Screen to Streets | Real - World Sports Storytelling by Merlins

The Studio World : Screen to Streets

Where Studio Worlds Begin

Merlins was born from a simple question:

What happens to great worlds after the screen goes dark?

Films live for a moment in cinemas, then forever in memory.

But what if they could live again — in cities, in culture, in physical space?

Not as exhibits.

As experiences.

Not as replicas.

As living worlds.

The Florence Origin

That question became real in Florence, Italy.

Working alongside our creative partners in Florence, Merlins developed and produced an immersive exhibition inspired by the legendary film Cinema Paradiso — a project that transformed cinema itself into a walk-through emotional journey.

As the experience took shape, a larger realization emerged.

If Cinema Paradiso could become an immersive world…

what about the worlds that have shaped generations?

What about epic sagas?

Future visions?

Heroic myths?

Entire studio libraries?

We asked the question.

Could studio films become immersive worlds?

The answer from our partners was immediate:

Yes. Absolutely.

Every Film Is a World Waiting to Be Entered

Every film that has lived on screen carries more than a story.

It carries:

atmosphere.

architecture.

philosophy.

ritual.

emotion.

identity.

These are not films.

These are worlds.

Worlds that can become places.

Worlds that can be walked through.

Worlds that can be felt.

Worlds that can gather filmmakers, fans, artists, technologists, and cities into a single living experience.

Merlins exists to help studios unlock that next life.

The Role of Merlins

Merlins is not an IP owner.

Merlins is a creative bridge.

We work alongside the creative forces of any studio — filmmakers, storytellers, designers, archivists, and technologists — to translate cinematic worlds into real-world journeys.

From screen into reality.

From story into living experience.

We bring those worlds out of theaters and into streets, museums, arenas, historic spaces, and global touring environments.

This is our philosophy.

This is Screen to Streets.

From NBC to Now

Merlins began in 1998 with NBC, built on the idea that stories could live beyond broadcast.

Today, that same philosophy guides everything we build.

Only now, the tools are richer.

The worlds are larger.

And the opportunity to merge cinema, culture, and immersive design has never been greater.

What started as an experiment has become a platform.

A studio collaboration model.

A world-building practice.

A living development room.

The Journal as an Open Chronicle

Every Studio World Merlins explores is not just an outcome.

It is a journey.

Each project we pursue is envisioned as a documented creative expedition — from the first idea, to design, to collaboration, to construction, to public experience.

Nothing hidden.

Nothing manufactured.

A living chronicle of how worlds are awakened.

So filmmakers, fans, partners, and future creators can not only experience the worlds…

…but witness how they are brought to life.

What Comes Next

The Studio Worlds you see forming are not announcements.

They are invitations.

To imagine what cinema can become.

To explore how film libraries can evolve.

To consider how studio universes can move through cities, cultures, and generations.

Because great studios create worlds.

Merlins exists to awaken them.

Because we believe magic is real.

Merlins, NBC 30 Rock, Screen to Streets Launch Podcast Ep1

In 1998, Merlins Sports Entertainment was not launched in a boardroom or studio lot.

It was born on the road — between manufacturing floors, city streets, and television history.

At the time, the Merlins team was in San Francisco at Ball Metal, overseeing the first-ever can run for the Merlins Energy Source beverage. The brand was taking physical form, transitioning from concept to product.

While traveling through the city, the team noticed something unexpected:

a public transit bus carrying a large advertisement for the Merlin mini-series airing on NBC.

The coincidence was impossible to ignore.

Without hesitation, the Merlins team contacted a long-time friend and supporter, Daniel Sarnoff — grandson of General David Sarnoff, the founder of NBC and one of the architects of modern broadcasting.

Daniel reached out directly to NBC.

Shortly after, instructions came back:

Two cases of the Merlins beverage were to be sent to NBC Burbank, California, and two additional cases to NBC headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

NBC executives reviewed the product. Alongside it, Merlins made a forward-thinking request — permission to incorporate the NBC Peacock logo on drink menus and promotional materials for the launch.

NBC approved.

What followed was not just a beverage release, but a new approach to brand storytelling.

For the first time, a concept that lived on television screens was intentionally brought into street-level spaces — bars, restaurants, nightlife venues, and supermarkets. Television culture moved outward, into everyday environments.

To activate the launch, Merlins introduced its first Street Team, inspired by pop-culture heroines and the spirit of Wonder Woman. Known as the Merlins Warriors, they embodied visibility, movement, and direct connection with fans.

This moment — in 1998, anchored at NBC’s 30 Rock — marked the origin of what would later be defined as Merlins’ core philosophy:

Screen to Streets.

Not a campaign.

Not a tagline.

A belief that stories don’t end on screens — they continue in crowds, cities, and shared real-world experiences.

More than two decades later, the same philosophy drives Merlins’ podcasts, films, immersive exhibitions, and street-level storytelling around the world.

Episode 1 – 30 Rock Launch – YouTube

What Swifties in Singapore Taught Us About Screen to Streets

Some of our most experimental ideas didn’t come from technology. They came from conversations. This is how the Eras Tour influenced Merlins Screen to Streets thinking – because the magic is on the streets.

While traveling, we spent time speaking with fans — Swifties — around the Eras Tour stop in Singapore. What stood out wasn’t the concert itself, but how people arrived there. Fans came from across Asia, Europe, Australia — many countries converging on one city. For a few days, Singapore wasn’t just a host city. It became a shared emotional space.

People weren’t talking about set-lists or production. They talked about the journey.

The streets. The energy. The feeling of being surrounded by others who had traveled just as far — emotionally and geographically — to be there. It became clear that the experience of culture doesn’t begin on stage. It begins in the city.

That realization stayed with us.

At Merlins, our Screen to Streets thinking grew from moments like this — where fandom spills beyond venues and into cafés, sidewalks, queues, and late-night conversations. Where excitement isn’t observed from afar, but felt from inside the crowd. Those conversations helped shape our curiosity around presence, first-person perspective, and capturing moments as they’re lived — not performed.

The technology came later. The insight came first. That’s where our micro-dramas begin.

Our Documentary Principles

Creative & Editorial Principles

At Merlins Sports Entertainment, our documentaries are built on trust, access, and authenticity. To protect the integrity of each story—and the people within it—we operate under a clear creative framework.

These principles allow our films to feel honest, immersive, and cinematic, while respecting the communities and subjects who invite us in.

Our approach includes:

Full creative and editorial control by Merlins
Final cut retained by Merlins to preserve narrative integrity
Editorial independence across filming, editing, and storytelling
Embedded access where required to authentically capture environment and emotion
Collaboration and transparency throughout the process

These standards are not about control—they are about consistency, trust, and protecting the story. They ensure that every Merlins project reflects the same level of care, craft, and cinematic quality, whether filmed on the street, in a locker room, or on the world stage.