Housing Works raised a record $1.1 million at its 9^th Annual Design on a Dime event – a three day décor sale event to benefit a housing expansion program for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. Through advocacy and action, Housing Works battles the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS providing lifesaving services and entrepreneurial businesses to sustain these efforts.

 Viacom (a long-time supporter of Housing Works) and Nickelodeon sponsored the Design on a Dime Benefit and Opening Reception which was co-chaired by five of design’s leading ladies including Viacom’s very own Vice President of Design and Construction, Yetta Banks. Other co-chairs included Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer, “The Chew” correspondent Evette Ríos and HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder and Sabrina Soto. For the past four years Yetta Banks has been a featured designer and this year her dedication as a co-chair helped to attract over 3,000 people to shop in over sixty rooms designed at discount by top interior designers.

“This year, I was honored to serve as a designer and co-chair with a group of fabulous women. As co-chair, I was able to use my voice to raise awareness for all of the amazing work that Housing Works does for the community and identify more partnerships in my industry. I engaged anyone who would listen because my goal was to make this the best year yet! It was a smashing success!” –Yetta Banks  

The line to enter the Opening Reception snaked an entire city block – as people eagerly awaited their chance to buy designer décor at discount for a great cause. Nickelodeon’s adorable Peter Rabbit themed children’s room, complete with a tree house bed, attracted the eyes of many parents. Next to the calm of Nickelodeon’s room, people bullied past the ribbon cutting for the chance to bid on the furniture in Yetta Banks’ all-white fantasy lounge full of luxury fabrics, mannequins and mirrors. Banks let her imagination run wild – but admitted to what inspired her design: “Every year, I create an imaginary muse for the room and selfishly, it’s usually me” Banks said. “This year, I am planning one of the most important events in my life, my wedding. I used that as the inspiration for my vignette, a wedding themed bride & groom lounge.”

Yetta Banks channels her creative talents to help further the mission of Housing Works, but many employees at Viacom are inspired and committed to this cause too. Nickelodeon’s Russell Hicks (President of Content Development & Production) was honored at this year’s Housing Works’ Groundbreaker Awards dinner for his steadfast commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and homelessness. Last month, Viacommunity Day volunteers packed into the Housing Works’ thrift shop to sort donations and track inventory for a day of community service.

I would like to raise my thrift shop glass – and salute all the hard work and stylish insights that went into planning such a fun and festive fundraising event. Design on a Dime is the perfect event for those socially conscious shoppers on a budget - looking forward to next year!  

The post Designing on a Dime Raises Record Dollars for Housing Works appeared first on Viacom Corporate.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Passionate about chasing jellyfish.

Does the man who created Walter White, antihero of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” (with a heavy emphasis on the anti), think there’s room for nice guys in today’s television landscape?

Do animated sponges who live underwater count?

Vince Gilligan thinks so.  In an interview in today’s New York Magazine, the creator and showrunner of “Breaking Bad” makes his pick for the last interesting do-gooder on television.

Are there any honest-to-God nice characters on TV that you still find interesting?

SpongeBob SquarePants is a great show, and it centers on a character that is courageously nice. Why is SpongeBob interesting? It’s because he has passion. He has a passion for chasing jellyfish. I’m very glad people love Breaking Bad, but the harder character to write is the good character that’s as interesting and as engaging as the bad guy. My hat is off to the SpongeBob showrunners. It’s like how Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backward and in high heels. That’s kind of the struggle you face when you’re writing the good guy now instead of a bad guy.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans in the UK got their first chance to meet the Turtles in person, when the foursome made their first in-store appearance at Argos in Merry Hill, Dudley. The response was impressive as more than 200 fans of all ages turned up to meet and have a picture taken with their half-shell heroes.

All children who attended received a Turtles eye mask and there was 20% off all Turtles toys and role-play products on the day to promote sales of the consumer products range.  By the end of the day all of the role-play products displayed in the store had been sold!

