Hello Sunshine, a part of Candle Media, announced today the launch of Solar, an in-house social agency helping brands connect with women through story-driven advertising. Overseen by Maureen Polo (Hello Sunshine’s Head of Direct to Consumer), Solar is being led by agency veteran Jennifer Wiener (SVP, Solar) in close collaboration with new creative leadership, Teneille Craig (VP, Creative, Solar).
Hello Sunshine has a rich history of partnering with advertisers to shape female-focused commercial messaging that truly resonates. With Solar, brands will now have the opportunity to partner more deeply with Hello Sunshine and to drive story-led marketing that shapes culture, drives impact, and ultimately makes the world a better place for women and diverse audiences. Solar empowers brands to tell more inclusive and representative storytelling that ultimately brings more underrepresented voices into modern media offerings. The agency also serves as the internal marketing engine that fuels Hello Sunshine’s content, commerce, and community model.
“Hello Sunshine has proven time and time again that we know women – what inspires them, connects them, and drives them to action. We're thrilled to formally launch Solar, an innovative in-house social agency that leverages Hello Sunshine's creative expertise to help brands authentically communicate with women,” said Maureen Polo, Head of Direct to Consumer at Hello Sunshine. “Our incredible team of marketers, creatives, strategists, and producers will work seamlessly with partners to drive story-led marketing that moves the needle.”
“Solar presents a more formal offering that operationalizes Hello Sunshine’s trust, influence, and deep expertise with female consumers,” added Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine. “Leveraging our heritage in premium storytelling that centers women, we’re partnering with brands with full-service capabilities across the modern media landscape.”
More than a traditional agency, Solar teams up with mission-aligned brands to go beyond their standard strategy and creative needs. The agency’s collaborative model provides deep insight, intelligence, and credibility among women consumers. Solar’s work with brand partners includes extensive brand partnerships through Hello Sunshine IP and DTC brands, social marketing services, influencer marketing, licensing, product development, co-marketing, and women-centered consumer insights. The agency has already been working with a range of renowned brands, including Oui by Yoplait, P&G, Diageo, Pure Leaf, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Buick, Biossance, Lavazza, Anheuser Busch, Epson, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Fidelity.
“We approached Hello Sunshine because of their like-minded audience with Oui yogurt,” said Susan Pitt, Brand Experience Director for Cereal and Yogurt brands at General Mills. “We really wanted to reach women who are passionate about saying yes to making time for themselves. Hello Sunshine built out a strategic multi-channel program that has helped catapult our shared creative purpose messaging and ultimately help drive double digit increase in sales velocity.”
Along with Maureen Polo, Hello Sunshine’s Head of Direct to Consumer, Solar is led by SVP Jennifer Wiener. Wiener previously worked at Fullscreen, where she led sales and integrated marketing teams and re-positioned Fullscreen with Fortune 500 clients as trusted, insight-led marketing solutions and social services experts. Prior to Fullscreen, she worked at Dentsu Aegis, where she and her team led award winning branded content efforts for Microsoft and focused on business development for the agency. Before joining Hello Sunshine, Wiener ran the Entertainment Marketing Solutions team at WarnerMedia, leading all brand marketing, brand positioning, creative, brand partnerships and go to market storytelling for HBO Max, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, DC Comics and Theatrical.
Along with a cross-disciplinary agency team, Polo and Wiener are joined by VP, Creative, Teneille Craig, an award-winning creative with over 15 years of experience in publishing, advertising, digital media, and fashion. Prior to joining Hello Sunshine, Teneille has made an impact in senior creative roles at ESSENCE Magazine, Dentsu McGarrybowen for American Express, and TikTok.
Hello Sunshine will continue to focus on long-form branded entertainment with Zoe Fairborn, Head of Brand Business Development and Branded Entertainment, continuing to lead those efforts.
About Hello Sunshine
Founded by Reese Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine puts women at the center of every story it creates, celebrates and discovers. Hello Sunshine tells stories across all platforms – from scripted and unscripted television, feature films, podcasts, audio storytelling, and digital series – all shining a light on where women are now and helping them chart a new path forward. Hello Sunshine is also home to Reese’s Book Club. Fast growing in reach and influence, this community is propelled by meaningful connections with stories, authors and fellow members.
Hello Sunshine is part of Candle Media, an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community, and commerce, it helps to position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. Candle is run by its Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs, leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and backed by investment capital from funds managed by Blackstone’s flagship private equity business.