IW Group is expanding its entertainment marketing and public relations practice under the leadership of Karen Tran Wood

EXCLUSIVE: IW Group has promoted industry veteran Karen Tran Wood to group head of entertainment marketing and advertising as the multicultural youth marketing agency looks to expand its entertainment efforts.

Wood was previously advertising director at IW and joined the agency in 2020 from MPRM Communications. At IW, she oversaw multicultural theatrical and television marketing and advertising campaigns for clients including Warner Bros., Disney, Netflix, Hulu and Fox, with recent campaigns under her responsibility Barbie, American-born Chinese, The cleaning lady And Blush. She also led the agency’s TikTok and influencer marketing team on campaigns Avatar: The Way of Water, Primary school 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 digital and creator/influencer offerings, and lead the development of a new brand partnerships team to drive collaboration between studios and consumer brands.

“The seismic changes that Hollywood has experienced in recent years require a new approach to the way we promote content,” said Telly Wong, chief content officer and SVP of IW Group, to whom Wood will report. “Under Karen’s leadership, IW has helped our clients meet today’s modern audiences where they really are: at the intersection of technology and culture. In her new role, she will advance our vision even further as we delve deeper into new digital and creator-driven platforms, analytics and XR, while strengthening the creative innovation on which our agency is built.”

Wood said: “There has never been a more exciting time to be a marketer in the entertainment industry. Today, agencies are challenged to be as creative and culturally flexible in their approach as the films and shows they promote, and it’s exciting. I look forward to leading this new chapter of IW Group and working with our client partners to develop new, industry-leading strategies and tactics that engage and resonate with modern moviegoers and television viewers.”

Los Angeles-based IW specializes in advertising, social media, public relations, experiential marketing and Web3 with a focus on engaging social first AAPI, LGBTQ+, African American and Hispanic Gen Z consumers.