Variety Launches Branded Content Studio

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Variety Chief Marketing Officer Dea Lawrence today announced the launch of Variety Content Studios, a multi-faceted branded content production studio that will serve the needs of parent company PMC's brands including Variety and Indiewire.

"Strengthening Variety and Indiewire's position as the entertainment industry's leading news, features and information publisher, Variety Content Studios will build upon our successful digital and events marketing strategies that have experienced exponential growth over the past two years," said Lawrence.

The newly-established production vehicle will be led by Lawrence and Variety Vice President/Executive Editor Steven Gaydos, who directs Variety's industry-leading "Focus" editorial features operation, which is responsible for such key Variety business franchises as the Power of Women, Hollywood's New Leaders, 10 to Watch and many others.

Gaydos said "Variety has proven to be an essential partner for entertainment and consumer brands, so there's a great need for bringing our strengths as industry experts and creators of compelling content to the production of exciting, impactful visual narratives."

Among the studios inaugural projects are a branded content video cross platform program for Amazon Studios, 'Films Of Our Time' offering awards season voters a deeper look at two of 2016's most acclaimed movies. The video series positions 'Manchester By the Sea' as a new American classic in the tradition of Oscar Best Picture Winners "Marty," "Ordinary People," and "American Beauty." The custom content illuminates 'Gleason's' message of hope, love and determination that has resonated with critics' groups and audiences across America. http://feature.variety.com/filmsofourtime/

For the movie 'Loving" Focus Features worked with The Variety Content Studio to create 'The Marriage that Changed the World' a 5-part series of articles now running both in the magazine and across digital platforms. Utilizing the Variety archives, the series focuses on the Civil Rights movement and the Loving case (1958-1967), showing the historical significance of the case through pop culture. http://feature.variety.com/loving/

As part of an on-going partnership with Indiewire, the studio produced a video series for Filmstruck "Movies That Inspire Me," featuring conversations with Sundance Film Festival directors about their favorite FilmStruck titles from the Turner Classic Movies and Criterion Collection, promoted regularly throughout December. Some of the filmmakers that participated include Matt Ross, Nicole Holofcener, Pablo Larrain, and Roger Ross Williams. (http://www.indiewire.com/c/filmstruck/)

In addition to endemic clients in the entertainment industry, Fortune 500 brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Delta Airlines, Kering and Karma Automotive are utilizing Variety Content Studio to reach the coveted affluent influencer.

As part of the new initiative, Variety has promoted senior features editor David S. Cohen to the newly created role of Digital Features Director and hired Adrian Fulle as Digital Features Producer.

Veteran entertainment journalist Cohen has been leading Variety's award-winning "Artisans" video initiative, showcasing cinematographers, editors, sound designers, art directors, costume designers and more, since its 2014 inception. One of the industry's most respected experts on subjects from VFX to VR, Cohen and his video team garnered a Maggie Award and a Southern California Journalism Award for "Artisans," which recently completed its 100th episode.

Cohen has also won awards for his print reporting; his most recent article was Variety's #ArtisansSoWhite cover story on discrimination in the below-the-line ranks.

Fulle is a multi-disciplined, creative producer having led production of narrative and documentary feature films, TV, music videos and branded content for 20 years. He has produced content in all corners of the world and for a wide variety of clients. He's won the PromaxBDA Sports Marketing Silver Award for an Olympics promo campaign and the short cinematic marketing film "Rise Up" that he Executive Produced for the Special Olympics was selected as part of Google's "A Year In Search 2015."

First working for the late legendary writer-director-producer John Hughes, at Walt Disney Pictures, Fulle left Hughes to launch Poya Pictures and carved new paths for the full-service production company in content creation for brands as varied as Red Bull, Universal Music Group, Paramount Pictures International and the U.S. Military.

About Variety
Variety remains the seminal voice of the entertainment industry for 111 years and counting. Featuring award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry's most prominent players, Variety is the trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, Variety's multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print and branded events and summits.

In 2015 and 2016, Variety's "Actors on Actors" on PBS was awarded the Emmy for best entertainment programming at the Television Academy's 67^th and 68^th Los Angeles area Emmy Awards. "Actors on Actors," which is an interview special that features pairings of prominent actors discussing their craft, was produced by PBS SoCal in partnership with Variety. Follow Variety on Facebook facebook.com/variety; Twitter, @variety; Instagram, @Variety; Pintrest and Snapchat. The Variety Group – Variety, Variety.com, Variety Insight, Indiewire, LA 411, NY 411 – is owned by Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC.

About Indiewire
Now celebrating it's 20^th anniversary, Indiewire is the voice of creative independence, covering film, TV, and digital for a passionate audience of content creators, industry and fans.  Follow Indiewire on Facebook, facebook.com/Indiewire; Twitter, @indiewire; Instagram, @Indiewire. Indiewire is owned by Indiewire Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC.

SOURCE Variety

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