If it feels like Brooke Burke, Dr. Phil, and Howie Mandel are suddenly everywhere — mid-roll ads, podcast breaks, social feeds, even Times Square — you’re not imagining it. A new wave of instantly recognizable TV personalities is popping up across platforms, and one agency is driving the trend: TRNDY Social.
“We saw a gap,” TRNDY cofounder Logan Simmons told The Blast in an interview published Friday, December 5. “Brands wanted celebrity power without the wait times, the Hollywood red tape, or the seven-figure budgets. We built the bridge.”
At 27, Simmons recently earned a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for connecting small and mid-size brands with well-known athletes and TV icons. He oversees TRNDY’s creative direction and content strategy, while co-founder Mike Visnick handles operations and runs the company more like a tech startup than a traditional agency.
“What we’ve built works like a machine,” Visnick said. “From the first call to national placement, we move in weeks. Legacy firms take quarters.”
E! News reports that TRNDY first teamed up with Mandel’s podcast Howie Mandel Does Stuff in 2024, managing brand integrations and expanding the show’s ad presence across YouTube and streaming. From there, more big names signed on.
In September, Brooke Burke shared on Instagram that she’s “excited to partner” with the agency on recent campaigns. TRNDY has also booked several former athletes, including Terrell Owens. The Hall of Fame receiver told Sports Illustrated last year that he valued the partnership because it was “about more than slapping his name on a product,” calling the strategy something that “[builds] lasting value.”
And then there’s Dr. Phil. In October, Variety reported that he partnered with TRNDY to bring a more structured ad strategy to The Dr. Phil Podcast. “At a time when authenticity and reach matter more than ever, this partnership is about meeting audiences where they are,” Simmons told the outlet. “Dr. Phil has a unique ability to connect across generations and pairing that with TRNDY Social’s brand network opens up some exciting possibilities.”
TRNDY’s rise mirrors a bigger shift in advertising. Algorithms are unforgiving, influencer content is starting to feel interchangeable, and brands want faces people instantly recognize. That’s why TV personalities and former athletes are suddenly starring in performance-style ads — and why TRNDY keeps showing up behind the scenes. For now, TV legends are converting, and the internet is overflowing with familiar faces because of it.
