Telemundo Upfront and Party 2011

When Telemundo - one of the world’s leading producers of Spanish language television programming - needed a world-class, full-service, creative production team to help them deliver their 2011 Upfront experience to their advertisers,they looked to Empire Entertainment to help them design, execute and realize their futuristic vision for this all important, one-chance only event. This year’s Upfront presentation and party, delivered to an audience of over 1000 of Telemundo’s key advertisers & sponsors, would have to present Telemundo as a future-forward brand and integrated media platform, but would also have to communicate a deep understanding of the opportunities created by the profound demographic changes in an increasingly Hispanic America which Telemundo calls “the Shift.” The venue chosen was New York’s American Museum of Natural History with the presentation to be held in the LeFrak IMAX Theater and the party to be held in the futuristic and Astronomy-themed Cullman Hall of the Universe. Working with the client’s desire to take the audience on a futuristic journey and making best use of the Museum’s powerful architecture and design, Empire was able to create a scripted guest experience from invitation to departure. Electronic save the dates and invitations were designed as boarding passes that installed a countdown clock widget on both recipients desktops and mobile devices as a constant reminder to build anticipation in the weeks leading up to the event. On the evening of the Upfront, the futuristic arrival area was designed as a check-in area for a spaceflight inspired by motion pictures like The Fifth Element. Check-in attendants dressed in custom silver, black & blue body suits and holding Telemundo-branded iPads welcomed guests to present their synchronized countdown invitations on their PDAs, smart phones and tablets to check in for their transcendental odyssey to Telemundo’s vision of the future. Even before the start of show, guests were ushered into the grand LeFrak IMAX Theater – their launch pad for the evening - where UV / blue lighting runway lights and futuristic sounds transformed the space into a mission control readying for a blast-off. As the moment for the Upfront began, the animated mission control panel on the huge 60’ wide X 38’ high IMAX screen faded away and was replaced by a countdown in Spanish …Cinco, quatro, tres, dos, uno! A powerful opening video sequence featuring moving graphics, animations and programming highlights kicked off the show and took the audience for a lightspeed ride into the Upfront presentation. The opening highlighted current programming and built energy for the introduction of the first presenter, outgoing President and Hispanic television legend Don Browne. Don and other speakers from programming, news, specials, sports, music television programming platform Mun2, sales and executive management including Lauren Zalaznick, all helped tell the hugely promising story of Telemundo’s value proposition as the Shift comes to be all around us. The various presenters displayed current & future programming and emphasized Telemundo’s role in both reflecting and creating U.S. Hispanic cultural experience while showcasing an awesome influence of several up and coming Hispanic actors, athletes and musical artists. The Upfront presentation ended with a surprise performance by Fast & Furious 5 actor and musical performer Don Omar, who had the audience on their feet dancing to his hit Danza Kuduro.Immediately following the presentation, guests were led out down a hallway of modular tunnels lit with brightly colored LED runway lights and were handed futuristic cocktails by their flight attendants as they made their way into the after party in the Cullman Hall of the Universe. As guests mingled and danced beneath the suspended planetarium, the futuristic theme of paradigm shift was again realized. The after party was a great hit with the guests. As a cultural and experiential immersion, attendees were given leave to eat, drink & lounge on white space-age furniture and play with interactive, touch-screen web tables while listening to a huge range of Latin music from Regional Mexican to Latin Electro spun by DJ Donna D’Cruz. As a highlight to the afterparty, Telemundo star Jencarlos Canela took the stage and performed a 30 minute dance set of hits with his band that kept the audience dancing right up to the end. From countdown clock invitations to infinity mirror cocktail tables at the after party, Empire delivered a cosmic odyssey of epic proportions for Telemundo’s guests. By the end of the evening, Telemundo had successfully communicated their vision to hundreds of senior marketing and advertising executives – effectively mobilizing their targeted audience to partner with them in capturing a burgeoning Hispanic market in a shifting American demographic. From start to finish, our client’s objective and futuristic vision were achieved in every aspect of the event. Great partnerships with the American Museum of Natural History, Restaurant Associates, Sales Graphics and many others led to precise implementation of the event. Empire is a full-service, creative production company that produces world class events for world class clients.