The business of managing celebrity estates has changed exponentially in the 15 years since Authentic Brands Group became the caretakers of Marilyn Monroe.
The emergence of a global content marketplace has greatly expanded opportunity to create TV shows, movies, documentaries, games and more for those who control the life rights of legends such as Monroe, Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali, estates that are also in the Authentic portfolio. Strong storytelling about a legendary life also energizes all manner of licensing and merchandising programs.
“Authentic has never viewed itself as simply an owner of brands or estates. We see ourselves as stewards of cultural IP,” says Jamie Salter, founder and executive chairman of Authentic Brands Group.
“The blueprint for managing estates today is very different from what it was 20 years ago. It’s no longer about simply licensing an image. It’s about building a modern cultural ecosystem around a personality,” he says. “We do this through storytelling, partnerships, experiences, content and digital engagement, while still protecting the integrity of who they were and who they are to people today.”
Authentic seized on this year’s Monroe centennial as a prime opening to re-examine Monroe’s life and legacy as an artist through a modern lens. Monroe is never far removed from pop culture – witness the long list of movies, documentaries and books that have been released since her death in 1962 at age 36.
As Variety’s Daniel D’Addario writes in his study of Hollywood’s treatment of Monroe the person and the legend for Variety‘s Marilyn Monroe at 100 standalone issue, “Monroe was in control of her instrument even as, sadly, she lacked control over so much else in her life. And we owe it to Monroe not to allow that quality of her work to get lost.”
For Authentic, icons like Monroe, Presley and Ali are IP unicorns – the kind of celebrities that transcend borders and generations.
“There is only one Marilyn Monroe. Icons like Marilyn emerge once in generation if we’re lucky. They represent something bigger happening in society at that moment in time,” Salter says.
Authentic is working on a short film about Monroe with a notable but unnamed director. It was a producer on Baz Luhrmann’s successful concert film “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.” And it has teamed with Michael B. Jordan for “The Greatest,” a limited series Ali biopic for Amazon Prime Video.
Authentic has to be selective in the personalities and properties it pursues. Not every well-known name lends itself to long-term cultural relevance. Founded 16 years ago, Authentic focuses on sports, entertainment, fashion and culture. It has also spearheaded the relaunch of retail and consumer brands including Reebok, Champion, Sports Illustrated, Guess, Brooks Brothers, Ted Baker, Juicy Couture and Billabong.
“We’re interested in assets that have emotional resonance, timeless storytelling potential and the ability to live across content, media, experiences and lifestyle-driven categories,” Salter says. “Those opportunities are very rare, which is what makes them so valuable.”
Authentic of late has expanded its lens to working with living personalities who need expertise and strategic advice on how to best manage the plethora of opportunities that are available to modern stars. The company struck a wide-ranging deal with Shaquille O’Neal in 2015 that has helped the NBA great burnish his brand with consumer products, live events, content and more. Authentic struck a strategic partnership with David Beckham in 2022, and it got into business with Kevin Hart earlier this year.
The key to effectively managing mega-multihyphenate personalities is to understand who they are (or were) at their core and the key attributes that fans love about them.
“Living personalities and estates are actually becoming more complementary businesses. With someone like Beckham or Shaq, we’re partnering with them to shape the next chapter and legacy of their brands in real time,” Salter says. “With Marilyn or Elvis, we’re curating and extending a legacy. Both require long-term stewardship and a very clear understanding of what makes that person so relevant and enduring.”
English (US) ·