16th June 2026
Courtney Worthman and Stacey Gersten on celebrity partnerships, managing divas and the next big thing
Episode 78
Courtney Worthman and Stacey Gersten
Co-Founders, Main Character
Today’s guests are Courtney Worthman and Stacey Gersten, Co-Founders of Main Character, the celebrity partnership specialists helping brands stop buying celebrities and start buying into culture.
Drawing on two decades of experience across entertainment, advertising and PR, Courtney and Stacey explain why moving ‘at the speed of culture’ has become a practical necessity and how building celebrity partnerships has evolved into a quantitative science.
We explore the balance between data and instinct, the realities of managing dynamic stakeholder relationships, and how brands discern the right cultural moments.
This is a modern, practical conversation about culture, influence and the changing role of celebrity in brand communications.
HIGHLIGHTS:
[03:26] Main Character’s origin story
[07:15] Being audience first
[10:11] Thinking in calendars
[13:42] Making ideas executable
[16:51] Pulling the right levers
[19:03] The science behind celebrity
[27:05] Brands as entertainment studios
[30:09] An easy way to yes
[32:10] Brand to brand partnerships
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