E!’s House of Villains Season 2 Premiere

As NBCUniversal geared up for the highly anticipated Season 2 premiere of E!’s House of Villains, they aimed to create an immersive stunt that put digital content and show talent front and center.

Enter the “Secret Snake Society”—an exclusive, one-night-only members' club for 165 influencers and cast members to rub shoulders and test their villainous skills. As they navigated five completely unique, custom activations, influencers were invited to embrace their inner villain for the evening.

Empire transformed the Bowery Hotel into a content creation hub, beginning with a villain portrait gallery and culminating in an exclusive 15-minute sneak peek of the first episode—complete with cheeky villainous moments and devious behavior throughout.

The Activations

Snark Attack
Carnival games allowed guests to spin a giant wheel and drop a Plinko puck to generate the ultimate clapback. Winning results, like “Saber-Toothed Ninny-Bits” and “Feral Peasant,” were turned into frenemy bracelets.

Villainous Allies
Guests chose a cast member to ally with, receiving a custom cocktail handed to them through a curtained cocktail window.

Make A Scene
Guests were encouraged to unleash their inner villain by wreaking havoc in a fine dining setting—flipping tables and creating controlled chaos.

Out-Villain a Villain
Influencers went head-to-head with cast members, competing to see who could outwit the best of the best. Those who failed were showered in confetti.

Sinister Style
A villain needs glam and a killer wardrobe. We gave guests the opportunity to dress to the nines and strike a pose in a portrait session.

Social sharing skyrocketed, with potential total online reach of over 18M and YoY growth on all key metrics for event-generated House of Villains content, making the event a major success for E! Entertainment. From concept and ideation to final production, creative direction, and every detail in between, Empire worked hand-in-hand with NBCUniversal every step of the way.