The beer giant hired startup Superconnector Studios to launch TV shows and films around its biggest brands, such as Bud Light and Stella Artois.
Founded in 2023 by advertising veterans Jae Goodman and John Kaplan, Superconnector bills itself as part management consultancy, part branded entertainment production company, and part consumer brand accelerator.
AB InBev was building an entertainment division, called DraftLine Entertainment, to develop projects it could sell to streamers like Netflix. AB InBev, like other big marketers, has increasingly turned to Hollywood to get its messages to consumers who spend more time on ad-free streamers.
But no projects have been announced to date, and Lauren Denowitz, head of DraftLine Entertainment, left the company late last year, citing fallout from her Bud Light partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which led to protests and falling sales. . At the time, the company said its entertainment work would continue, but did not provide further details.
AB InBev also previously hired Michael Sugar’s production company Sugar23, best known for the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight,” which continues to work on projects with AB InBev.
AB InBev is well-known for its marketing, and as such, its moves into branded entertainment will likely be closely watched by other marketers as they figure out how to navigate Hollywood.
The idea is that hiring a company like Superconnector will give AB InBev access to a range of Hollywood production companies to co-develop or co-finance projects. Goodman and Kaplan are Hollywood insiders, having founded CAA’s first marketing consultancy and helped establish Nike’s studio arm, Waffle Iron Entertainment.
Many brands have hired production companies, advertising agencies or talent agencies to leverage their relationships and experience in Hollywood.
Making filmed entertainment requires a shift in mindset that not all companies are prepared for. Some are still doing projects too promotional to resonate as pure entertainment for the audience.
Marketers also have to sell the idea internally to their CFOs, who may be skeptical that such projects can pay off for their business objectives. Filmed entertainment takes longer to produce than traditional ads and belies conventional standards of ad effectiveness because streamers share little audience data. And CMOs often don’t last long in their roles, so there’s a disincentive to champion projects that take a long time to develop.
