Dentsu Entertainment partners with Iconic Arts to build global brand IP

Dentsu Entertainment has formed a global strategic partnership with Iconic Arts to help brands develop scalable intellectual property across content, experiences and interactive media.

The collaboration reflects a broader shift among marketers from campaign-led activity toward long-term franchise and entertainment IP development. The two companies will focus on building original properties rooted in audience demand and platform-native storytelling, with particular emphasis on anime and serialized formats.

IP strategy moves to the forefront

The partnership was highlighted at the Sundance Film Festival during the BrandStorytelling programme, where the companies hosted a joint session on brand-led IP creation. The presentation included a demonstration of Iconic Arts’ data intelligence platform, IP-IQ, which is designed to inform creative development, audience targeting and platform strategy before production begins.

Angela Johnson, EVP and Global Client President, dentsu: "Brands are increasingly looking to build entertainment assets that can live far beyond a single campaign and to more effectively plan around IP, not simply invest. Iconic Arts brings a rare combination of creative execution and data intelligence that aligns strongly with where the industry is heading."

Japan–US focus shapes expansion plans

A central pillar of the partnership supports dentsu’s Japan ↔ US Synergy initiative, aimed at helping brands develop IP that travels across markets. The companies plan to identify concepts with cross-cultural appeal and structure them for international scalability from the outset.

Ray Konishi, Head of Japan ↔ US Synergy, dentsu: "Our Japan–US Synergy group exists to help brands move faster and more confidently across cultures. Iconic Arts and IP-IQ give our teams a powerful way to identify which stories, formats, and IP ideas have real global potential, and to align our clients around a shared, data-informed vision from day one. This partnership is the perfect example of how we’re ensuring clients get best-in-breed solutions that dovetail seamlessly with our existing capabilities."

Founded by Steven Haddadian with co-founders Alec Roth, Jack Sheehan, Mo Yazdani and Aric Jain, Iconic Arts operates across the United States, Japan and Latin America. In 2025, the studio secured a strategic investment from Suntory Holdings to support its IP development model.

Steven Haddadian, Founder and CEO of Iconic Arts: "Dentsu understands both brand objectives and the cultural expectations of modern audiences. This partnership allows us to scale IP creation globally by combining Dentsu’s brand ecosystem and expertise with our data-driven entertainment studio framework."

As the partnership develops, the companies plan to collaborate on multiple brand-led IP initiatives, using IP-IQ to guide creative and commercial decisions and support long-term franchise growth.

www.dentsu.com

www.iconicarts.com

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