Sugar23 and Fifth Season are breaking new ground in the entertainment industry with a bold joint venture designed to reimagine the relationship between brands and storytelling. Announced today, the collaboration between the management and production powerhouse Sugar23 and Fifth Season, the global production and distribution company behind hits like Severance and Scenes from a Marriage, is set to co-finance over $100 million in film and TV productions over the next three years.
At the heart of this innovative partnership is a shared vision: creating premium entertainment that seamlessly integrates brands into the storytelling process from the very beginning. The venture will produce scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, and feature films while also developing projects under more traditional production models.
Michael Sugar, founder and CEO of Sugar23, emphasized the unique approach of this collaboration, which focuses on establishing brands as early-stage partners rather than afterthoughts. “We’re not just going to a brand looking for money,” Sugar explained. “We’re building partnerships to create entertainment properties that are culturally significant and impactful for both audiences and brands.”
By positioning brands as seed investors, the new studio allows them to shape the creative direction and production process, a stark departure from the standard model where brands merely pay for product placement or integration. Sugar noted, “This is a transformative approach. Brands aren’t just funding content—they’re co-creating it, ensuring a natural alignment with their values while enhancing the storytelling.”
Fifth Season’s co-CEO Chris Rice echoed Sugar’s sentiment, highlighting the synergy between Sugar23’s brand expertise and Fifth Season’s global production reach, which spans the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and Europe. With a track record of delivering high-quality content like Tokyo Vice and Life & Beth, Fifth Season aims to elevate the productions emerging from this partnership.
“What sets this apart is the focus on tier-one creators, actors, and directors,” Rice said. “We’re finding ways to organically integrate brands into the very DNA of these projects, creating a mutual value exchange where both the show and the brand are enriched.”
The concept goes beyond traditional branded content, pushing into what Sugar describes as “brand-forward premium entertainment.” This model not only provides brands with an unprecedented level of involvement but also accelerates the production process, making the studio a first stop for creators and brands alike.
With global production hubs and a deep bench of industry relationships, Sugar23 and Fifth Season are uniquely positioned to redefine what’s possible in brand-funded storytelling. The partnership also aims to maintain harmony with existing advertising ecosystems. “We’re not here to disrupt agencies or bypass the existing landscape,” Sugar clarified. “We’re here to eliminate friction, streamline the process, and create a collaborative model that benefits everyone—brands, agencies, and creators.”
This forward-thinking initiative is already generating excitement among top-tier talent and producers, many of whom are eager to explore the opportunities presented by this new approach. As Sugar23 and Fifth Season chart this new path, they are not only changing how branded content is perceived but also setting a new standard for what it can achieve.
