CAA Launches Media & Entertainment Partnerships Division for Dealmaking (Exclusive)

Inking movie and TV show brand deals is a practice that goes back decades in Hollywood. Now CAA is formalizing a new department specifically to forge partnerships between brands and their IP, media companies and star talent. 

The newly formed Media & Entertainment Partnerships department will look to help the Century City-based agency’s clients develop, finance and launch films, TV, social and digital series. For the major entertainment and sports talent agency, the goal is securing a new source of film and TV production financing via brand partnerships.

“The Media & Entertainment Partnerships department is a testament to our commitment to generating all the best possible opportunities for clients to succeed. Having an exceptional team of dedicated content and marketing experts crafting meaningful collaborations among storytellers, platforms and brands gives CAA clients an unprecedented advantage in the marketplace,” CAA co-chairman Kevin Huvane said in a statement.

After the success of Mattel and Warner Bros.’ Barbie movie, consumer brands are looking to follow suit and convert their IP — from products and franchises to characters and stories — into entertainment content that connects with audiences. CAA’s new department is led by Marvel, NBA and Disney marketing veteran Libby Bush, working alongside execs Erica Durgin, Scott Iason and Margo Plotkin.

CAA points to earlier partnerships between brands and Hollywood screen talent like Ariana Grande, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kerry Washington, and others involving indie producers like Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland and Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment. 

Recent Media & Entertainment Partnerships department deals include Kitchen Aid having its stand mixer used on Jennifer Garner’s social series The Pretend Cooking Show, and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Ally Bank, the financial services company, pacting to co-finance production and create a marketing campaign for the unscripted show Side Hustlers on Roku.

The new department is also looking to drive incremental revenue and provide marketing support for major media and entertainment companies, including clients Netflix, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Lionsgate, and others.

The Media & Entertainment Partnerships’ roster of brands looking to collaborate with Hollywood includes Merlin Entertainments, home of brands like Legoland Parks, The London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Sea Life Aquarium, among others.