Dentsu Partners with PGA of America and John Cohen on New Animated Sports IP Franchise

Dentsu entertainment, a specialised entertainment practice within Dentsu Group Inc, today announced that it has partnered with The PGA of America, one of the world’s largest sports organisations, and producer, John Cohen, on an animated feature film franchise where the sport of golf is a hero, in a multisport story based in the fictional world of “SportsCity.” Dentsu entertainment, will play a key role in the development of the initial movie, as well as leading commercial strategy and brand engagement around the broader transmedia IP opportunity.  

The PGA of America is composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest and participation in the sport. The highly engaging animated franchise will feature the PGA of America’s nationally acclaimed PGA Jr. League program for boys and girls. Since its formation over a decade ago, PGA Jr. League has introduced more than 500,000 boys and girls to the game of golf. 

PGA Jr. League brings families and friends together around fun, team golf experiences for kids ages 17 and under, with expert PGA of America coaching a key component of the program. PGA Jr. League is also the flagship youth pillar of the PGA of America REACH Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the Association, with efforts focused on making the program accessible to every child, everywhere. PGA of America proceeds from the franchise will be used to make sure every interested child has the opportunity to play.

A recent dentsu survey of CMOs revealed 88% of brands agree it is more important than ever to be part of culture, yet 74% say it is challenging to know how to connect their brand to culture. This new franchise presents an unrivalled opportunity for both the PGA of America, as well as partner brands, to get involved in a ground-up, transmedia IP opportunity, helping to guide the direction of the narrative as the story plays out over a range media types.  

“The PGA of America is excited to partner with dentsu and John Cohen in the development of this animated multisport film which highlights the great qualities inherent in the game of golf and the important role our more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals play every day in the sport,” said PGA of America chief commercial and philanthropy officer, Jeff Price. “Our mission is to serve our members and grow the game of golf, which this project delivers against in a truly meaningful way.”

John Cohen has signed on as lead producer of the film franchise. He brings an amazing ability to breathe life into animation that captures the imagination of both young and old alike. Cohen's producing credits include blockbuster hits such as ‘Despicable Me’, ‘The Angry Birds Movie’, and most recently, ‘The Garfield Movie’, among others.  John is currently in production on ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’.

“Entertainment presents such a unique opportunity to create and shape culture, while driving important outcomes for clients – whether that is attracting new communities to the great game of golf, or designing co-branded experiences which lead to commercial impact,” said Geneva Wasserman, global EVP of film/TV development and financing for dentsu entertainment, and producer of the new franchise. “Partnering with John again makes total sense for a feature like this, as the PGA of America and others, come together to engage audiences through an exciting new story.”

Scott Dmitrenko, the creator of the original story and a producer on the project said, "One of the main goals of the film is to expose the game of golf to the next generation of players and fans in a manner that is engaging, inclusive and fun. The creative team have crafted a classic sports story that culminates with a drama-filled sports showdown. In true sports-film fashion, the story will pull at your heartstrings, inspire your soul and provide hilarious entertainment.”

The film is scheduled to enter production in Q4 2025.