Celebrity endorsements are hardly a new concept for CPG brands, but these talent-brand partnerships have evolved beyond just one-off commercials of A-list actors hawking products they’ve potentially never tried. The type of talent that commands consumer attention is changing, as is the level of involvement celebs are seeking in a business.

Enter Parallel, a creative partnership studio and strategic investment firm, which unites those two interests by brokering partnerships between creative talent and brands. The company was co-founded by Ken Kao, co-founder of Waypoint Entertainment, a production company behind films like The Favourite, and film producer Nic Gonda, while partner Jocelyn Florence previously led the branded content team at Quartz. Together, they act as a “bridge” between entertainment and entrepreneurship, Florence said.

The company earlier this summer helped low-sugar candy brand Behave bring in actor Busy Phillips as an investor and advisor. It has also brokered a partnership with hydration brand Cure and creator Caitlin Murray, produced content for the Venus Williams-co-founded protein drink brand Happy Viking, and also invested in ready-to-eat meal brand Proper Good and non-alc beverage brand HOP WTR.

“We can kind of speak the language of entertainment, and we can also understand what founders or startup teams are going through, because we’ve all kind of spent both time on both sides of that,” Florence told Retail Brew.

Keep reading here.—EC

Listen, we know it’s still August. But the fact is, if you’re a marketer, you’ve got Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) on the brain pretty much year-round.

That’s why Klaviyo has put together this webinar: 30 BFCM tips in 30 minutes with Grace Clarke. Yep, as in e-commerce pioneer Grace Clarke.

In just half an hour, Klaviyo will equip you with valuable BFCM insights you haven’t already heard 10 times. These are practical, actionable tips for marketers, by marketers.

Grace will be sharing high-converting BFCM tactics from her own experience as an entrepreneur, as well as featuring advice from marketers at successful retail brands like Lululemon, Crocs, L.L.Bean, TikTok, and more.

Save your seat before it’s booked.

Starbucks is taking a cue from burrito champ Chipotle: The coffee giant announced last week that Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol will lead the largest coffee chain in the US from Sept. 9. Niccol will replace Laxman Narasimhan. This leadership reset comes with lots of behind-the-scenes boardroom drama.

In (more) executive moves: Victoria’s Secret recently named Hillary Super CEO for its “next chapter,” as it hopes to return to growth. Super will take over from Martin Waters on Sept. 9. Is this women-focused business on the verge of a turnaround? Investors seem to think so—and for good reason. Super comes with relevant experience: She was most recently the CEO of Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, and was also CEO of Anthropologie.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

Keep reading here.—VC

If you shopped at Comics To Astonish in Columbia, Maryland, between 1999 and 2002, you might’ve been rung up at the register by Michael Wiles.

That assistant manager gig was Wiles’ first foray into the workforce, and an experience that would remain relevant throughout his career in HR. Today, he’s an employee relations business partner at edtech company 2U.

“Working with the public, you’re meeting different people all the time. Working in a shop, you’re meeting, also, the same people over and over. You’re working with your regular customers, which is very analogous to working in human resources,” Wiles told HR Brew.

He reminiscenced with HR Brew about the people lessons he picked up managing a comic-book store.

Keep reading here on HR Brew.—MC

Full speed funnel ahead. Looking for the perfect content creator? LTK can help with that—and they’ll show you why creators are vital to full-funnel success in their upcoming webinar on August 21. Get exclusive deets from the LTK CPG Study + lock in on the key to brand success. Grab your virtual seat with just a click.