Dear readers,

Welcome to the 4th edition of the Trailer Brief!

After last edition’s successful “Editorial Insights”, I’ve chosen to run it back with a very special section I’m calling the “Victory Lap”. Some very special editors and producers shared insights into their trailers and TV spots that brought home Golden Trailer Awards at last month’s celebration of trailer craft. A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who participated. I’m very inspired by all of the fantastic work you all do.

Another annual event folks look forward to is Ping It On hosted by CREATE. The ping pong tournament is such a highlight on the calendar and the type of community moment that this newsletter was built to celebrate. Another thank you to the teams who shared some insight into what that event means to them.

If you’re reading in your email, you can click the “READ ONLINE” button above, which will allow you to watch the YouTube links below without leaving the page.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Trailer Brief!

Project: Hail Mary — “Chance” Trailer
Studio/Network: Amazon MGM Studios
Creative Agency: Wild Card
Editor: Royce Choi
Producers: Todd Buford, Kyle Peck, and Cait Carter
Awards: Best in Show, Best Drama, Best Music

Wild Card takes home the top prize with this emotional, funny, brilliant trailer for one of the year's most successful films.

Royce's Editorial Insight:
“This was a fun one because of the goal we were tasked with. Since there was already a first trailer released that set up all the informational groundwork and stakes, MGM really wanted the next piece to showcase the magic and heart within the movie.

Nick [Temple, president of Wild Card,] had a great idea to open on Ryland and Rocky’s first introduction to each other in the tunnel and use their interactions as a way to grid the story in an unexpected way. We spent a lot of time exploring the construction of that first minute with all the elements from Rocky’s repeated knocking and the deconstruction of Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova”.

Once the intro was figured out the rest of the trailer came together pretty seamlessly as we dived deeper into their epic friendship and adventure. It was a great experience to try something a bit out there for a bigger film like this, especially one that we all believed in.”

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die — “Revolution” Trailer
Studio/Network: Briarcliff Entertainment
Creative Agency: AV Squad
Creative Director/Editor: Greg Krupka
Producer: Dana Breiter
Awards: Best Independent Trailer, Agency of the Year (AV Squad)

AV Squad wins Agency of the Year and also takes home Best Independent Trailer with this phenomenal punchy teaser that kicked off an attention grabbing campaign.

Greg's Editorial Insight:
“Working on an Independent film like GLHFDD gave us a rare opportunity to work with the filmmakers much more closely than we normally do. Before we started, David Edwards from Briarcliff brought us in to meet with Gore Verbinski. The early collaboration helped give us all a roadmap of how he envisioned the campaign and gave us an opportunity to directly share our thoughts and ideas. Gore couldn't have been cooler and was very receptive. Over the course of the campaign, he brought many valuable creative and editorial suggestions to our cuts.

For the teaser we tried to keep it very simple by focusing on selling the concept and then re-enforcing the title. The film itself uses a choral chant to reveal the main title, so it was really a no-brainer to use that concept and run with it. The real challenge was to find a fresh piece of music that we could integrate the choral chant into and still have it feel organic.

Our music supervisor Angel Mendoza found a really cool Gesaffelstein cue and our team had Crystal Creative put it all together for us. Then we lined up the music with graphics that matched the lyrics, and it became a teaser with its own jingle. The cue worked so well that the rest of the piece came together very quickly.”

Waltzing with Brando — “Offer” Trailer
Studio/Network: Iconic Releasing
Creative Agency: Remote Control Video Creative
Editor: Matthew Gelb
Producer: Michael Lange
Awards: Golden Fleece

Matthew, Michael, and the team at Remote Control Video Creative take home the coveted Golden Fleece award for this cheeky trailer.

Matthew’s Editorial Insight:
“This trailer was incredibly fun to work on from the start. The playful film narrative — featuring Billy Zane’s pitch-perfect embodiment of Marlon Brando — lent itself nicely to funny stop-downs and trailer techniques. Once I found the right adventurous music track, it came together naturally and hardly changed from V1.

