Mediaworks Mathews Asia set up as Gardiner leaves for NYC

New media rep company Mediaworks Mathews Asia will begin operations

in Hong Kong next month.

The new company is the result of the combination of the resources of

MediaWorks Asia, a local Hong Kong company, with Mathews and Associates

Ltd, the Hong Kong branch office of Mathews and Associates of Los

Angeles, California.

MediaWorks Asia and Mathews and Associates set up the 50:50 partnership

following the decision by Mathews and Associates' Asia general manager

Ronan Gardiner to relocate to New York.

MediaWorks Asia founder Kim Kenchington said, "That left a hole to fill

and Mathews and Associates had to make a choice between finding a

suitable replacement or enter into some kind of a joint venture."

Both companies have been independently providing media representation

services for their respective titles, which include the life style

consumer magazines in Asia, Europe and the US.

Ms Kenchington described the alliance as "a perfect fit".

"Our company was exclusively serving magazines in Asia and Europe. Now

Mathews and Associates brings the joint company a respected and

established presence with US publishers like Conde Nast Publishing,

whose titles include Conde Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Architectural Digest,

Vanity Fair, Bon Appetit and Vogue," she said.

"We also get to help Conde Nast International titles like Vogue Taiwan,

Vogue Japan and Vogue Korea, as well as the revitalised Australian

titles of Vogue, Vogue Entertaining and Travel and Vogue Living."

These titles will join MediaWork's existing magazines, like Business

Traveller, Harper's and Queen (UK) and the new Mandarin Oriental in-room

title, MO Magazine.

Key newspapers like The Times of India, the Evening Standard, The

Guardian and The Nation will also be represented by the new company.

"We will become the one-stop shopping spot for those magazines and

newspapers serving the world's growing, affluent, consumer base in the

most important, international markets for Asia," Ms Kenchington

added.

Mr Patrick Mathews, president of Mathews Associates, noted that a number

of small and medium-sized media representation businesses had merged

into large companies over the past three years.

"Mediaworks Mathews Asia fills a void for demand in this segment," he

said.

"We intend to provide clients and agencies with a very high level of

personal service and wide-ranging opportunities."

- Additional reporting by Alfred Hille.