Digital Upfronts: The Musical!

The first ever Digital Content NewFronts wrapped Wednesday, May 2nd with a performance by Jay-Z at YouTube’s Brandcast.

The rapper, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and relatively new father was one of the most well-known acts to grace the stage at any point, at any event during the two-week-long, New York City-based series of dog and pony shows online video destinations and distributors put on for advertisers and brand representatives. Other acts at other events included, but were not limited to John Legend tickling the ivories at VEVO, Gordon Ganzo of the Violent Femmes pumping up the crowd at Yahoo, and NYC improv group Baby Wants Candy emceeing the showcase at DBG (often in song).

The sketch specialists incorporated talent from the new media studio and distribution company’s pre-existing and upcoming online video programming lineup (which mostly consisted of the hosts from the various series on SPACES, DBG’s new home-design-oriented YouTube channel) into a variety of acts that were part presentation and part vaudeville. Here’s an overview of the featured content:

I wish I could give you an example of Baby Wants Candy’s musical presentation of that featured content, but no such footage exists. If you want to visualize it, however, it was more or less like any improv show. There were a few genuinely laugh out loud moments, a few more uncomfortably embarrassing moments, and bunch of moments in between.

But who cares what I think?! The event was not designed for my entertainment. It was designed to entice the advertisers in the audience. So I asked one what he thought. Here’s Investments Manager at Universal McCann/J3, Chris Whitman’s thoughts on the evening:

Was my engagement in the presentation stronger due to the live comedic revisionary tactics? Yes. Comedy is always engaging. Even when it turns to bad comedy, it’s still engaging because you’re thinking about it.

Bottom line was DBG needed to sell through some programming and make sure people were aware of it.  For better or worse, I think it called to DBG’s support for creativity and new ways of expressing ideas. Ultimately, they wanted a party and a brief mental take-away. I think they accomplished that.

Check out DBG’s newly launched YouTube channel at YouTube.com/SPACESTV.