Two-Day Virtual Event May 7&8

HOLLYWOOD'S BEST CREATORS SHARE DEVELOPMENT-STAGE PROJECTS WITH BRANDS FOR COLLABORATION

VIRTUAL MARKETPLACE

MAY 7-8, 2024

12:30-4 pm ET (Daily)

An exclusive summit featuring first-look presentations of early-stage TV and film projects directly from today's leading producers and talent. Supported by conversation on the business of brand x Hollywood collaboration; from content development to financial modeling strategies to distribution.

Invitation Only | Non Transferable

RSVP

HOST COMMITTEE

Our host committee believes in the value of early brand collaboration in the creation of entertainment. We view The Way Upfronts™ as an important new marketplace to remove the distance between Hollywood and marketers, benefitting all parties – brands, creators, talent, distributors & audiences - in new ways.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

Academy Award®-Nominated
Actor, Director, Producer, Founder
of These Pictures

STEVEN SODERBERGH

Academy Award®-Winner, Director,
Producer, Screenwriter

ELIZABETH BANKS

Emmy®-Nominated Actor, Producer,
Director and Writer, Founder of
Brownstone Productions

COLIN JOST

Emmy®-Nominated Writer,
Actor, and Producer, Founder of
Plan C Productions

TOM BRADY

7x Super Bowl Winner, Entrepreneur, CEO,
Founder of Shadow Lion

JOHN LEGEND

Award-Winning Musician, Producer, and
Actor, Founder of Get Lifted Film Co.

MICHAEL SUGAR

Academy Award®-Winning Producer,
Founder of Sugar23

MATT ROTONDO

Head of Brands, Sugar23

Rethink the Hollywood experience for brands

ENTERTAINMENT IS EXPENSIVE.

Not anymore. Some early-stage projects may require only development support (5 or low 6-figure investments) to prepare pitches for distributors, who ultimately provide project funding.

Everyone makes money but me.

Not anymore. When brands support projects early through The Way Upfronts™, funding becomes an investment that will deliver return, and often profit.

There’s little room for brand input.

Not anymore. These projects invite an unprecedented level of input, ensuring a bespoke role for the brand, and strong brand resonance with audiences.

WHAT TO EXPECT

tomorrow’s hits

We’ve hand-selected producers who have created the biggest global TV shows, movies, documentaries, and podcasts in development. They join us to share their favorite projects in development, inviting brand collaboration.

insights

Each day begins with first-of-kind transparency into how entertainment gets made:

Day 1 – the How & Why (ROI) of entertainment for any brand
Day 2 - the financial models depicting entertainment as an investment, not an expense

inspiration

Sugar23, our host committee and these exceptional producers all believe this forum can change how brands and Hollywood collaborate.

SEE PROJECTS FIRST

You will see projects before they're shopped to networks - projects that are pre-screened and vetted for relevance to attending brands. Themes include:

SPORTS

Music

FOOD

Travel

Family & Kids

Business

DIVERSITY

Strong Female Voices

LGBTQ+

Sustainability

Education

Wellness

AND MORE...

As producers of premium entertainment, we’ve found brands to be incredible partners for developing projects. For decades, the system has been set up to create distance between the people who create premium entertainment and brands. Through The Way Upfronts™, we set out to bridge this gap, at scale.

Michael Sugar

Academy Award®-winning producer
and founder of Sugar23

Matt Rotondo

Head of Brands, Sugar23

FULL SCHEDULE AVAILABLE SOON

DRAG