Dolphin Subsidiaries and Clients Have Successful Showing at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2026

CANNES, France, July 1, 2026 (Newswire.com) - Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and content production company, created waves at this year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France through its subsidiaries 42West and The Door. Recognized as Agency of the Year by Observer, Dolphin and its clients were selected for Cannes Lions Shortlist, participated in panels and events along the Croisette throughout the week of the conference, which focuses on celebrating creative minds in the advertising industry.

Here are some of the activities that Dolphin and its subsidiaries were involved in:

42West x Horror, Inc.

42West's Fandoms & Franchises division secured a spot on the prestigious Cannes Lions Shortlist for their work on the collaboration between Angry Orchard and Horror, Inc. celebrating the 45th anniversary of Friday the 13th. The campaign delivered the universe's first major content release in 17 years via an exclusive short film featuring Jason Voorhees. Breaking through a fierce field of 650 global submissions, the project was one of only 42 entries shortlisted in its category. You can check out the short film here. You can check out the short film here.

The Door x Trusted Media Brands

Together with Trusted Media Brands CEO Stephen Colvin, The Door brought a strong presence to Cannes Lions 2026, engaging directly with the industry's top marketers, creators, and storytellers. On Wednesday, June 24th, CEO Stephen Colvin moderated "Craft + Curation: Why Weaving in Real-World Moments Creates Impactful Advertising" at the LBB & Friends Beach, joined by Sergio Lopez (CEO, Omnicom Production), Tass Tsistsopolous (Global Executive Strategy Director, Wieden + Kennedy), content creator Cindy Chen, and David Freeman (Founder & CEO, Kynetic Media Ventures) - a timely addition given Kynetic's recent launch of Graviteur Studios with Dolphin Entertainment. Beyond the main stage, The Door worked with Trusted Media Brands to host an intimate Thursday lunch featuring guest speaker Dr. Marcus Collins, offering select industry leaders candid, off-the-record conversation - a fitting complement to the brand's broader presence at Little Black Book beach.

The Door x Calm

The Door partnered with Calm throughout Cannes Lions 2026, coordinating brand and agency meetings with Calm's partnerships team to spark collaboration across the industry. The sessions gave marketers and creatives a chance to explore how Calm's wellness expertise could be woven authentically into upcoming campaigns, moving past surface-level messaging toward genuine integration.

The Door x CultureCon

CultureCon, a client of The Door's DISRPT division, brought its cultural authority to the Croisette through founder and CEO Imani Ellis, who had one of the more substantive weeks of any community-builder at the festival. Ellis served on the official Cannes Lions 2026 Shortlisting Jury, helping decide which work advanced to be judged and awarded. She also opened The Power of Experiential Connection at FQ Beach at Hôtel Martinez, a panel co-hosted by Sparks, moderating a conversation with Sparks SVP of Marketing Sheyna Bruckner and Pinterest's Judy Lee on why in-person connection still matters most in an era of infinite content. CultureCon also brought its own IP to the festival: a special Cannes edition of CultureCon Uncut, Imani's Spotify video podcast, filmed on the ground with acclaimed sports journalist Taylor Rooks.

The Door x SPILL

The Door's DISRPT division brought SPILL to Cannes Lions 2026, where Alphonzo "Phonz" Terrell took a seat at two of the week's most consequential tables. He joined the TIME100 Roundtable on June 23, "From Attention to Intention: Creating a Healthier Digital World for the Next Generation," moderated by TIME CEO Jessica Sibley and co-hosted by Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, a conversation TIME went on to publish, where Phonz spoke pointedly about belonging and safety for the kids who come to social platforms because they have nowhere else to find people like them. He also brought that same perspective to roundtable programming at Sport House, putting SPILL's mission in front of the executives and culture-shapers driving the week.

The Door x U.S. SailGP Team

Fresh off a race weekend, the U.S. SailGP Team made the trip to Cannes for an appearance at Sport House, one of the leading destinations at the festival, bringing the energy of the world's most exciting racing series straight to the heart of the creative industry.

Additionally, conversations on the Croisette about original content and the creator economy were on the heels of Dolphin's recent announcement of the launch of Graviteur Studios, a creator-led, audience-first independent film and television studio built for an entertainment landscape increasingly driven by creators, fandom, and intellectual property. Led by KYNETIC CEO David Freeman and Dolphin CEO Bill O'Dowd, Graviteur Studios is designed to bridge the worlds of digital influence and premium entertainment, reshaping how creators develop, finance, produce, market, and distribute original scripted films and television projects.

ABOUT DOLPHIN

Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline.

At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120.

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INVESTOR CONTACT

James Carbonara
HAYDEN IR
(646)-755-7412
[email protected]

SOURCE: Dolphin

Source: Dolphin Entertainment