Jawbreaker celebrates its 25th anniversary in star-studded LA bash sponsored by Planoly

Members of the film’s original cast gathered in West Hollywood for a celebration hosted by Planoly, a creator platform, and F.l.u.i.d., an LGBTQ+ film fund launched on July 11.

A star-studded event in Tinseltown

Written and directed by the gay filmmaker Darren Stein, Jawbreaker stars Rose MacGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz and Judy Greer, all of whom but MacGowan gathered on Friday to celebrate the Queer cinema staple.

The festivities kicked off at the iconic Academy Museum, where attendees were treated to a screening of an original 35mm print of Jawbreaker. The 950-seat theater was sold out in less than 48 hours, underscoring the enduring popularity of the film.

Stein, Gayheart, Benz and Greer regaled the audience with behind-the-scenes anecdotes, reflecting on the challenges and triumphs of creating a campy cult classic in just 28 days. The group also took a moment to point to Vikki Barrett, known for designing the film’s iconic costumes, in the crowd.

Stein spoke with The Drum on the ground about how it feels to arrive at this milestone, 25 years after Jawbreaker’s release. “It’s a trip that this strange, dark teen movie that was critically panned and didn’t make any money at the box office, is now screening at the Academy Museum,” he said, chuckling. “It’s just wild; if you would have asked me this all those years ago, I would have asked you, ‘What reality are you in?’”

The evening also included a lively panel discussion moderated by Trixie Mattel, the comedian and drag queen who won RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars Season 3.

The celebration continued at Sunset at Edition, a chic, modern clubhouse in West Hollywood. Notable guests included RuPaul’s Drag Race star Scarlet Envy and Daniel Franzese, known for his role as Damien in the contemporaneous cult-classic, Mean Girls.

The after-party captured the spirit of the film with themed decorations and Sprinkles Cupcakes, as well as a photo booth documenting guests’ 90s-inspired outfits.

Planoly: the influencer's secret weapon

The main sponsor of the event was Planoly, founded in 2016 by influencer Brandy Pham. Planoly started as a simple visual planner for Instagram, and has evolved into a comprehensive, cross-platform suite of tools for monetization, trend-tracking, visual design and AI-powered content creation.

For Planoly, the sponsorship of the celebration felt like a natural fit. “This movie brings together different generations, some of whom experienced it for the first time back in the 90s, and others who discovered it as a nostalgic throwback now,“ says Teresa Day, the company’s chief operating officer. “That very much mirrors what we’re doing at Planoly in terms of fostering an authentic community.”

To promote the event, Planoly launched a social media contest for fans to design their best jawbreaker emoji – something that doesn’t yet exist – right in time for World Emoji Day on July 17. The winner, yet to be announced, will enjoy a meet-and-greet with Stein and the film’s stars, along with a free one-year subscription to Planoly.

Stein also applauded Planoly’s initiative, stating, “I’ve used the candy and lollipop emoji [to reference Jawbreaker], and they just get old. “I love that there’s going to be a new emoji now, thanks to Planoly’s contest.”

The company is enjoying a bout of growth; in April, it acquired Snipfeed, a link-in-bio monetization tool.

Pioneering LGBTQ+ representation with F.l.u.i.d.

Joining Planoly as a sponsor was film collective and fund F.l.u.i.d., which stands for Fierce, Liberating, Unique Intersection of Diversity.

Launched just a day before the celebration, F.l.u.i.d. aims to provide opportunities for diverse queer voices and normalize the LGBTQ+ community by moving beyond common trauma-driven narratives, according to Akbar Hamid, F.l.u.i.d.’s co-founder.

“Although queer voices shape culture and LGBT influence is pervasive in mainstream media, our stories often remain sidelined,” added Hamid. “Our mission is to meet the growing demand for compelling queer narratives among the underserved LGBTQIA+ audience.”

Hamid, also known for his role as founder and CEO of the award-winning agency The 5th Column, brings a wealth of experience in brand building and cultural impact to his latest venture. His expertise spans global clients such as Birkenstock, Absolut Vodka and Virgin Hotels, reflecting his commitment to transforming cultural narratives through innovative storytelling.

Musing on the evening’s celebration, Hamid was happy to see the appetite for queer stories and expressed his commitment to providing opportunities for these voices. “Jawbreaker [was made] in a time when queer-centered characters and storylines weren’t really a thing,” he said. “In 1999, this movie was the only way to show and share Darren Stein's queerness with the world. Now, we have the opportunity for so many storylines that center around queer lead characters, but not everyone is getting the funding and green light for these projects. We want to show studios and networks that there is a built-in audience.”

Stein also thanked F.l.u.i.d. for their support: “Over the decades, Jawbreaker has becomed embraced by both the queer and horror community, so it’s really great to have a company like F.l.u.i.d. producing LGBTQ content,” he said. “Plus, we haven’t had a huge party thrown like this since the premier of the movie.”

The rise of nostalgic & experiential marketing

The Jawbreaker anniversary party evidences the power of nostalgia marketing. This trend, seen in recent campaigns like Rakuten’s Clueless-themed Super Bowl ad and Ore Ida’s Napoleon Dynamite commercials, taps into the emotional connections that people maintain with pop culture moments from the past.

Candice Edwards, vice-president of marketing at Planoly, highlights the effectiveness of nostalgia marketing, saying: “You see it everywhere, every day in trends across fashion, movies and entertainment — everybody is loving the 90s. And, as a marketer, you ask yourself, ‘What can we do to celebrate those moments and be fun and relevant?’”

In-person activations like the Jawbreaker anniversary celebration are great avenues to help brands celebrate those cultural moments, in Edwards’ view.

“Obviously, so much of the creator world is online, but building these one-on-one interactions is so important,” she said. “From a marketing standpoint, you want to create great experiences and associations that reflect the brand.”

“Even sports has throwback jerseys now,” Day added. “What’s old is new again. What’s beautiful about that is how it brings generations together when so many things are dividing people. Social [media] can sometimes feel divisive, and we are committed to combatting that in responsible ways.”

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