Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson, can be considered one of the examples of successful wrestlers who managed to build their careers and evolve into cinema stars and celebrities. For this reason, his career can be analyzed to understand the peculiarities of this growth and the central success factors. First of all, speaking about the evolution of Johnson and his transformation to an entrepreneur and an actor, his ability to succeed as a superstar wrestler should be mentioned. He was born in a family of professional wrestlers, which influenced his future career and choice of path. Johnson continued the dynasty and started to act as a professional sportsman. A serious injury introduced additional obstacles on his way; however, he managed to recover and keep moving forward. In such a way, the central factors of his success were persistence, clear goal, desire for achievement, and focus on the show component of his performance. The popularization of his figure, successes in wrestling, and love of the audience prepared the basis for Johnson’s transformation into a successful brand.
The popularity of Johnson and his recognizable image helped him to start conquering Hollywood as it had always been one of his main attractions and desires. In 2001 he was shot in the first movie, The Mummy Returns as the Scorpion King, which turned out to be a great success. It also showed that there is a niche for such actors that can be occupied by a successful wrestler recognized by the audience. Johnson continued to appear in films such as Walking Tall, Be Cool, Get Smart, and Tooth Fairy. The diversity of genres, which included action films and comedies, also cultivated the image of Rock and helped to attract more attention to the character and ensure producers that he can play a wide range of roles regarding the current need or the genre that is now popular among viewers.
The adherence to guidelines offered by the United Talent Agency (UTA) can be considered one of the success factors. Johnson emphasized the idea that the instructions acquired from this institution had a positive impact on this career as an actor. First, they helped to disassociate from wrestling, which was essential for his character, and start acting in ways that were appreciated by the public. Second, it promoted the idea of authenticity, which was critical for his brand and its future development. In such a way, UTA helped to cultivate a unique image and create a recognizable brand.
Partnership with Garcia was another important element of Johnson’s career as it helped to find many successful solutions and approaches that were utilized by the former wrestler. Even after their divorce, the couple preserved their partnership relations and managed to cooperate at different levels. They succeeded in the creation of a specific team of agents whose primary goal was the popularization of the image of the sportsman and the invention of new opportunities to move forward. In such a way, the given bond became one of the many success factors that preconditioned the further development of Johnson as a superstar and his popularization.
Seven Bucks Digital Studios was a service used by Johnson and Garcia to transform into a serious force in the evolving digital landscape. This very digital channel was used as a platform to popularize the brand and entertain fans all over the world. It included YouTube channels, the series Rock The Promo, and some other smaller projects to remain in touch with the audience and contribute to the gradual development of the brand. Later, Seven Bucks Digital Studios entered into the agreement with Studio 71, which became a successful decision aimed at the creation of a potent digital channel providing fans with the content they want.
Among the broad list of movies, there are several ones that should be mentioned separately because of their financial success and popularity with the audience. First of all, the Fast and Furious series can be taken as financially successful as films belonging to this franchise managed to generate about 1,3$ billion at the box office. They were also welcomed by the audience and some critics. Jumanji, the continuation of the famous movie, also demonstrated positive statistics and was appreciated by critics and viewers. Finally, one should remember his first role as Scorpion King, as The Mummy Returns remains a popular and gainful movie that helped Johnson to evolve.
One of the main factors that preconditioned the creation of the digital channel in 2016 was the need to popularize the brand and the existence of the broad audience that would be affected by it. The tendency towards the digitalization of society, along with the shift of priorities towards such channels, resulted in the need for the organization of their own. Johnson and Garcia correctly realized the existing trends and understood that it was critical to launching their channel to remain in touch with the audience and provide them with the content they need.
First, as far as the YouTube sector started to grow fast, and as a new subscription service YouTube Red was launched, Johnson and Garcia used this opportunity to make their own channel. Moreover, Studio 71, a partner of Seven Bucks Digital Studios, hired the writer and director Scott Brown to monitor the work of a new platform and function as its general manager. Due to these efforts, the most popular services providing their content to the audience were affected, and Johnson acquired a perfect opportunity to offer his fans the content they wanted. The further diversification of offerings became a vital move towards future evolution and empowerment.
As it has already been stated, Studio 71 became an important international television partner that provided Johnson’s channel with new opportunities. As a German company, the given conglomerate had multiple ways to affect the market and cooperate with the audience in various regions. For this reason, it was an important strategic decision to move forward.
Altogether, it can be concluded that the given incentive turned out to be a successful launch because of multiple factors. First, it provided the platform needed to improve cooperation with fans and popularize the image of Rock as one of the leading actors in Hollywood. Second, it created the basis for the future rise and entrance to the digital market, which is critical regarding the existing tendencies.
At the moment, it might be a successful step to switch to dramatic roles to demonstrate that Johnson has a multi-dimensioned talent that can be applied in various spheres. It can also surprise viewers and attract them to the first serious or dramatic movie with Johnson to see his play.
The creation of own production companies can be taken as a strategy aimed at the generation of additional income as the popularity of the person can be used to make the brand more attractive to the audience and guarantee a high level of interest in offered products or content. Additionally, it provides new opportunities for career development. In such a way, it becomes a reasonable step that can help to continue evolution.