Ad Council, Sugar23 Join Forces for Social Impact Storytelling

Today, the Ad Council and Sugar23, the media company founded by Academy Award-winning producer Michael Sugar, announced a partnership to form Ad Council Entertainment, a new initiative focused on creating long-form storytelling and content to drive social impact.

The partnership will combine the Ad Council’s expertise in addressing social impact and critical issues in the United States with the producing prowess of Sugar23, known for films and series like Spotlight, 13 Reasons Why, Dickinson, and The Knick. Through the new Ad Council Entertainment initiative, the two parties will expand their work and turn it into premium entertainment by developing feature films, series, and documentaries that look at today’s social issues, spark public discussion, and drive impact.

The inaugural programming slate for the collaboration is currently being developed and will include scripted and unscripted projects with a focus on addressing the mental health crisis in the United States.

Lisa Sherman, Ad Council’s president and CEO, said when she met Sugar about a year ago, they both aligned on how they view the world and the impact that strong storytelling can have.

“The reality is the issues we’re dealing with are getting more and more complex,” Sherman told ADWEEK. “This new platform allows us to go deeper into the story lines, build real relationships with our audiences in ways that you can’t in a 30- or 60-second spot, and build resonant characters. When I learned about Michael’s background, it felt like we should bring these two things together and build something really powerful.”

Sugar said that as his company continues trying to figure out the relationship between brands and Hollywood, working with the Ad Council on this new initiative made sense as a next step for them.

“The culture—and what it consumes—has shifted,” Sugar said. “That’s the inertia that we’re solving for in addition to all the traditional media in which Ad Council messages its worth agendas. The consumer has changed too, so it’s an opportunity to create an invitation from the audience in a form that the audience is now paying for rather than skipping.”

Along with co-developing films and series for media platforms with producers, writers, and directors, Ad Council and Sugar 23 are tapping into their extensive network of brand partners to work on select projects that align with their own social impact commitments and brand purpose.