Production and management company Sugar23 is teaming up with studio Fifth Season to launch a new development, finance, and production venture to make movies and shows with top brands.
The Big Picture: Contraction in Hollywood is making it increasingly harder to get movies financed. Finding new sources of money — with some pre-built awareness in, to boot — is becoming a top priority in the entertainment industry.
Behind the Scenes: A movie from Coca-Cola? Ben & Jerry’s? Crate & Barrel? It could soon happen.
The venture has committed a $100 million co-financing fund to make scripted and non-scripted movies and shows with brands over the next three years.
Fifth Season will provide the funding, while Sugar23 will lead development and spearhead the brand partnerships.
In exchange for providing their own financing, brands get a seat at the table that ensures “brand purpose and audience impact [are] at the center,” per Sugar23 head Michael Sugar.
Closing Credits: Michael Sugar has been testing a Hollywood-big business tie-up over the past few years. Sugar23 has already worked with (or is currently working with) Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, and Chick-fil-A on their entertainment ambitions. He also launched The Way Upfronts last year to match brands with projects. While it’s still TBD on how audiences will respond to the future titles — how much a brand’s hand is felt could have a profound impact on that — it could lead to a new wave of family-friendly entertainment that’s not squarely aimed at kids.
Go Deeper: Walmart is already making movies to get you to shop at its ecommerce store.
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