The biggest “eureka” moment happened during the copywriting. I knew I needed to find a clever way to connect The Godfather with the trailer story, and I struggled to find the right wording at first. After much experimentation, it finally dawned on me — He’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse.

Hence the trailer title: “Offer.”

I’m humbled and honored to have received the Golden Fleece award for this one. I remember when my old boss and mentor, Stephen Garrett (Jump Cut), first told me about the significance of the Golden Fleece years ago. It always struck me as a unique way to recognize the power we hold as trailer makers — even if it can sometimes feel slightly awkward to be recognized this way for the clients. 😉”

One Battle After Another — “Offense Review” & “Pursuit” TV30’s
Studio/Network: Warner Bros.
Creative Agency: Mocean
Editors: Jessica Yeh (“Offense Review”), Tim Zimmer (“Pursuit”)
Producers: Bryan DeDario, Mark Weiner, Georgia Merdinger
Awards: Best Comedy TV Spot & Best Action TV Spot

The team at Mocean took home two GTA's for the "One Battle After Another” TV campaign: Best Action TV Spot & Best Comedy TV Spot.

Bryan’s Producer Insight:
“One of the many things that make One Battle After Another an instant classic is that it spans many genres - drama, action, comedy and so on. It was also unique to have one of our most accomplished filmmakers in Paul Thomas Anderson making a film with broader commercial appeal.

Rather than putting all of this into every single spot, our clients at Warner Bros. had an incredible plan to target these individual aspects of the film at different times in the campaign’s rollout. It gave us a great opportunity to go all-in on action in “Pursuit” and all-in on comedy in “Offense Review,” without ever feeling like it compromised the integrity of the film.

So much credit goes to Jessica and Tim for being able to create spots with broader accessibility that maintain the prestige filmmaking we expect from PTA.”

Newspaper-style coverage of trailer events.

Seismic Productions Shake Things Up At “Ping It On: 2026”

HOLLYWOOD — On June 5, 2026, trailer teams from across Los Angeles met at Create’s Hollywood office in the historic Tidewater Building for an evening of tense competition. The week prior, these agencies gathered in Beverly Hills to compete for Golden Trailer Awards, but today they were competing for something much more valuable: bragging rights.

The annual Ping It On tournament invites trailer agencies to send their most talented table tennis players to fight for the coveted trophy and winner’s jacket.

What began as a humble work break has evolved into a genuine spectacle. GrandSon Creative editor and table tennis tribute Joe Hackman says, “It’s impressive how every year they seem to level up the production — the broadcasters, the live stream, the t-shirts, etc.”

The broadcasters and live stream made those who couldn’t attend feel like part of the action. The comforts for those in attendance were just as remarkable. Three bars hosted by Mr. Bartender plus a liquor tasting room by Hollywood Distillery kicked off the festivities. Shortly after, catering by Bludso’s BBQ and Tacos 1986 began feeding the masses that flooded the venue.

Hackman has competed solo in the event in the past, but this year was a little different. The theme of this year’s tournament was “Double Vision,” and 22 creative shops sent two athletes each to compete for the crown. “Doubles play made this year different than all the other years,” Hackman says.

In true creative fashion, the team names did not disappoint, with some being a pun on the agency names. Mark Woollen & Associates became “Marky Supreme,” a play on last year ping pong smash hit Marty Supreme. Rave Collective became “Rave Against the Machine.” “Open Road Rage” and “Tiny Table Tennis Heroes” also made an appearance.

Shea Jones, editor at X/AV and competitor for “X Gon’ Give It To Ya”, started playing ping pong in high school but doesn’t play often any more aside from this event. He says “it was a pleasant surprise that Lauren and I made the Final Four! We lost in the semi-finals to AV Squad, who then lost in the finals to Seismic. Such a fun experience though!”

Seismic’s dominant performance carried them to victory. In a statement provided to the Trailer Brief, Navin Bose and Scott Rowden of Seismic’s Net Brothers had this to say:

The importance of the event is echoed through most conversations about the tournament.

