Strange and Janson-Smith join Gleam Futures

Adam Strange has joined Gleam Futures as head of publishing while Oscar Janson-Smith has been appointed as literary agent.

Strange (pictured above) arrives at the titles division of the talent management and influencer marketing company after three years running publishing consultancy Strange Media. Before this, he spent 12 years as publisher of the Sphere non-fiction list at Little, Brown, where he worked with a wide variety of authors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Rafael Nadal, Billy Connolly, Val McDermid, Richard Herring and Kevin Pietersen, and with brands ranging from Candy Crush to "The Great British Bake Off".  

In his new role, Strange will represent the publishing activities of the agency’s roster of more than 50 entertainment and digital-first talent, as well as working with new authors from emerging and untapped genres who use digital and social media to build narratives and grow audiences.  

Janson-Smith (pictured right) has spent the last three years as an agent at Kruger-Cowne where he represented authors including Omari McQueen, Tiwa Ogunlesi, Marvyn Harrison, the London Wildlife Trust and Terroll Lewis.

Amy Bryant-Jeffries, business director of talent and partnerships at Gleam Futures, said: “This is a tremendously exciting new era for Gleam Titles. Adam’s knowledge and experience of the publishing industry speaks for itself, but he also has a great ability to spot new opportunities, and an innovative, entrepreneurial outlook that we know will be of immense value to our roster. We’re really looking forward to seeing what he and Oscar will bring to the business and have no doubt they’re going to make a significant impact on it.” 

Strange commented: “Gleam is without question the market leader when it comes to its knowledge of the digital-first talent market, and I’m thrilled to be here; I’ve been blown away by the energy and creativity of the team, which is as infectious as their expertise is impressive. There’s a huge amount of potential to be realised in both our existing roster and new talent we’re working with, and we’ve already identified many ideas that have genuine bestseller potential, so I’m really looking forward to talking to potential publishing partners as we enter the new year. 

“I’m also delighted that Oscar has joined us at such a pivotal time; he’s one of the brightest and most astute agents I’ve met in a long time, and he’ll be bringing some hugely exciting authors to the market.” 

Janson-Smith added: “I have long admired Gleam’s meteoric rise within the literary world, and I am delighted to now be a part of such an exciting, disruptive business. I’m really pleased to be able to continue my work in sourcing new voices, while also being given access to a roster of such incredible talent. There is a real sense of purpose here — it's wonderful to be in such a positive working environment with a group of smart, driven people and I hope that I can contribute well to Gleam’s continuing success.” 

Strange can be contacted at adam.strange@gleamfutures.com while Janson-Smith is oscar.janson-smith@gleamfutures.com.