• Ad Age, Tuesday, August 22, 2006 12:45 PM

Beer marketer Anheuser-Busch is getting into the film and TV production business, according to Ad Age. A-B is creating an in-house division to create humorous shorts and sitcom-type programs to be broadcast over the Internet and to cell phones. There's even a possibility the unit could eventually develop full-length films. The unit will be led by Jim Schumacher, the company's top creative executive, who has been moved out of the ad department and into the new entertainment production group. "The fact that Schu is leading this means they're serious about it," said one person familiar with his new assignment. The company's competitors are skeptical, however, and hope the new venture will distract A-B from the business of making and selling beer. "Making movies is always a great idea for an alcohol company," says Don Faust Jr., a Miller and Coors distributor based in Houston. "Just look how great it was for the Bronfmans." By investing heavily in producing its own content, $15.5 billion A-B is following in the footsteps of other huge consumer product marketers. Last winter, PepsiCo produced the snowboarding documentary "First Descent" through its Mountain Dew Films unit. And Starbucks Corp., which last year partnered with Lions Gate Films to market "Akeelah and the Bee," intends to co-produce more features with Hollywood studios.

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