In this perspective piece by Tom Christmann, ECD and Found Content Evangelist at Catch+Release, you’ll find five creative concepts for incorporating Found Content into Super Bowl campaigns. From celebrating user creativity to harnessing nostalgia and emotional storytelling, these ideas show how real moments from real people can deliver cultural resonance, audience trust, and creative flexibility—all while keeping costs in check. It’s a call to reimagine your 2026 spot with authenticity and efficiency at the core.

When asked to test Content Genie before launch, I expected a quicker AI search tool. What I got was something far more powerful. I uploaded an 18-page brief—complete with boards, notes, and casting specs—and within minutes, Genie delivered curated, licensable content organized by concept. The speed, precision, and depth of understanding was jaw-dropping. It’s free, it’s fast, and it’s built to make creative curation easier than ever.

User-generated content has the power to outperform studio work, but not all UGC is safe to use. This post introduces the C.L.E.A.R. method to help marketers quickly identify licensable UGC: content that’s legally cleared, brand-safe, and built for scale. With the right rights in place, your best-performing UGC can become a trusted asset, not a legal risk.

Every brand today is a storyteller—and for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that story moves fast. With visuals scattered across platforms and licensing rights slowing them down, AJC needed a better way to organize, reuse, and scale their creative content. Partnering with their agency Dagger, they turned to Catch+Release to build a Brand Library: one central, rights-cleared hub that keeps creativity flowing and campaigns moving at the speed of culture.

We are an elite team of clearance specialists who are uniquely skilled at securing licenses to some of the world’s most exclusive content. From celebrity baby pictures to major league highlight reels. From stadium anthems to pictures of the coliseum. ‍With the utmost discretion. And a industry-leading indemnification.

We are an elite team of clearance specialists who are uniquely skilled at securing licenses to some of the world’s most exclusive content. From celebrity baby pictures to major league highlight reels. From stadium anthems to pictures of the coliseum. ‍With the utmost discretion. And a industry-leading indemnification.

As AI-generated content becomes more common, brands must balance innovation with responsibility by prioritizing transparency, consent, and ethical sourcing. Catch+Release encourages brands to embrace AI tools in ways that support human storytelling, protect privacy, and align with core values.

In just 18 months, the Catch+Release Creator Community Marketplace has grown to over 4 million assets from 8,000 creators, fueling campaigns across the globe. This milestone reflects a growing demand for authentic, licensable content that brands can access quickly, ethically, and at scale.

With content budgets shrinking and production timelines tightening, brands can no longer afford to create everything from the ground up. Catch+Release offers a scalable, legal way to license real, authentic content—saving time, reducing costs, and delivering what today’s audiences truly want.

Catch+Release has rolled out powerful new features to streamline UGC licensing, from real-time cost estimates and clearance confidence ratings to an upgraded project workspace. With smarter tools and increased transparency, teams can now plan, collaborate, and license content faster and with greater confidence.

In today’s authenticity-first marketing landscape, the most impactful brand content is often raw, real, and filmed on someone’s smartphone. Catch+Release empowers brands to find, license, and activate this user-generated content legally and efficiently—turning everyday moments into compelling, high-performing campaigns.