anderson and Julian Jacobs. Woolf brings more than 20 years of marketing experience, most notably with Grey Global Group, People Magazine, and United Entertainment Group, prior to forming BGE in 2014 as a joint venture with UTA.
“Our two teams have worked closely together for a number of years, and it was a natural next step to bring them in house,” UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said. “BGE has helped the most powerful brands in the world build and execute meaningful programs, experiences, and talent partnerships. We are excited about what this union means as UTA Marketing continues to link the world’s top organizations with the creative community.”
BGE marketing collaborations include Katy Perry’s Katy Kat make-up collection with Cover Girl, Zac Posen’s custom line of GE kitchen products, and brokering celebrities for the Cover Girl brand, including Ellen DeGeneres, Sofia Vergara, Queen Latifah, and Issa Rae.
