Branded entertainment trio hits the TV links

[Online PR News] — A fresh, new approach to brand-supported content is making its way to broadcast television and across the web, in the form of ‘Golf Therapy: Life, Lessons, and the Pursuit of Par.’ The one-hour sports/comedy special is the result of a three-sided creative and business collaboration between an actor/producer on an Emmy Award? -winning primetime series (Brian Baumgartner, ‘Kevin’ on ‘The Office’), one of the world?s leading consumer brand marketers (SUBWAY), and Content & Company, the Los Angeles-based, brand-financed studio.

??Golf Therapy? is a great example of the new order for developing, financing and distributing TV and web content,? said Stuart McLean, Chief Executive Officer of Content & Company. ?Everybody has an equal seat at the table, resulting in a show with uncompromised creative vision and unparalleled marketing and promotional support. We are fortunate to have a client like Subway who is so forward thinking in this space.?

‘Golf Therapy’ opens with Brian Baumgartner, who is an avid golfer in real life, confiding in his therapist that he?s having nightmares about his annual appearance in the American Century Championship, a Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament. To prepare him for the event, Brian?s shrink, played by Rachael Harris (‘The Hangover’), sends him to visit with superstar athletes who offer mental and physical tips to elevate his golf game. Among Baumgartner?s celebrity coaches are: Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers center), CC Sabathia (New York Yankees pitcher), Michael Strahan (former New York Giants defensive lineman), and Nastia Liukin (U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning gymnast), Justin Tuck (New York Giants defensive lineman), Laila Ali, Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers quarterback), and Ozzie Smith (Major League Baseball Hall of Famer).

In addition to the one-hour broadcast special, ‘Golf Therapy’ includes several ‘Fresh Takes,’ which are made-for-digital video shorts that will extend the show onto Facebook and other key social and digital media platforms.

??Golf Therapy? is a project I?ve wanted to produce for couple of years, but it didn?t really fit the standard model, so it was hard to get started. The ability to team up with SUBWAY in a new way gave me the creative freedom I was looking for and the ability to get this done on a much larger scale, while extending my relationships within the NBC family,? said Baumgartner. In addition to his audience-favorite role on ‘The Office,’ Baumgartner has an active career as a producer through his 3-Bees Entertainment production shingle. ‘Golf Therapy’ represents 3-Bees? first foray into brand-financed content.

“Golf Therapy is a great platform for several of our Famous Fans of Subway, and it further associates them with our brand while allowing them to stretch their public persona. It is a win-win.” said Tony Pace, Chief Marketing Officer, SUBWAY. ?We like being ahead of the curve and that means being in on early stages of program development. Working with Brian and Stuart was a great collaboration which benefits all of us.?

‘Golf Therapy: Life, Lessons, and the Pursuit of Par’ is a Content & Company production in partnership with Brian Baumgartner?s 3-Bees Entertainment. Brian Baumgartner, Stuart McLean, Scott Wood, and Peter Isacksen are executive producers.

‘Golf Therapy’ is Content & Company?s second brand-financed content project this year, and the first to premiere on broadcast television. In June, the studio teamed with Schick Hydro? on ‘Clean Break,’ an action sports adventure series that was featured on Crackle.com.

About Content & Company
Content & Company is a Los Angeles-based brand studio that creates and distributes content for Fortune 100 brands across multiple platforms, including the most powerful distribution channel of all: the brands themselves. The modern incarnation of the brand studio, Content & Company offers advertisers the opportunity to create their own programming rather than sponsor, or integrate into, existing properties. Founded by Stuart McLean, a recognized leader in the fields of brand marketing and branded content, Content & Company pairs consumer brands like Schick and SUBWAY with top Hollywood creative talent to create unforgettable original programming.

About 3-Bees
Under the direction of founder Brian Baumgartner of the multiple award-winning NBC series ‘The Office,’ 3-Bees Entertainment is a production company that serves as the nexus between the entertainment industry looking to partner with athletes and members of the sports community who aim to expand their brand into TV & Film. In addition to a partnership with Content & Company and SUBWAY for the inception of ‘Golf Therapy: Life, Lessons and the Pursuit of Par,’ 3-Bees created and launched an original web series about the other American pastime, Turtle Racing, which is currently streaming on CollegeHumor.com.

About SUBWAY Restaurants
With more than 32,000 locations in 91 countries, the SUBWAY restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise and famous for its made-to-order footlong and 6-inch submarine sandwiches and salads. The SUBWAY restaurant chain was founded in 1965 by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck as a means for then 17-year-old DeLuca to earn enough money to pay for college tuition. That partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey ? one that made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. The SUBWAY brand has been named as the number one franchise opportunity in Entrepreneur magazine’s ‘Annual Franchise 500′ listing 17 times in the past 23 years, and was also ranked by the magazine as ‘America’s Top Global Franchise’ for 2009. For more information about the SUBWAY chain, visit http://www.subway.com or http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com. SUBWAY is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.