11 Jun Hearst Sets the Stage at NewFront

We were thrilled to collaborate with Hearst Magazines Digital Media to draw the advertising world’s attention during their first ever NewFront event. Hearst unveiled a slate of original video programming from Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire, Harper’s BAZAAR, Delish and Sweet, along with partnerships with Channing Tatum, Elizabeth Banks, Wieden + Kennedy, and Sony Music.

The show began with a surprise: a live performance by the cast of Magic Mike Live, a new show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas which kicks off March 2017. Tatum wowed media buyers with an unannounced guest appearance. We produced and designed the event, working with the Hearst Magazines Digital Media team on the script, stage design and décor. The space evoked the mood of an elegant home, rather than a corporate event.

The set was designed to be warm and approachable. It included an 80’ long running façade of reclaimed wood that changed in height and purpose. First it was a bar, then a DJ station, then the stage and finally, another bar. Minimalist florals dotted the venue and guests checked in eye-to-eye at stylish iPad stations.

We created a moment of drama as, after the show, the stage transformed in an instant into a gorgeous and generous food station complete with white lilac flowers “picked right out of the garden”. Custom-designed watermelon kegs were filled with delicious watermelon mojitos, while food trikes rolled through the doors on the 44th floor, offering guests a nibble while they networked.

One last surprise had guests salivating for a sweet treat as the set walls rotated to reveal doughnut walls draped in Krispy Kreme. Even the Magic Mike Live crew was pumped up on the sugary design.