The Power List: Ryan Reynolds – Macleans.ca

Ryan Reynolds never proposed to be one of the most profitable venture capitalists in Hollywood. As the story goes, the actor made his first major investment by purchasing the stake in Aviation Gin in 2018, after testing the product and was that good. Celebrity-endorsed alcohol brands are as common as celebrity Ozempic recipes, but the difference is that Reynolds not only put his face on the product, but he also rolled up the sleeves of his superhero suit and got involved. Taking charge of Aviation’s branding efforts, he produced bold, self-deprecating ads that put an unknown alcohol brand on the map (i.e. trending on Twitter) and increased profits by 100 percent the following year. In an ad explaining why his product tastes so good, a familiar voice explains: “Citrus is sprayed using only the tears of Aviation’s owner: me, Ryan Reynolds.” Make it the former owner. He sold Aviation to British alcohol baron Diageo for $610 million in 2020, but the new owners kept him on as a brand ambassador. Like Reynolds, they know a good investment when they see one.

And yes, we are talking about that Ryan Reynolds. The Vancouver-born actor, once best known for his clay face and Teflon pecs, has spent the last few years amassing an investment portfolio more impressive than his IMDb page, which is really saying something since then. deadpool, the anti-Marvel Marvel franchise that Reynolds stars in and co-produces, is among the most successful film brands of all time. And Reynolds is one of the only reasons it was made. 20th Century Fox only agreed to finance it after its DIY and completely NSFW teaser went viral. He later oversaw the film’s unconventional marketing efforts: an expletive-filled endorsement from Betty White and an appearance at the 2016 Super Bowl, where Reynolds served chimichangas (Deadpool’s favorite food) from a food truck.

In 2018, he co-founded Maximum Effort, a production company specializing in the same type of fragmented, sticky internet content that he had pushed deadpool to the top of the box office. (The Aviation Gin ad was among his first projects.) He repeated the process the following year, purchasing Mint Mobile, a little-known discount telecommunications company whose revenue increased by 50,000 percent under its new owner. Again, before speaking. Reynolds sold Mint to T-Mobile for $1.35 billion in 2023. He has achieved a winning strategy. After starting out in the sexy world of alcohol, he’s turned his investments toward companies that might seem social media retards: 1Password (a Toronto-based cybersecurity startup), Nuvei (a Quebec payment solutions company), Wrexham AFC (a British football club). ), Titan Caskets (a Boston company that is exactly what it sounds like), and created the kind of consumer excitement normally reserved for the newest White Claw flavor. His net worth is around $350 million.

What did Reynolds know about fintech? Or crypto? Or British football? Bit. But he understood the power of relationships. “When you create an emotional investment, you not only create affinity, but also resilience for a brand that can help you get through the ups and downs,” he said. bad money‘s Jim Cramer after the sale of Mint Mobile. It’s all just storytelling, whether it’s a feature-length film or a 30-second ad on YouTube or your own Instagram account (over 51 million eyeballs who will believe in any product you make).

Reynolds’ perfectly calibrated personal brand is the driving force behind it all: the aw shit a family man whose jokes center around shitting his pants, the wide-eyed Vancouver kid with a knowledge of Silicon Valley, an everyman who wears khakis and whose wife was just at the Super Bowl with Taylor Swift. “Has anyone seen my wife?” she posted on Instagram as Blake Lively sat next to Swift, a good example of the kind of self-referential wink that underpins much of Reynolds’ best content.

In the age of authenticity, you understand that there is nothing authentic about the life you have landed in. So why not lean in? His 2019 commercial for a new Samsung flat screen was also a trailer for his new film. six underground, who stopped halfway to run an ad for Aviator Gin. The Wrexham football team used their Aviator Gin kits in an advert for 1Password (which is also a sponsor of the Wrexham team). An Instagram post promoting the new thing. Deadpool and Wolverine The film’s trailer showed off Taylor Swift-style friendship bracelets emblazoned with the names of Marvel’s two tough guys. Get it? Reynolds does it. And now millions of Swifties are obsessed with the possibility of a Taylor cameo in the new movie. A group of marketing experts might use terms like synergy or brand alignment. But Reynolds is just a guy who invests in brands he believes in. As long as the world continues to invest in it, it will be a winning strategy.

This story appears in the May issue of Maclean’s. You can buy the issue. here or subscribe to the magazine here.