Jones says, “Ping It On is such a cool, recent addition and must-attend event for the trailer industry. For a long time, the GTAs and Clios have felt like the only real staple events for socializing with other people from the industry, and they’re a lot more buttoned up than Ping It On is.”

Hackman says, “It’s a fun opportunity to get everyone in the same room and to focus on something besides work.”

You can watch the replay of the livestream on YouTube here:

A trailer-spin on the news around town.

DGA Reaches Agreement
Source: Deadline | Variety | The Wrap

What happened?
The DGA reached a tentative 4-year agreement with the AMPTP on June 9, three weeks before its June 30 deadline. The DGA's National Board unanimously voted to recommend ratification, and the deal is now out to the full membership for a vote. The agreement states that studios will lobby for a federal production tax incentive. Other wins include more protections against AI, and a clause limiting actors and other non-career directors from directing television episodes, allowing more opportunities for DGA members.

What does it mean for the trailer world?
For the first time since 2020, we enter the second half of the year without any strike clocks ticking. All three guilds have settled with the studios, which will allow more productions to stay on schedule, and increase the volume of work for the next few years. The stability will undoubtedly trickle down into our industry.

ElevenLabs Adds Stan Lee’s Voice to Its Library
Source: Variety | Comic Basics | International Business Times

What happened?
At last month’s “AI On The Lot” conference hosted by Amazon MGM, ElevenLabs announced their partnership with Stan Lee Universe, the joint venture that owns the likeness of late Marvel Comics writer. The platform now allows users to generate Lee’s voice and image through its “Iconic Voice Marketplace.” The reaction from fans was quick and largely negative. The announcement came the same week as SAG-AFTRA’s deal was ratified, restricting use of AI performances of living members. Deceased members fall into a separate category altogether.

What does it mean for the trailer world?
The announcement came the day before the Don LaFontaine award was handed out at the GTAs. The irony is biting. The use of AI VO and ADR is already largely prevalent in the offline process, with the impetus on swapping out with authentic voices during finishing often falling on the studios. The Iconic Voice Marketplace is a step towards clarity, with licensed voices being better than unlicensed ones. However, a campaign that leans heavily on artificial voices carries a reputational risk that a legal green light doesn’t protect. There are so many talented VO artists in town who are eager to work — just hire them. Actors, in my experience, are surprisingly open to recording ADR to use in trailers.

The Paramount-WBD Deal Clears Its Biggest Hurdle
Source: Associated Press | Variety | SEC Filing

What happened?
On June 12, the DOJ’s antitrust division approved Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery without any concessions, announcing that the deal won’t hurt competition or consumers. The deal is still pending abroad approval, with the EU’s deadline coming next month. David Ellison pledges that he will keep Paramount and Warner Bros. as separate studio entities, releasing a combined 30 theatrical movies a year. If the deal goes through, there will undoubtedly be layoffs due to duplication and restructuring.

What does it mean for the trailer world?
Warner Bros. and Paramount are two major clients for trailer shops. The merger will certainly consolidate the marketing divisions. Consolidated departments means fewer decision makers and points of entry, meaning that relationships with these clients are more important than ever. 30 films a year is a meaningful amount of work, and is worth keeping tabs on. Warner Bros. has been one of the most adventurous marketing teams recently, especially for a major studio. Hopefully their creativity survives under Paramount leadership.

Closing remarks.

Thank you for reading!

The community response to this publication has been so motivating. I’m extremely humbled and inspired by the support I’ve received over the last month.

Like the GTA’s and PIO, I hope this newsletter becomes something that brings the industry together at large. Please share the website in your Slack/Teams channels. The word of mouth exposure is so valuable to growing this newsletter.

If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to the mailing list so it will go directly into your email inbox. My release schedule is the first and third Monday of the month, but I plan on posting a BONUS ISSUE in the next few weeks.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Trailer Brief!

_{All of the thoughts, insights, and opinions presented in this newsletter belong solely to the individual writers and editors of the Trailer Brief and do not necessarily reflect the views of their full-time employers}