Executive Briefing
The new celebrity-brand partnership: Why, how, and how much
Unpacking the structure and economics of modern talent deals, with Endeavor’s Ben Enowitz and Carolyn Moneta.
By Dan Frommer on Monday, November 2, 2020 at 8:00 am
There’s a new generation of celebrity-brand partnerships that go far beyond endorsements and ads: Deals like actor Ryan Reynolds’ partnership with Aviation Gin, tennis star Maria Sharapova’s with Therabody, and actress Shay Mitchell’s with Onda, a new brand of ready-to-drink sparkling tequila.
How do these deals work? How are they structured? Which brands are they right for? At which stages? How to get started?
I’d grown curious about these types of deals after Diageo, the spirits giant, announced in August that it would pay some $610 million for Aviation Gin’s parent company. Twitter speculation about Reynolds’ stake — and his payout — was all over the map. So I thought this was a good opportunity to better understand the why, how, and how much of these types of deals.
To learn more, I spoke with Ben Enowitz, VP of investments and strategy for Endeavor, the global entertainment, sports, and media company, and Carolyn Moneta, digital media and brand crossover agent at William Morris Endeavor, for a one-hour Zoom conversation, including questions from members of The New Consumer community.
What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation, which runs about 5,000 words. But for members, here’s a quick summary.
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Hi, I’m Dan Frommer and this is The New Consumer, a publication about how and why people spend their time and money.
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