Screenvision Media Upfront 2018
May 2018. New York, Playstation Theater
Screenvision Media, a national leader in cinema advertising,pitched the real impact of cinema’s reach to CMOs, planners, buyers and brands at the company’s May 2018 Upfront event at the PlayStation Theater in New York City. The Upfront demonstrated how Screenvision Media connects brands to every part of the moviegoer’s journey, driven by data and technology, interactivity and integration.
To bring the “Real Impact” theme to life, Empire developed a design and concept, working closely with Screenvision Media, to transform New York City’s PlayStation Theater into a fully immersive theater and after-party experience for its high-level attendees. The event would include an arrival experience, a main stage presentation, and an experiential after-party featuring activations based on forthcoming major motion picture releases.
During the main presentation, Screenvision Media executives, including CEO John Partilla, CRO Katy Loria, and EVP of National Ad Sales, Christine Martino, provided proof of the strength of their storytelling platform and established why cinema is an essential element in a brand’s media mix in an age of increasing media fragmentation. The presentation also highlighted the growing strength of cinema as evidenced by recent record-breaking box office successes of “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity Wars” as well as providing a preview of the strong outlook for 2018 and 2019.
The carefully scripted stage presentation, delivered in front of a cinema-sized screen, featured substantial motion graphics as well as three humorous videos inspired by iconic scenes from “Forrest Gump”, “It” and “When Harry Met Sally”. The videos were created by Screenvision Media’s in-house branded content agency, 40 Foot Solutions.
At the conclusion of the presentation came a dramatic reveal to the after party. Guests were welcomed to a large, inviting space featuring a central bar, innovative catering stations by Creative Edge, AR and VR activations, interactive photo booths, arcade games and immersive, experiential activations featuring five of the largest motion picture blockbusters scheduled to be released in the coming year.
On the existing concert stage was an animated cityscape environment representing SONY’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (release date: December 18, 2018); SONY’s “Venom” starring Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams (release date: October 5, 2018) was represented with a vignette that enabled guests to climb aboard the actual motorcycle featured in the film and share an animated photo of themselves; Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” (release date: March 6, 2019) had its own super hero lounge while Warner Brothers’ “Aquaman” starring Jason Momoa (release date: December 21, 2018) had its own Aquaman-themed bar and tattoo station. Finally, Fox Studio’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (release date: November 2, 2018) featured a lip sync booth where guests could don ’80s wigs and sing the operatic portion of Bohemian Rhapsody. Vignettes also included custom guest activities, signature cocktails, and custom t-shirt and bag screen printing.
Empire is proud to have once again worked closely with Screenvision Media’s team to reach their advertisers with a creative, experiential upfront that provided a memorable experience for the media influencers in attendance.
Empire was responsible for all event details including concept, venue acquisition, layout and scenic design, catering, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, graphics, furnishings, staffing and partner/studio coordination.