Authentic Studios Turns Brand IP Into Prime Content Plays

By Priya Raman

Authentic Brands Group launched its film, TV, audio and commercial production arm in 2023, and its Muhammad Ali series "The Greatest" debuted on Prime Video last week as the clearest evidence yet of the strategy at work. The sports drama, executive produced by Michael B. Jordan and Ali's widow Lonnie, traces Ali's path from Cassius Clay, the Olympic champion, to one of the biggest sports and civil rights icons of all time.

What does this change for brand owners watching from the sidelines? It shows a licensing company moving from renting out intellectual property to producing content around it directly — and profiting from the shift.

The origin of "The Greatest" runs through an unexpected model: Shaquille O'Neal. Authentic owns the likenesses of both Ali and O'Neal, and O'Neal is a significant owner of the New York-based brand management company. Authentic studied how O'Neal leveraged his basketball fame into post-retirement endorsements, from pitching Epson printers and Carnival Cruise Line to DJing at music festivals. O'Neal also spoke with Lonnie Ali regularly and helped make her comfortable with the project and its production team.

"He's still incredibly popular, and his businesses are doing amazing. It's really all because of his platform," Corey Salter, chief executive of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, said. "So what we wanted to do with Muhammad Ali, and this was a long time in the making, is what is Muhammad's platform? How do we make that come to life again?"

How Elvis Cannes Precedent Built a Studio

The studios segment traces its genesis to the 2022 release of Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis." Authentic had licensed the Elvis IP to Warner Bros. and built a strong working relationship with the Australian director. But sitting as guests in the mezzanine at the film's Cannes Film Festival premiere, the team realized there could be more opportunity in direct production involvement than in licensing alone.

"If we make compelling, interesting and great content, the brand should get that lift," said Colin Smeeton, president of Authentic Studios. "It's just a way for us to expand the reach and scope of the brands."

The Scale Behind the Slate

Authentic Studios operates four labels from Beverly Hills with roughly 35 employees:

• Jersey Legends Productions, O'Neal's company
• Studio 99, David Beckham's label
• Sports Illustrated Studios
• Authentic Productions, covering all other Authentic-owned brands

The entertainment segment accounts for about 25% to 30% of Authentic Brands Group's overall business, and the studio is profitable, Smeeton said.

O'Neal's production credits include a three-part docuseries on NBA legend Allen Iverson and the Netflix show "Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal," about his and Iverson's plans to revitalize the Reebok brand. The company also produces commercials.

"When a project comes to me, I like to do what's known in my office as 'Shaq it up,'" O'Neal said. "You've got to allow the writers and everybody else to have their creative process, and then I'll make it Shaq."

What does Shaqing it up entail? "A lot of humor has to be involved," he said. "When you get home and you turn on the TV, I want to make you smile."

A Wider IP Bet — and an AI Court Fight

Authentic's portfolio spans clothing brands (Quiksilver, Champion, Forever 21), Sports Illustrated, and the likenesses of O'Neal, Marilyn Monroe, David Beckham and Elvis Presley. The company recently filed lawsuits with other Presley music rights holders against AI companies Anthropic and Suno, alleging copyright infringement. Salter said the lawsuit is ongoing and that the company will "vigorously defend" its intellectual property.

The studio's logic mirrors Hollywood's broader IP economics. In the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a major draw for bidders Skydance and Netflix was the company's portfolio including "Harry Potter," "The Lord of the Rings" and DC Studios. The 2023 success of "Barbie," which boosted Mattel's doll sales for a time, remains the strongest recent proof that a brand name plus a compelling storyline sells.

Next on the slate: expansion into digital, a larger YouTube footprint and vertical storytelling, with projects in development based on Quiksilver's origin story and the story of retail brand Guess.

"It's not about doing more; it's about making sure that the projects that we do make and do develop actually matter and make them count," Smeeton said. "If we're going to spend the time and energy, we want to make sure that it is going to be entertaining for the viewer and the fan, but it ultimately is going to be a good outcome for the brand as well."

Ali died in 2016, but Salter argues the series keeps him in the cultural zeitgeist: "We are giving platforms for our living legends and our icons. It just really brings him back to people that unfortunately didn't get to see him in his prime."