Lemonade launches branded entertainment development studio, Lemonade Labs, and enters a new era as Lemonade Collective
Lemonade Talent (formerly Lemonade Reps), representing boutique production companies across live action, animation, post, AI & immersive
Lemonade Presents, a cultural events programme connecting filmmakers, artists and the wider creative industries through curated events and conversations
Lemonade Labs, a branded entertainment studio developing ideas for linear TV, streamers and social-first formats, funded by brands
Lemonade Labs will be led by Connor McRae, joining as Head of Branded Entertainment, alongside Corin West, Founder and Managing Director, and Katie Millington as Executive Producer and Creative Partnerships Director across the Collective.
Corin West, Founder, Lemonade Collective
“The time is now. Brands are no longer just commissioning advertising campaigns, they are increasingly funding entertainment. Lemonade Collective has been built for that moment. We’re already working alongside agencies on some exciting briefs so we’re in the midst of the shift right now.
I could see this coming years ago. Audiences are more selective than ever, and brands are looking for ways to create work people actively choose to engage with. At the same time, the lines between advertising and entertainment have been steadily dissolving, with a real appetite from both brands and filmmakers to meet in that space. Lemonade Labs is the connector for that. It gives structure to something that has been evolving for a long time.
Lemonade Talent will continue to support agencies by connecting them with our boutique production company partners across advertising, while Lemonade Labs expands into brand-funded entertainment-led storytelling, feeding back into our network and broadening both the scale and ambition of the stories we help bring to life.”
Connor McRae, Head of Branded Entertainment, Lemonade Labs
Connor McRae brings experience across advertising and long-form entertainment, having developed ideas with international brands to play out across linear broadcasters, global streamers, and social platforms. His focus continues on how brands can move beyond campaigns to support and develop impactful entertainment with longevity. He will lead the development of formats, series and one-offs designed to live as entertainment first.
“Creatively, we’re at a point of massive opportunity. Brands are operating differently, and broadcasters are open to new funding models. It’s two worlds coming together in a way that genuinely works, both creatively and commercially.
This is not about traditional product placement or sponsorship; it’s about brands becoming embedded within premium entertainment made for audiences, not ad breaks.
My background in TV development has allowed me to develop shows across the full unscripted spectrum, from one-off shock documentaries to shiny-floor studio formats and large-scale competitive reality series.
I am excited to keep collaborating with brands and agencies wishing to put their stamp on work that audiences don’t just passively watch, but actively seek out.”
Katie Millington, Creative Partnerships Director, Lemonade Collective/Executive Producer, Lemonade Labs
With over two decades of global production experience, including ten years leading production companies in both Australia and New Zealand, Katie Millington continues as Creative Partnerships Director across the Collective and Executive Producer of Lemonade Labs, overseeing the creative and strategic direction of projects from development through to production.
“We started with a simple question: how can we embrace the shift and create new opportunities for the production companies we already represent? Not as a departure from what they do, but as a natural extension of it.
Having worked in Australia and New Zealand, I have seen first-hand how well this model can work, with brands and agencies already far more fluent in brand-funded entertainment development.
At Lemonade, there is real chemistry between us. From the start, it felt like Corin and I were completely aligned on what this could be, which is rare. Connor and I go way back, so there is already a shared language in how we think about ideas.
Corin has built a culture that genuinely supports a collaborative, free-flowing way of working. It’s exactly the kind of team you want when you are building something like this.”
Lemonade Collective will introduce Lemonade Labs at Brands Entertain Me!
a launch event at The Soho Hotel on 27 May.
The event will bring together brands, agencies, broadcasters, streamers and production companies, the event will focus on how brand-funded entertainment is being made in practice.
Moderated by Connor McRae, the panel will explore everything from deal structures and IP ownership to creative control and editorial integrity. More information and ticket information coming soon.