Fans weren’t the only people excited to see the Turtles – the Argos store staff were also overjoyed to see the Turtles.  “It was brilliant to have the Turtles in our store,” Nicola Hodgetts, Customer Service Manager at Argos Merry Hill.  “They were a huge hit with a number of the parents here today back in the 80’s – so seeing fans of all ages being really excited about meeting them and seeing the brand new range of Turtle merchandise is just great.”

The Turtles will be making a series of appearances at three Westfield shopping centres across the UK, giving plenty more UK fans the chance to meet the awesome foursome.

The post Fans of All Ages Turn Out for TMNT Meet-and-Greet appeared first on Viacom Corporate.

Key Findings

Overall, kids are exhibiting greater fluency with iDevices as compared to the previous year, and while gaming has held steady, non-gaming activities are growing.

• Kids’ understanding of the mobile web seems much stronger: only 14% of kids didn’t know whether they accessed a website through a web browser or an app, versus 48% who weren’t sure the year before.
• Video watching, picture taking and utility and information app usage increased from 2011 to 2012.
• The number of kids using iDevices for social networking rose from 20% in 2011 to almost 50% in 2012.

As more kids turn to iDevices for their content, they are becoming more focused on the activity rather than the device that delivers that content/action. 

• Increasing numbers of kids 6-11 watch video on the iPhone, narrowing the gap with the iPad.
• More kids 6-11 are using the iPod Touch to text, eliminating the gap with the iPhone.
• Increasing numbers of kids 3-5 use iPhone and iPod Touch for educational apps, eliminating the gap with the iPad.
• Fewer kids exclusively use iPads for web browsing and online searches, bringing usage more in line with other devices.
• However, each device continues to deliver unique strengths. For example, the iPod Touch is the preferred device for music while the iPad leads for TV/movie watching and reading.

Despite the fact that portability has long defined mobile devices, both preschoolers and kids 6-11 continue to use them more often in-home than out-of-home.

• 96% of kids 3-5 and 97% of kids 6-11 use mobile devices at home.
• Besides in-home use, in-transit usage is the most common context for kids to use mobile devices.
• Out-of-home use has actually dropped somewhat for both age groups.

iDevices are truly entertainment hubs, continuing to deliver fun over function for kids.

• Gaming is still by far the most popular entertainment activity across mobile for all ages, with 6 in 10 gaming daily.
• Picture/video-taking has increased substantially for both age groups, with 59% of kids 3-5 and 54% of kids 6-11 engaging in these activities at least sometimes, an increase of 10% and 4% from April 2012.
• Both preschoolers and kids 6-11 are increasingly likely to watch full-episode TV shows on an iDevice, and preschoolers are watching less short-form video.
• Kids are increasingly likely to watch the characters/shows they like from TV on iDevices rather than brand new content/characters.
• Network site usage (versus YouTube) on iDevices is rising among preschoolers.
  

Preschoolers’ mobile usage is on the rise, catching up to school-age children.

Overall, more preschoolers today have access to iPhones and iPads versus a year ago, and preschoolers have now caught up to or surpassed 6-11s for several activities.

• Preschoolers are now more likely than kids 6-11 to take/look at photos and video, engage in creative activities, use educational apps, or read on their iDevices.
• Preschoolers are now using more apps on the iDevices they access (an average of 12 apps across devices), and use their apps more often, especially on the iPhone.
• Preschoolers are increasingly playing games on iDevices solo.
  

iDevices represent the evolution of communications. Across iDevices, over a quarter of kids are using their devices for communicating with others.

Communication and functional tasks are still less common than pure entertainment, but these activities are becoming more dominant.

• 13% of preschoolers, 24% of kids 6-8 and nearly half of tweens (43% overall, 49% of tween girls) use an iDevice to communicate.
• A less common form of communication — but one that takes clear advantage of the mobility of devices — is “checking in” via apps like Foursquare.
  

Implications:

As preschoolers expand their mobile device usage, educational and creative activities will become increasingly important growth opportunities for marketers and developers alike.

e-Reading is an increasingly standard way for preschoolers to access books, with preschool iDevice reading increasing overall, especially for the iPod Touch and iPad. Those who read on iDevices do so more often than in the previous wave.

