Mike Heller is the CEO and Founder of Talent Resources, and he is single-handedly responsible for creating a profitable avenue for celebrities. He also helped create substantial brand awareness and marketing tactics for numerous brands that have achieved limitless exposure by his formula of tying celebrities with brands.
Heller began his career as a lawyer who specialized in contract law in the entertainment industry, he represented starlets like Lindsey Lohan when she was all the buzz in Hollywood. While he was representing Lohan, he recognized how much attention celebrities were receiving from the paparazzi and tabloid articles, mainly the brands that the celebrities were using in their daily lives. They would often inquire and focus on the brand of shoes Lohan was wearing, what brand her crop top was, and what brand of shoes she was wearing when she left the gym. Seeing all this, Heller foresaw the immense marketing power of tying celebrities to brands they were already using in their daily lives, as he was a pioneer in this revolutionary marketing approach that helped create astounding brand awareness for brands, and an additional revenue stream for celebrities.
Heller’s idea came into fruition when he was asked to help organize Mariah Carey’s Grammy Party in 2006. Heller decided to use LG phone as a main sponsor of the event, as it was the first phone to have a camera feature at the time. Big name celebrities and taste makers would be attending the event, so Heller created a plan where Carey would send out personal video invites using the built-in camera feature of the LG phone, the invites would go out to all those in attendance and they would all receive an LG phone to view the invite. The LG phone also came with one year of free service, this was an innovative way to seed the company and create brand awareness for LG. Carey’s Grammy party was a booming hit, and Heller realized the limitless power of his formulated approach to celebrity brand endorsement.
Heller continued to perpetuate his new found method when he was approached by Lohan to organize her 20th birthday party. He brought on sponsors like Life & Style Magazine, as well as Fiji Water. Heller and Lohan continued to do many more deals together, partnering Lohan with the brands like Miu Miu and Jill Stuart. It can be argued that the most successful partnership he arranged for Lohan was with Ariva, a smokeless tobacco product. Lohan was trying to quit smoking at the time, so Ariva was the perfect product to carry everywhere she went. The tabloids and paparazzi continued to scrutinize her and her lifestyle, and Ariva was mentioned wherever Lohan’s name was mentioned. This created tremendous brand exposure for Ariva, as people did not know that this was all a tactical marketing ploy. Ariva received large amounts of press, naturally endorsing the brand as it was being used by Lohan as a means to quit smoking. Heller never strayed from his values and morals during his representation of Lohan, as he always refused to partner with alcoholic brands during Lohan’s attempt to achieve and maintain sobriety.
Talent Resources sets up houses in beautiful locations like Malibu, as well as brick-and-mortar venues at popular celebrity destinations like the Super Bowl and Fashion Week to help find talent for Talent Resource’s future projects. Heller was recently asked to host an event for the hit T.V. show, “Dancing with the Stars”. He created enormous brand awareness for companies like Heineken and Cottonelle, as he strategically placed commonly used items like water, beer, and toilet paper in the house. His placement was not blatantly in the face of the participants but cleverly staged around the house to service the needs of the participants. Water when they were sweaty and thirsty, beer to unwind and relax, and even the softest toilet paper for their use whenever they went to the bathroom.
Mike Heller is a pioneer and leader in the popular contemporary concept of celebrity brand endorsement, and his work continues to be perpetuated in every aspect of mainstream society. His company services an extensive network of those in the entertainment industry, from agents, managers, and even celebrities. Heller is not one who cares for personal recognition and accolades, as he lets the brands take credit for his work. He emphasizes repeat clientele, as this is evidence that his revolutionary approach is working, and is helping both brands and celebrities alike. Mike Heller was one of the most critical people in creating celebrity brand endorsements, as his method can be seen utilized today for brand exposure, and adding more revenue to already rich and famous celebrities.