Wayfarer Entertainment–the media studio founded by Justin Baldoni and Ahmed Musiol that creates scripted and unscripted storytelling fare for TV, digital and film–has named ad veteran Elena Robinson as executive producer, brand content and commercials. Her hire officially launches the commercial division of Wayfarer Entertainment where she will lead the studio’s creation of branded social impact content for consumers.
Robinson’s hire also validates the studio’s commitment to promoting diversity both on and off screen, as she is the first female and woman of color on the executive team.
Robinson has spent nearly two decades developing commercial projects leading teams and winning awards for agencies like Leo Burnett, Havas, R/GA, and Energy BBDO where she produced the Cannes Lion-winning brand work for Bayer Aspirin’s “HeroSmiths” campaign. Starting her career in television with Oprah Winfrey’s “Women of Brewster Place,” Robinson has worked on everything from a web-series for Verizon to documentaries for Quaker Oats and slice-of-life stories for Flintstones. Along the way, she dedicated significant time to digital media, building apps, games and 3D experiential work for brands like Sprint and NASCAR.
“Her dedication to impactful storytelling and her relentlessly inventive approach to production, whether it be a national brand or a local non-profit, centers Robinson at the crossroads of advertising, entertainment and brand-building content,” said Baldoni, who is also Wayfarer Entertainment’s chairman of the board.
Wayfarer has helped agencies, brands, networks and studios forge powerful connections with viewers through compelling content focused on innovative brand integration with real-world social impact. Projects the company is most well-known for include My Last Days, Man Enough, commercial work for Metro PCS, Wells Fargo, Subaru, The Ad Council, Kellogg’s, Ford, and establishing CWGOOD, the first-ever broadcast platform focused on philanthropy.
Notable accolades include Wayfarer’s Telly award for Man Enough, the dinner conversation series featuring a diverse group of influential men as they explore and redefine traditional masculinity. With a viewership of over 15 million, Man Enough is at the forefront of the global conversation on the subject. Additionally, My Last Days, the uplifting documentary series about living an extraordinary life, told from the perspective of those who are dying, has also received multiple honors, garnering a Webby Award, an Addy Award, a 2018 Clio Award, and the 12th Television Academy Honors Award, which annually recognizes seven exceptional programs that have harnessed the power of television to inspire social change.
In March, Five Feet Apart opened in theaters marking the release of Wayfarer’s first studio film. Directed and produced by Baldoni, the film featured actors Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson and grossed $63 million in its opening month. Baldoni’s feature follow up, Clouds, has been greenlit for production in 2019 at Warner Brothers.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the passionate and innovative team here at Wayfarer to work with them as we continue to create entertainment that is a benefit to humankind,” said Robinson. “The impressive reception of their current volume of work makes clear the value of this work to the contemporary consume. I’m looking forward to working with the team to pave the way for more groundbreaking, impactful branded content.”
Wayfarer Entertainment is represented in the Midwest by Nikki Weiss of Weiss and Co.
