Insight Series x Charlie Read – Branded Entertainment a route for growth | 10am, 3rd November

The next session in our online Insights Series is being hosted by Charlie Read, founder of Upstream, on 3rd November at 10am.

Upstream is a consultancy working with founder-led production companies to navigate structural change and unlock sustainable growth through brand partnerships and brand-funded content.

Charlie brings extensive experience across commercial production, advertising, content and entertainment. As part of the founding leadership team at Channel 4’s award-winning in-house agency 4Creative, he helped develop an operating model that reduced costs, improved effectiveness and quality, and created new commercial opportunities with brands. 

Today, Charlie works with production company founders and creative leaders to develop credible brand-funded propositions and build more resilient businesses.

In this session, Charlie will explore how changing audience habits are reshaping what brands buy, and why branded entertainment offers a new route to growth for commercial production companies. He’ll look at what branded entertainment means today, share examples across different formats, and outline practical ways to get started.

Key takeaways include:

• Understanding why brands are investing in entertainment and what they need from production partners.
• Identifying where commercial production companies have a competitive advantage.
• Exploring three practical routes into branded entertainment: reframing existing work, building on an existing asset, or partnering to access missing capabilities.
• Identifying the most credible route for your business and what you could test next.

Please register using the button below to receive your Zoom joining link.