10 Keys to Building Successful Shared Universe Movie Franchises

“When I first started, you would pitch a story, because without a good story, you didn’t really have a film. Later, once sequels started to take off, you pitched a character because a good character could support multiple stories. And now, you pitch a world because a world can support multiple characters and multiple stories across multiple media.”

For us, Brand Universes are the inevitable next frontier of merging left and right brain thinking within the leadership of brands across the full spectrum of the creative industries. It’s a new growth path for brands seeking to increase their cultural relevance and their profits. Creating a Brand Universe is how longevity is truly created. Those le... See more

“Purposeful storytelling isn’t show business, it’s good business.”

–Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, entrepreneur, educator

I spend 90% of my time thinking about stories and narratives, and like so many other things, narrative formation is getting decentralized. This is my attempt to figure out what’s happening and where it’s heading.Crafting and telling stories is part of what makes humans humans. Stories let us coordinate across time and space. Stories are undeniably ... See more