ONE OF the UK’s newest talent management agencies, Matchstick Group, launched this week and pledged ‘a deep commitment to improving diversity, accessibility and representation in the entertainment industry’.

A roster of 26 clients spanning all forms of entertainment, makes the group the UK’s fastest growing talent agency in 2021 and the UK’s leading agency for digital and social media influencers with a reach of over 10 million followers across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

Matchstick Group boldly breaks with tradition by prioritising the mental wellbeing of its staff and clients above all else, as well as offering client and staff incentives to refer new business.

Masterminded by entrepreneur Max Parker, 29, the digital-first agency represents talent from musicians to models, actors to authors, and social media influencers to celebrities.

Uniquely for a management agency they are founded by the talent themselves, with both Binky Felstead from Made In Chelsea and Danny Jones from McFly teaming up to invest in Matchstick Group.

Parker chose to launch Matchstick Group on March 1 – International Self-Injury Awareness Day – as the inspiration to start his own agency came after he lost a close friend to suicide in August 2020.

Being devastated by the loss of his friend as well as the ongoing COVID pandemic and stress at work, led to Parker having a complete breakdown in summer 2020.

Being diagnosed with depression and suicidal thoughts paved the way to Parker leaving his job of seven years to create his own company with the support of close friends, clients, and investors Jones and Felstead. 

Matchstick Group will be giving two per cent of all its profits in support of the mental health charity Joe’s Buddy Line.  

The charity aims to provide a lifeline to young people who might be experiencing suicidal or other debilitating thoughts and need someone to talk to or require other help, information and assistance. 

Alongside Jones and Felstead, top-tier talent launched by Matchstick this week includes actress Martine McCutcheon, twin deaf models Hermon and Heroda Berhane (pictured) – the first models with a disability to front a MAC Cosmetics campaign and Patrick Hutchinson, debut author of Everybody Versus Racism, who rose to fame after rescuing an injured far-right protester during the London BLM demonstrations of 2020.

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