Charles Schwab x Smokey and the Bandit - East Bound and Down

As is tradition for the US financial services company, Charles Schwab wanted to reveal and promote the prize car of their annual Charles Schwab Challenge in a unique and attention-grabbing way. Episode Four, Charles Schwab’s creative agency, came up with a fantastic concept that pays homage to the movie that made the 1979 Firebird famous with a new recording of “East Bound and Down,” the theme song from Universal Pictures’ 'Smokey and the Bandit'.

Episode Four came to us looking to license thematic elements from the iconic movie Smokey and the Bandit. With our unique business model and relationships, we were able to get Universal Pictures, the Rights Holder of Smokey and the Bandit, to approve the creative concept and commercial terms quickly allowing Episode Four to meet their tight deadlines and to confidently re-create some of the movie’s iconic scenes.

As Born Licensing are licensing agents for Universal, we negotiated the licensing commercial terms and managed all other aspects of the project from start to finish without charging any clearance fees. We are able to do this thanks to our unique business model and strong appointed agency relationship with Universal Pictures.

Universal, the licensors of Smokey and the Bandit, had to be kept in the loop across all creative development. This included the script, storyboards, edits, and final material. Born Licensing managed the entire approval process from start to finish, allowing all other parties to focus on what they do best.

The music film starred country singer Owen Jones and premiered in May 2022 across on online and social within the US.