Raheem Sterling on creating content that ‘people stop and watch’ with new agency

Set up by Raheem Sterling and Carly Cussen, a music video and film director who has worked with Little Mix, Keke Palmer and Ed Sheeran, the company has kicked off with a big-name high-street brand – Clarks – as a founding client.

Sterling says he first met Cussen when establishing his fashion brand, Sixteen Ninety-Two. “My designer and I had some clothing that we loved but needed to bring it all together as a brand – some slick comms to tell our story. Carly and I have a few friends in common and she had previously created videos for mutual friends like KSI and Stefflon Don, so we brought her in to help us promote the brand and get things off the ground.”

The pair began working together on other commercial projects. “We clicked quite quickly,” says Cussen. “He started coming up with ideas on set or in the dressing room,” she says, and as she shared more about the process of creating ads and films with him, Sterling caught the production bug. “He realized that behind the scenes is where it really happens.”

Sterling adds: “We complement each other really well and our passion and creativity shine through in the final result. Plus she’s great to work with. I’ve learned so much from her and still do.”

Playmaker emerged from that working relationship. Cussen and Sterling have hired Joe Media’s head of strategy Royston Reeves and producer Kem Ekundayo to beef out its capabilities, which include specialist strategy, creative and production, with a focus on making branded content.

Sterling probably won’t be able to be on hand as frequently as other agencies founded by famous faces, such as Ryan Reynolds’s Maximum Effort or Terry Crews’s Super Serious. Chelsea need to get back into the Champions League, after all.

“Football is still very much my main focus,” he says, adding that he’ll be acting as an executive producer for the business. “That’s not to say I’m not fully invested in this. I am. That’s why Carly and I brought on Royston and Kem to ensure that the day-to-day operations reflect the entertainment-first vision that we have. They’re experienced guys when it comes to crafting and producing entertaining content. We’ve created a world-class team here.”

He will be in front of the camera, though. Sterling appeared incognito in a TikTok mockumentary made for Clarks’ latest back-to-school campaign, ham-fistedly selling shoes to unsuspecting punters.

“I’m honestly having so much fun being on set with these mad creative people. They’re a whole different kettle of fish. It blows my mind what they come up with sometimes. I can’t wait to get more and more involved on both sides of the camera.”

The production sector isn’t lacking in agencies offering to make work faster, cheaper and better than competitors. And the advent of generative AI tools and virtual production methods could upend the business. Sterling, though, is confident that personality, narrative and entertainment will give Playmaker enough of an edge.

“There’s some pretty amazing technology out there and it’s pretty exciting what it can do. But things like AI and 3D modeling can’t replace emotional and engaging storytelling. It’s lacking that authenticity.

“It’s no industry secret that most branded content fails to make an impact with its audience. It’s not memorable. There’s no emotional resonance. Young people want to be entertained by brands and the content they produce, so tech alone isn’t going to help them stand out. At Playmaker, we’ve crafted a team from the world of entertainment. That means the work we’re creating for brands is content that people stop and watch. It feels real. And the team here is capable of making that happen.”

Sterling knows a thing or two about pleasing a crowd. And his team believes they can create value for clients by emphasizing the entertainment aspect of branded content. Reeves tells The Drum: “There’s a gap between branded content and entertainment. The ambition is to close that gap a little bit and bring stuff from the world of entertainment on to branded feeds for consumers.”

With one co-founder on set and the other on the pitch, Playmaker’s team has had to think about managing time wisely and navigating disagreements. “At the moment, it’s a game of trust,” says Cussen.

“In the first Clarks piece we did, there was a person from the public that was making a serious complaint about him. He went back into the staff room and said, ‘Carly, I can’t do this – he’s going to punch me.’ We pushed him back out there. He knows we’ve got his best interests at heart.”

Reeves adds: “Creative tension is part of the fun. Right now, football is the focus. But every three or four days, I might send him something to look at. We might fire some Pinterest bits around or Instagram posts. That’s enough for him to know we’re on target. And, of course, he pops into the office to play table tennis.”