On the same stage that debuted Jonathan Larson’s legacy-defining musical Rent, with reused costumes and a recreated mummy first crafted inside of a maximum security prison, a group of formerly incarcerated men put on a play.

The performance, a goofy-yet-empowering musical comedy called Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code, is unlikely to go on to win a Tony or inspire a hit like Rent. But it is already featured in the Oscar-nominated film Sing Sing, and the special performance might be one step towards helping the movie snag a win.

In Sing Sing, which is based on a true story, actor Colman Domingo and a cast of actors playing themselves put on the play during their incarceration at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. At the New York Theatre Workshop earlier this month, Sing Sing’s distributor A24 partnered with The Just Trust and Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) to bring Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code to life. Prior to the performance, it had only ever been staged inside Sing Sing’s walls.

The event is an unusual move from a studio during awards season, when many studios opt for for-your-consideration ads on LA billboards or full-page ads in trade publications, and sometimes host special screenings with panels featuring the film’s A-list talent. A24 and RTA’s presentation of Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code still brings the film to life in front of potential awards voters, but through a unique merging of live theater and film, it’s also aimed at bringing a piece of the film’s message to a wider audience.

“To have this kind of a platform to introduce people to so much humanity that they would not know exists behind these hidden walls is just such an amazing opportunity,” Karin Shiel, RTA board member and Sing Sing co-producer, told Marketing Brew. “Having more people meet these men is a really special thing.”

Read more here about the performance and how it factored into campaigning.—JN

Celebrities aren’t the only ones flocking to the 97th Academy Awards this weekend.

Brands like Rolex, Prudential, and T-Mobile are set to appear in Sunday’s Oscars on ABC as Disney brings more sponsors onto the red carpet and into the broadcast.

This year, Disney has seen a 50% YoY increase in brands looking to activate through custom placements, sponsorships, or both, John Campbell, Disney’s SVP of streaming, entertainment, and multicultural solutions, told Marketing Brew amid a broader clamoring from brands to integrate with live programming.

“There’s really three things that CMOs are asking from us consistently: one, a return to content, two, help us maximize the moment, and three, bring me more and more live moments,” Campbell said. “How do they get closer to our IP, our talent, [and] our brands? How do we make that feel accessible for them? How [do we] bring that full enterprise versus a campaign approach versus a one-off? You’re going to see a lot of that this weekend.”

Beyond brand interest, Disney is putting plenty of marketing might behind the broadcast and will stream it live on Hulu for the first time ever to encourage viewership and younger and more multicultural audiences to tune in.

Click to read more about brands appearing in the Oscars, and how Disney is marketing Sunday night.—JS

The Netflix film Emilia Pérez scored 10 Golden Globe, 10 Critics Choice, 11 BAFTA, and 13 Oscar nominations, and nabbed significant wins throughout awards season so far. Among these nominations were several historic best actress nods for Karla Sofia Gascón, as the first openly trans woman to be recognized.

It seemed like the musical crime comedy had it all ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night. But a little more than a month before the Academy Awards, it all went wrong.

On January 30, journalist Sarah Hagi found and resurfaced several offensive tweets that Gascón, who plays the film’s titular role, posted between 2016 and 2023. Gascón quickly deleted the offending tweets, deactivated her account, and issued an apology, but the damage was done. As fans and critics alike dissected the resurfaced tweets, the film’s official awards campaign began to deemphasize Gascón’s presence in the film.

One social media expert told us that the Emilia Pérez campaign team’s initial and continuing online response will be pivotal to whether the film makes an awards comeback Sunday night. Though supporting actress Zoe Saldaña has continued to nab wins at every major awards show since the controversy, Gascón has been largely absent from campaigning and awards. Whether her absence will have an effect on the film’s Oscar success, though, is still yet to be seen.

“Awards rely on public perception, and that perception is often shaped by social,” Nicole van Zanten, co-president and chief growth officer at the social media management agency Icuc, told us. “Online activity really matters…and it can certainly, as we’ve seen now, derail a campaign virtually overnight.”

Read more here about the changing Emilia Pérez campaign, and how the narrative could continue to shift.—JN

Stories we’re jealous of.

• Bloomberg wrote about YouTube and how it’s drawing in more than 1 billion podcast viewers a month.
• The New York Times wrote about the brand As Ever, which now shares a moniker with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex’s brand, after she changed it from American Riviera Orchard.
• The Cut profiled the retailer Quince and how it’s benefitted from dupe culture.