by Chris Davison
HRTS members are world builders.
Nowhere is that more literally true than at Comic-Con, an event that began as a small comic book convention in 1970 and now holds the Guinness World Record as the largest pop culture festival in the world. Powered by more attendees and more press than any other industry event, including the Emmys and the Oscars, the Con is the largest promotional opportunity in the world for film and television properties.
What Cannes is to independent film, the Con is to commercial film and TV and especially the latter, with the event coming in mid-to-late July as it does. The opportunities for marketing, publicity and networking are seemingly limitless since everyone goes, including every major studio and network, managers and agents, talent, advertisers, transmedia companies and the global press. Social media are great for sharing information but there’s something to be said for actually showing up, shaking hands, posing for pictures and talking with people. And if you have a world record crowd and you’re right by the ocean then so much the better.
Four HRTS members who made a big impression at this year’s Con were Hulu, Netflix, NBC and Amazon.
Hulu kicked things off in grand style with a haunted house. Springing up out of nowhere, they meticulously recreated a bed-and-breakfast from the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Inspired by their new show produced by JJ Abrams and based on Stephen King’s writings, it was of course no ordinary B&B. Visitors brave enough to enter were greeted by two so-charming-they-were-creepy innkeepers and then ushered inside to receive a red room key. Inside the various rooms were bathtubs full of body parts, crazed medical examiners and of course an execution. Straight out of Shawshank, the death chamber showcased a condemned prisoner who died but wasn’t really dead…
So how do you follow up a haunted house? With a robot, of course. And if it’s a robot DJ well then so much the better. On Friday night at the Oxford Social Club, Netflix and Legendary Television hosted their Lost in Space event. The underground dance party featured the Lost in Space robot pumping out electronic tunes, alongside robotic beer pong and glow-in-the-dark cotton candy. Guests enjoyed branded “Roborhythm” shirts, futuristic desserts and of course the inside scoop on imminent threats to humanity; the robot knows all.
After ghosts and robots, NBC took everyone to heaven. A brightly colored and immaculately clean activation also known as The Good Place, it hosted an outdoor event on Saturday evening that featured existential questions, a giant mechanized shrimp ride and some sinfully delicious frozen yogurt. Not to mention custom cocktails such as The Bitter End and Eternal Cramnation. It was a good crowd, with a mix of talent, execs and press, and everyone had a great time.
The king of this year’s Con was Amazon, who took over an entire city block to create The Jack Ryan Experience. An immersive experience using Optitrack 4D and Oculus Rift technology, it plucked guests from the streets of San Diego and transported them to an undisclosed location in the Middle East.
After receiving secret ops training and credentials, newly-minted Analysts were given the chance to rappel from a helicopter, traverse between buildings, fight enemy operatives and zipline from three stories up to make a daring escape. It was a virtual reality spy experience surrounded by a fully realized Middle Eastern bazaar featuring drinks, clothes and ice cream. Spies, soldiers and merchants gave a great sense of the show, of the world they are inviting viewers to live in.
Comic-Con strikes the perfect balance between business and pleasure. It offers something for everyone and with the enormous number of passionately engaged fans plus the concentration of Hollywood types, there are few to no places better suited to promoting your content or to building your network. See you at the shore.