'We Live the Brand': Why Mark Wahlberg and Harry Arnett Built a Company That Embodies Relentless Ambition When Harry Arnett, Stephen Levinson and Mark Wahlberg looked at the overlap between fitness and fashion, they spotted an opportunity and built their company from the ground up.
By Leo Zevin Edited by Micah Zimmerman
Key Takeaways
- Municipal was built to merge fitness, fashion and purpose.
- Municipal launched a Next Gen program to teach young people brand-building skills.
- The program lets students design real collections, gaining hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Municipal CEO Harry Arnett met his future co-founder in a setting familiar to many business leaders: the golf course. They bonded quickly over shared experiences — raising kids, navigating careers — and from that connection, a friendship grew. At first glance, it sounds like a typical entrepreneurial origin story.
But in Arnett's case, the partner by his side wasn't another executive. It was Oscar-nominated actor and Boston icon Mark Wahlberg.
Related: John and Hank Green Built a Company That Gives Away 100% of Its Profits — Here's How
Purpose over products
"When Mark and I first discussed starting a brand, it wasn't about the products," Arnett tells Entrepreneur. "It was about how we could equip modern consumers with what they need to achieve their goals."
They, along with film and television producer Stephen Levinson, identified a major white space at the intersection of fitness and fashion. Arnett formerly served as executive vice president at Callaway Golf, where he noticed a shift in how consumers engaged with brands.
"They were starting to seek direct relationships with brands they liked, primarily through digital media," he explains. As EVP, he focused on revitalizing Callaway by reconnecting with consumers in a fresh, dynamic way — a strategy he calls the centerpiece of his community-building efforts.
After years of back-and-forth, the duo finally launched Municipal in 2019.
"The idea for Municipal was something I've wanted to do for a long time," Wahlberg tells Entrepreneur. "It wasn't about just attaching my name to someone else's idea, which is often what celebrity-led brands are. Municipal is different — this is a real partnership from the ground up."
The launch meant Arnett had to leave Callaway. "For me, that was an aha moment," he says. "A chance to step away from a comfortable, familiar career and start over in pursuit of the best version of myself."
That mentality became the ethos of Municipal, a company founded on helping modern consumers pursue excellence in all aspects of life.
"Municipal is about creating the best products in the world for workouts, athletic pursuits and everything in between, from the office to an active weekend," Arnett explains. "It might sound like we're trying to be everything to everyone, but when people see our product, they get it immediately — no one makes gear like we do."
Related: Restaurants Are Throwing Away Billions of Gallons of Water — This Startup Said Enough
Building tomorrow's leaders
Contrary to standard practices, where brands are encouraged to hone in on a focus area, Arnett positions Municipal as more than just another activewear company, calling that label too "one-dimensional."
He envisions the brand inspiring a drive to succeed in any arena — athletics, academics or beyond. A key part of this approach is Municipal's Next Gen Brand Immersion, a free, week-long program that gives young people an inside look at every aspect of building a modern, purpose-driven brand — from product design and marketing to finance and operations.
"Too often, young people are fed the myth of overnight success and shortcuts," Arnett says. "From our experience, those are fantasies. We saw an opportunity to use our platform to celebrate ambition, hard work, and self-belief in a way that feels 'cool' for kids."
The idea for the program didn't originate with Arnett or Wahlberg, but with Arnett's youngest daughter, Kerris, who has shown a keen interest in Municipal.
"We've been talking about the brand since day one, and she got really passionate about it," Arnett shares. "She said it would be amazing if more kids her age could experience these kinds of things firsthand, instead of just reading about them. I told her, 'Karis, that's a big idea.'"
Building on his daughter's suggestion, Arnett sought to replicate what brands like Nike have done with sports camps — creating a talent pipeline for Municipal while connecting the company with the next generation of potential entrepreneurs and gaining insights into the preferences of the highly coveted Gen Z audience.
The effort culminated in a week-long, hands-on program giving ambitious 18- to 24-year-olds a real look at what it takes to build a modern, purpose-driven brand. Participants work directly with Municipal's team across product design, marketing and operations, gaining experience in creating, launching and promoting a real collection.
The students even designed a capsule — featuring a hoodie, pants, shorts, t-shirt and hat — that Municipal will release and help market.
"It's a way to engage with this group beyond just selling the best gear in the world," Arnett explains. "These 25 students are leaders in their schools and have become rabid Municipal fans. They'll tell their friends, and even when they go off to college, they'll maintain a connection with us. The possibilities for extending that relationship feel practically endless."
