Business
Class

Created in partnership with American Express

A hosted travel series on Amazon Prime that helps small business owners feel inspired, empowered, and connected.

Toyshop – award winning brand storytelling
A white play button icon with a black background.

AT-A-GLANCE

WHAT WE DID

Development
Story Hunting
Showrunning
Direction
Production
Post Production

Global Documentary Series
Hosted by Suneel Gupta
David Chang
Ben & Jerry
Issa Rae

PROJECT OVERVIEW

American Express wanted to strengthen its connection with small business owners, and needed a compelling way to position themselves as a trusted partner in the entrepreneurial journey.

We came on board to develop, produce, and launch Business Class, a hosted travel series that treated entrepreneurship with the same cinematic care and storytelling depth usually reserved for food or travel shows, combining premium production value with powerful business stories.

A man walking along a waterfront promenade in a city with skyscrapers, including the John Hancock Center, under a partly cloudy sky. Overlaid text reads 'BUSINESS CLASS' with 'BUSINESS' in white and 'CLASS' in blue.

A BESPOKE TEAM

To create a series that would be as entertaining as it was engaging and educational, we built an elite creative team that integrated branded content creators with prestige documentary series veterans hailing from Netflix’s Chef’s Table and Somebody Feed Phil.

With entrepreneur, author, and Harvard Innovation professor Suneel Gupta served as our host, we traveled from India to Mexico to Italy, Australia, UK, and all across the US as he sought to understand the struggles and triumphs of entrepreneurs facing unprecedented challenges.

THE STORIES

Through extensive global story hunting, we enlisted entrepreneurs at every stage of the journey – from industry leaders like David Chang and Ben & Jerry, to emerging innovators like Desserto – who figured out how to turn cactus into leather – to mom and pops across the planet.

Two men having a conversation outdoors near the coast during sunset, with sea and rocks in the background.
Two surfers walking along the beach during sunset, each carrying a surfboard under their arms.

“I’m on a journey to meet some of the world’s most exciting entrepreneurs. I want to see what makes them resilient, and focused – but also what happens when thinks don’t go as planned.”

SUNEEL GUPTA, HOST

A man with dark, wavy hair looking to the side indoors with sunlight behind him, blurred background of trees and windows.
A woman standing behind glass door with a sign that says 'OPEN' in front of Sugar Hill Creamery.
Issa Rae & Suneel Gupta are sitting at a cafe counter, engaged in a conversation. The woman is wearing a pink blouse and patterned pants, gesturing with her hands.
Ben & Jerry sitting on yellow chairs outdoors among trees, engaged in a conversation.

Each of the series’ eleven globetrotting episodes featured our host on a journey to meet with two early or mid stage entrepreneurs and one established expert, threading everyone’s unique experiences together into a cohesive theme. Themes were informed by extensive research into key pain points of Amex’s entrepreneur audience.

THE SERIES

Two smiling men wearing matching blue T-shirts with the word 'DESSERTO' printed on them, standing outdoors with a field and trees in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Blank white play button icon with a black background

MADE FOR SOCIAL

We also captured and crafted short-form content for social, featuring business insights, entrepreneur profiles, and behind-the-scenes moments to help extend the reach of the series.

Interior view of a busy coffee shop with baristas behind the counter and customers ordering and waiting, viewed from above.
Issa Rae sitting at a table in a well-lit cafe or restaurant, looking directly at the camera, wearing a pink shirt and hoop earrings.
Chef and entrepreneur David Chang sitting at a wooden table in his restaurant Majordomo

In addition to the assets created as part of the integrated campaign, Amex leveraged this treasure trove of storytelling content across newsletters, web, and marketing channels for the next two years.

A woman sitting on a sofa, smiling, with a quote overlay that reads, "You have to surround yourself with people who can help you."
A man smiling outdoors with sunglasses hanging from his collar, with city buildings in the background. Overlay text includes 'Business Class', 'Nick Stone, Founder & CEO of Bluestone Lane', and the quote 'No one owns a good idea. Execution is everything.' Also features the hashtag #AMEXBUSINESS.
A woman speaking during an interview with a quote at the top saying, "I started this business with zero dollars, out of my apartment." The woman is identified as Lulu Cordero, founder of Bomba Curls.
A man looking down thoughtfully outdoors, with text overlay saying 'The Four C's Your Circle Needs' and 'Suneel Gupta' in white font, on a blurred natural background.

IMPACT

We designed the series so our entrepreneur audience could see themselves in every struggle and every triumph on screen. Through rounds of qualitative research, Amex found that the series more than delivered on that promise.

  • The research showed that the series helped entrepreneurs “feel less alone and more optimistic” about their challenges.

  • Viewers stayed engaged because “it felt like premium entertainment, not business content.”

  • “Stories of resilience and innovation resonated” with the audience.

  • Global perspectives revealed “the universal nature of entrepreneurial challenges.”

  • “Diverse representation across industries and owners” strengthened audience connection.

Business Class demonstrates how branded content can transcend traditional boundaries, serving both business objectives and audience needs through powerful, authentic storytelling. And most importantly positioned American Express as a brand that truly understands entrepreneurs – without ever having to say so directly. 


And after the success of Season 2, we were brought back for Season 3!


Impact & Recognition

AICP Next
Award

Shortlist, Branded Entertainment

Toyshop – award winning brand storytelling

Webbys

Honoree, Unscripted

Amazon
Prime

Featured Series

Toyshop – award winning brand storytelling
Two men shaking hands on a rooftop with a city skyline in the background during the daytime.

CREDITS

Showrunner & Director

Nico Carbonaro, Ben Leavitt

Producer

Jon Campbell

Executive Producer

Patrick Degan, Melanie Baines

DP

Keenan Newman

Editor

Ryan Rothmaier, George Manatos

Lindsay Rothenberg

Story Producer

Music

Spacelute

Mom & Pop

Color

Dentsu MGB

Agency