Zaheer Darbar – Entertainment Editor
VIRTUE Asia and Goldfinch International Launch V47 Entertainment to Redefine Branded Storytelling Across Asia and MENA. VIRTUE Asia has officially launched V47 Entertainment, a groundbreaking branded entertainment studio developed in partnership with Goldfinch International, the financing, production, and creative ecosystem division of the UK-based Goldfinch Group. This collaboration introduces a new model of cultural storytelling designed to scale regional IP and connect brands to rapidly expanding audiences across Asia, MENA, and the Global South.
A New Era of Entertainment-Led Brand Building
V47 Entertainment emerges at the intersection of culture, creativity, and capital, empowering brands to move beyond conventional ad campaigns. The studio will develop entertainment-led cultural IP such as films, series, anthologies, microdramas, digital universes, and creator-driven narratives that resonate across global markets.
“As we look into 2026, the creative industry is being reshaped by a simple truth: culture leads brands,” said Lesley John, CEO of VIRTUE Asia. She added that audiences increasingly expect brands to contribute meaningfully to culture rather than simply interrupt it. “With V47, we’re giving brands the ability to build signature entertainment properties—worlds and stories audiences choose to spend time with.”
John emphasized that as AI automates functional marketing tasks, entertainment will become the next battleground for brand relevance.
A Unified Platform Blending Cultural Insight and Entertainment Capital
The new venture merges VIRTUE Asia’s cultural foresight, creative leadership, and brand strategy with Goldfinch’s production capabilities, financing structures, and global entertainment infrastructure. The result is a unified platform that helps brands build entertainment IP with long-term cultural and commercial value.
“V47 blends culture, capital, and creativity in a way the industry hasn’t seen,” said Phil McKenzie, COO and Co-Founder of Goldfinch. “By engineering marketing, storytelling, and distribution together from day one, we’re generating IP with scale and monetization built in.”
Positioning Asia and the Global South at the Centre of Culture
V47 will strategically operate across Asia, MENA, and the Global South—regions increasingly shaping global cultural influence.
“Asia is now shaping what the world wants next,” John noted. “V47 allows brands to build cultural capital where influence is accelerating fastest.”
Justin Deimen, Founding Partner at Goldfinch International, highlighted that global entertainment is shifting toward new partnership models and emerging cultural hubs. “By combining Goldfinch’s financing engine with VIRTUE’s cultural insights and brand relationships, V47 creates a platform where brands can participate meaningfully in storytelling that travels and endures.”
A Model Designed for the Future of Cultural IP
David Webster, Chairman of V47 Entertainment, explained that brands will gain a strategic role in developing films, series, and creative formats. “This venture gives brands a seat at the creative table—not as sponsors, but as partners.”
V47 will channel brand investments into a proprietary development model spanning music, gaming, film and TV, live events, and creator economies. The approach integrates brands directly into storytelling from inception rather than as last-minute additions.
First Slate to Launch in Early 2026
V47 Entertainment’s first slate is already in development and will be unveiled in Q1 2026. Projects include:
- Two original unscripted docu-series
- A live event series
- A microdrama
- A competition TV format
- An animated series
Each project reflects V47’s mission to merge brand capital with cultural insight and premium production to generate lasting cultural and brand value.
Beyond its initial slate, V47 plans to launch a branded entertainment fund and content accelerator, transforming brand investments into enduring, scalable cultural properties across platforms and markets.
