You had Tina Fey introduce the upcoming NBC 100 anniversary special. Are you planning on integrating brands as you did with SNL50?
[Tina Fey’s] line was very funny, that we created the NBC 100 special to put advertising in it. We did see the passion of the fan base for SNL when we did it. So how do we take what we learned with SNL50 to tie in NBC? And how do we bring brands and the content together? Because that is the secret sauce, and that’s what fans really resonated with around SNL50. So we’re working on that right now of what NBC 100 will look like, and how we’re bringing brands into that.
What are you proudest of from the event, or what was hardest to pull off?
We had 4,000 people show up today to watch the show at Radio City, and another 4,000 that streamed it. That doesn’t include some of the viewing parties that we have with clients and some of the national offices as well. Last year, we ended up with about 11,000 people watching it. They dedicate that time to sit down and hear our story, and we are on that same path.
So will you be back in upfront week next year?
One hundred percent. More than 10,000 people want to hear our story. The year we had [Covid-19], we had some challenges, and some of the networks canceled. I had so many agencies call me saying, “Please do not cancel.” It is a great way for them to get together with their clients. They have meetings. It’s an organizing mechanism for the entire industry.
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