A24 develops its own membership club

The Future. A24 All Access (AAA24) gives fans of the studio a backstage pass to the studio that can create hype simply from its logo popping up on a trailer. That reputation, built by bold films and sharp marketing, may have turned A24 into the cool kids’ Disney — a place where content, branding, and a vibe mix to give a company what they want most: loyalty.

A24 all the time
Fast Company’s Joe Berkowitz reports on his time inside the hip world of A24’s exclusive membership club.

• Launched in April, AAA24 gives members access to perks like the studio’s monthly zine, a membership card, a key fob to get into private A24 events, access to exclusive merch, and Close Friends status on A24’s Insta to see “sneak peeks.”
• Members can also take part in the monthly Closet Cleanouts — the ability to claim five archival merch items simply by answering trivia questions.

The membership runs for $5 per month and, unfortunately, does not include digital access to any of A24’s movies.

Miramax meets Supreme
While AAA24 is a pretty basic membership club on the surface, its popularity (just check out the A24-dedicated subreddit for a taste) shows how much cultural cache the studio has built up in a decade, not just in the world of entertainment but as a brand unto itself. That’s thanks to out-of-the-box marketing stunts, ridiculously expensive products, collabs with streetwear giants, and, of course, movies and shows that consistently push the envelope.

Berkowitz likens the A24 ethos to “What if Miramax, but also Supreme?” Funny enough, Puck’s Matthew Belloni says the New York-based studio is actually “a Midtown private equity play” that is “part of a calculated move to reinvent the indie film widget for the modern, social media-driven era.” The heads just also happen to have “good taste.”

Whatever the strategy, it has netted A24 a valuation of $2.5 billion (with rumors of sales talks to Apple), the biggest indie hit of the year with Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and a devoted-enough fanbase to sell out of its Hot Dog Finger Gloves from that movie. That’s cultural power.