Metro bolsters branded content division Story
Metro has made three new hires to Story, its in-house creative division, including the appointment of Matt Hambly and Rachel Tarley as commercial editors.
Story launched last year under the leadership of creative director Sophie Robinson in response to growing client demand for branded content.
Bolstering the team, Tarley has joined from MailOnline where she was most recently deputy commercial editor and has also been a senior member of Metro.co.uk ’s editorial team.
Meanwhile, Hambly has joined from Esquire Weekly where he was deputy editor. Prior to that he was men’s editor at ASOS.com.
Joining them in the coming month will be Andrew Rees, who will head up Story’s design studio as commercial art director.
“We’re really excited to add these new editorial hires to Story, all three bring amazing digital experience as well as an appetite for big print ideas,” said Robinson. “The production arm of Story can now create even more content for multiple platforms and we haven’t stopped growing just yet, so watch this space.”
At the time of the division’s launch, Robinson revealed that in the first quarter of 2014 (September to December 2013) 75 per cent of its pitches were around content creation but there is an ongoing demand for Metro to create experimental activity for brands.
“A lot of the briefs we’re getting are asking us to develop experiences; they want to do big events, big stunts. The content does form a massive part but it’s not the only thing that we’re doing,” she said.
“Demand for experiential has increased in the past two months. Brands are increasingly realising that they have to do something for their audience, they can’t just be there, they have to actually be doing something.”
The agency is continuing to grow the team and is currently on the hunt for a head of partnerships.
Story clients have included Heineken, Jeep, Ford, Google Play, Tesco, Sky Movies and pickled vegetable brand Hayward.