LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a significant move that underscores the evolving landscape of entertainment, Suntory Holdings (Osaka, Japan) has made a direct investment in Iconic Arts, a next-generation entertainment venture studio. This investment marks a major step for the studio as it continues to build a robust portfolio of multi-platform, transmedia IP. The company is currently developing an extensive library of original titles with a pipeline of international brands, creators, athletes, and artists spanning diverse formats across its flywheel of distribution including film/TV, gaming, music, merchandising, live experiences, and more.
Featured in Variety, Los Angeles Business Journal, and GamesBeat, Iconic Arts presents a fresh approach to the entertainment industry. While the industry is often criticized as a hit driven business with an unpredictable ROI, Iconic Arts offers an innovative process by leveraging both proprietary and emerging technologies while adopting a Silicon Valley-inspired strategy. Through this, the studio can rapidly create, test and iterate ideas across various platforms in a sequenced and interwoven manner. This innovative process allows brands like Suntory to not only vertically integrate their products into the storytelling but also generate scalable revenue streams by co-owning the IP. Through transmedia storytelling, brands can extend their presence across multiple formats, creating an authentic and immersive experience for consumers.
"We are incredibly excited to partner with Suntory, a visionary company that truly understands the importance of culture and the power of storytelling in building lasting brand connections," said Iconic Arts Co-Founder & CEO Steven Haddadian. "When a brand becomes part of a beloved narrative or immersive universe, it has the power to build trust and loyalty without feeling intrusive. Instead of disrupting the audience's experience, the brand is woven naturally into the story, creating a sense of authenticity."
Iconic Arts and Suntory are currently assessing their first project together, which kickstarts the studio’s innovation to brand-financed entertainment by natively integrating storytelling with organic product engagement. With a multidisciplinary team built from the ground up and a business model that addresses the traditional risks in Hollywood and gaming—across development, production and distribution—Iconic Arts is strategically positioned to lead the next era of the entertainment industry.
To learn more and stay up-to-date on Iconic Arts, visit https://www.iconicarts.com/.
About Iconic Arts
Iconic Arts is a next-generation entertainment venture studio that specializes in developing original IP through transmedia, natively integrating brands into premium content and emotionally resonant narratives. With offices in Los Angeles, California and Tokyo, Japan, Iconic Arts brings together a multidisciplinary team of creators from Hollywood, gaming, technology, merchandising, music and live experiences, all collaborating seamlessly to produce timeless entertainment.
About Suntory Group
As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group aims to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Sustained by the gifts of nature and water, the Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products, from award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, iconic American whiskies Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, canned ready-to-drink -196, The Premium Malt’s beer, Japanese wine Tomi, and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Oasis, BOSS coffee, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, and V energy drink, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of $20.9 billion in 2023. Its 41,511 employees worldwide draw upon the unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
For more information, visit www.suntory.com and Drink Smart.
