Product Hub April 14, 2023
Case Study: Distributor Develops Merch for Nonprofit Featured in Jeremy Renner Docuseries
MSM Promotions powered by Proforma says the apparel collection for The BASE, which is spotlighted in Renner’s Rennervations, will help raise funds for the organization.
Jeff Maksud is excited – and no wonder: The promo products distributor is a key player in a story involving branded merchandise, a big Hollywood star and a noble charitable mission.
Maksud, owner of Chicago-based MSM Promotions, powered by Top 40 distributor Proforma (asi/300094), has provided a branded-apparel collection that has connections to Rennervations, a new four-part docuseries starring A-list actor Jeremy Renner that begins streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday, April 12.
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Jeremy Renner sports The BASE Chicago merch.
The show centers on Renner, along with celebrity guests and expert team members, taking decommissioned government vehicles and, through creative building wizardry, repurposing them into things like dance studios, rec centers and water-treatment facilities for organizations with charitable missions.
One of those organizations is The BASE Chicago, a nonprofit that reimagines pathways to success for urban youth through programming that includes academic/STEM tutoring, violence prevention and life skills, healthy lifestyle guidance and high-quality baseball and softball training.
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Maksud is friends with The BASE Chicago’s Executive Director Eric Davis and has provided merch for the organization in the past. When The BASE learned it would be featured on Rennervations, Davis turned to Maksud for help creating an apparel collection.
It’s a campaign of consequence: The BASE raises funds, in part, through merch sales. And with Renner and Rennervations’ team members wearing the new apparel, The BASE is hopeful that sales will soar in the coming days and weeks as episodes become available to Disney+’s more than 160 million subscribers.
“If just a small percentage of homes with Disney+ order merch,” says Maksud, “then it can make a really big difference for The BASE.”
Maksud notes that about 70% of each sale will go directly to The BASE. Anyone can order the merch at https://base.companypromo.store/, a webstore built on ProStores, Proforma’s proprietary e-commerce platform. “Proforma is the perfect merchandising partner because of their brand expertise powered by a seamless and advanced technology solution,” Davis said in a statement.
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The collection features a cotton T-shirt, cotton/polyester blend tee, performance shirt, pullover and zipper hoodies, a jogger set, a ball cap and a beanie. Products bear The BASE’s logo and tagline of “Success Lives Here.” Social media posts show Renner and actress Vanessa Hudgens, also part of the show, sporting The BASE hoodies.
“We suggested that the collection have products with widespread appeal that were deep in inventory,” says Maksud, noting that support from Proforma and supplier partners was essential to bringing the solution to fruition.
As episodes start streaming, Maksud and MSM/Proforma figure to be pleasantly busy.
“This is a fun project to be part of,” Maksud says. “My relationship with The BASE started with just wanting to help a friend, and this opportunity came about. Hopefully, the show and the apparel we’ve provided can help do a lot of good for the youth.”
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