In these uncertain times for the entertainment industry, movies and television series with built-in audiences are driving production for studios that want to be sure their projects will generate revenue. Findlay Brown, a member of Authentic Studios, the in-house production company of licensing company Authentic, is changing the way IP-based content is produced in Hollywood.

Content based on existing intellectual property has functioned the same way for decades. IP holders (celebrity estates, toy companies, or book publishers, for example) license their properties to studios or production companies that adapt those properties into films or television shows. In creating Authentic Studios, Authentic broke the mold by using its own IP library to create original content, keeping creative control, and profits, in-house. Experienced producers, including Brown, transform brands into broadcasts, creating scripted and unscripted films and television shows for some of the biggest streaming services in the world.

While Authentic may be a $30 billion international behemoth, the Studios team is surprisingly small, counting just seven staff, including Brown. And despite operations commencing in early 2023 – at the beginning of the first double WGA/SAG strike in 60 years – the Studios team sold nine projects, a banner year by anyone’s measure.

Brown, a former college athlete and graduate of the world-renowned American Film Institute and whose thesis project, Caroline, is nominated for Britain’s Student BAFTA Awards, uses his sports knowledge and entertainment experience in his position at Authentic Studios to great effect. “Brown’s areas of expertise and his ability to contribute to every aspect of development, production, post-production, and distribution make him an essential part of the Studios team,” says Matthew Gross, SVP of Authentic Studios. "Authentic has allowed me to combine my two passions - sports and entertainment – and produce content across so many mediums and genres. It's exciting to work with a unique business model that provides so much to play with – it's really a producer's dream,” adds Brown.

Authentic Brands is the world’s largest sports and entertainment licensing company. Its extensive IP portfolio includes brands such as Reebok, Barneys, Nautica, Forever 21, and Juicy Couture, and sports and culture icons including Shaquille O’Neal, David Beckham, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Muhammad Ali. Authentic Studios comprises four labels: Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legends, David Beckham’s Studio 99, Sports Illustrated Studios, and Authentic Productions. Authentic Studios’ releases include the PGA-award-winning and chart-topping Netflix docuseries Beckham, the live NBC special Christmas at Graceland, and the Netflix animated series Agent Elvis. Upcoming projects include The Iverson Way, a documentary about Allen Iverson; The Greatest, a scripted drama series based on the life and career of Muhammed Ali; and The Money Game, a college sports docuseries, which will stream on Amazon Prime Video, and the game show Lucky 13 which premieres on ABC this July.

‍