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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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