Ryan Reynolds: An Unexpected Advertising and Business Success

Ryan Reynold’s is typically known as an actor and comicbook superhero Deadpool. But the Hollywood star has a lot going on in the business world. He is also one of the most in-demand and influential creators in advertising. The Canadian-born star is the cofounder of film production company and digital marketing agency Maximum Effort and has had a string of viral campaigns with advertisements he’s co-produced and written since the firm’s inception in 2018. Reynolds sold the company to ad tech company MNTN in 2021 but still plays a hands-on role as its chief creative officer.

He and a partner, George Dewey, formerly senior vice president of digital marketing at 20th Century Fox, co-founded Maximum Effort initially to promote “Deadpool,” a film Reynolds fought ten years to get made. That’s where the iconic black and red suit came into play. “We then started marketing with the suit and having fun with it without giving away pieces of the film, and it turned out to be really successful,” said Reynolds. Then he used some of that “Deadpool” money to buy Aviation Gin.

“So, we inadvertently became a marketing company. “We then started branching out to other clients and working on projects we really wanted to work on and brands we really wanted to work on.” Reynolds, who is the majority owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile and the world’s oldest professional soccer club, Wrexham, has also produced hit advertisements for Match.com.

— Adapted from “How Ryan Reynolds accidentally became an advertising industry powerhouse after 10-year battle to make ‘Deadpool’,” Massimo Marioni, Fortune.com