Cultured Group developed a co-branded product program for Up Paint that brought together creators from the design, home, and DIY space. Each month, a new creator paint line was introduced, featuring custom colors and finishes tailored to the creator’s personal aesthetic. Up Paint managed all formulation, fulfillment, e-commerce, and customer service functions, enabling creators to generate an additional revenue stream with no upfront costs. 

The program was designed to help creators strengthen their personal brands while aligning with a company focused on solving a real problem - ending paint waste. By launching a new collection each month, Up Paint was able to create consistent content and cross promotion over a several month period vs one-off product drops.

The Cultured Group created the entire program alongside Up Paint management. This included:

• Strategy – Designed the partnership structure in a manner to create a win-win program for both Up Paint and creators.
• Creator Research  – Conducted an in-depth analysis of more than 300 creators in the design, home, and DIY space to identify those whose values, content, and audience aligned with Up Paint’s mission.
• Outreach and Negotiation – Handled all creator outreach and contract negotiations.
• Contracts – Drafted custom legal contracts for the program to ensure fair and transparent terms for both Up Paint and creators.

Up Paint isn’t about selling paint - it’s about solving the paint waste problem in the US. But, what stood out to us wasn’t just the mission, it’s their approach to solving the problem. Up Paint developed a proprietary tinting process that allows them to produce premium, high-quality paints using unused and recycled materials. We were shocked to learn that an estimated 85 million gallons of paint go unused each year—much of it ending up in landfills or polluting waterways. Some studies estimate that paints and coatings contribute to 58% of all microplastics found in oceans and waterways. There were two key items with why we worked with them:

• Proprietary Tinting Process – Up Paint developed a patented tinting system that processes recycled and unused paint into consistent, high-quality finishes. This innovation eliminates the variability typically associated with recycled materials, allowing for precise color matching and premium performance. 
• Mission-Aligned Incentives – Up Paint is working toward a fully circular supply chain. The more paint they sell, the less waste and fewer microplastics end up in the environment. It’s a business model where growth directly supports human and planetary health.

Building a premium paint brand that tackles the paint waste problem requires more than a great product—it demands a compelling, differentiated story. In a category dominated by a handful of massive players, we believed Up Paint had to invent its own playbook for distribution.

At the same time, we saw a growing group of mission-aligned creators producing high-quality content and seeking new ways to generate revenue and expand their personal brands beyond content alone. This intersection of product innovation and creator-driven storytelling opened up a powerful opportunity for the co-branded product program.