Self-expression is a big need for iDevices, with both picture/video capturing and creativity apps on the rise.

• Picture/video on iDevices has increased across the board, with a more dramatic increase for video.
• For 3-5s, picture/video capturing has jumped so much that preschoolers now exceed 6-11s’ usage.
• An increasing number of preschoolers use iDevices for creative activities and are more likely to do these activities every day.

The Methodology:

This study was conducted by SmartyPants for Nickelodeon and based on an online quantitative study of 3-11-year-olds, including 1,384 U.S. kids and tweens. A minimum of 450 users provided in-depth information on each of the three iDevices: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

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After his warm-up with Roger Federer at Kids Tennis Day 2013 in Australia, SpongeBob SquarePants can add the tennis superstar to the growing list of athletes and celebrities he’s squared off with on the field or court (including the likes of FLOTUS Michelle Obama and David Beckham). The free family event gave kids a day of activities and a chance to interact with their tennis heroes, from Federer to Serena Williams.

Produced by Nickelodeon for the first time with Tennis Australia, Kids Tennis Day 2013 was the biggest of its kind at Melbourne Park and helped promote MLC Tennis Hot Shots (MLCTHS), Tennis Australia’s junior development program, on the weekend before the beginning of the Australian Open.

The largest drawcard of Kids Tennis Day was the Rod Laver Arena Spectacular, which featured Nickelodeoncharacters SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Starfish, Dora the Explorer and her cousin Diego, as they played tennis with some of the sport’s biggest names, including Federer, Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ana Ivanovic. Plus, it was hosted by the network’s Luke and Wyatt and featured a rocking performance from music star Guy Sebastian.

Luke and Wyatt introduced the players and grouped them into two teams: Team Doraand Team SpongeBob. The players proceeded to entertain the crowd by showcasing an array of trick shots and kidding around.

Crowd favourite Federer amused fans by warming up with SpongeBob before playing, and at one point put his racquet down to undertake ball boy duties, while Tsonga showed off his ability to fire shots from deep in the court – through his legs. Djokovic, well known for his showmanship, had the crowd roaring with laughter at his antics.  Fans were entertained by his high-pitched and excessive grunting, his head-butting of the ball over the net, and a brief performance of the Gangnam Style dance, joined by Williams.

The crowd loved the long rallies between all the players, which included smashes and lobs exchanged ping-pong style.

Nickelodeon’s GM Ben Richardson and MLCTHS leader Craig Morris said they were thrilled with the day, with the close-to-capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena surpassing the previous year’s numbers beyond expectations.

“Kids Tennis Day has been deemed a huge success and proven to be a wonderful partnership between Nickelodeon and Tennis Australia,” said Richardson. “The star power of the tennis players combined with the popularity of the Nickelodeon characters certainly made it an unforgettable day of free entertainment for families.”

Elsewhere on the grounds, the outside courts were brimming with youngsters having a hit under the eye of MLC Tennis Hot Shots coaches, while others enjoyed the activity zone or had their faces painted. Five hundredMLC Hot Shots tennis racquets were given out at Kids Tennis Day to encourage kids to play the sport.

Check out the video below for more, courtesy of Channel Seven News.

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Victoria Justice visited Australia for the first time in November, conducting a packed eight-day press and promo tour incorporating Melbourne, Sydney and Hamilton Island. Her visit was met with an overwhelming response from the public: over 8000 Victorious fans turned up for signings in Melbourne and Sydney, and she triumphantly won many Australian hearts – plus national media coverage – whilst promoting the Victorious franchise for Nickelodeon and its partners. Beyond promoting the upcoming new Season 3 episodes of hit show Victorious and its associated consumer product lines spanning DVDs, CDs, games and books, Nickelodeon teamed up with Paramount Pictures to promote Victoria’s first major lead role in a feature film, Fun Size (released in Australian cinemas November 29). Co-starring Chelsea Handler and Johnny Knoxville, the film provided some wider talking points for Victoria’s interviews, which included landing national TV appearances on The Project, Ten News, SKY News and Mornings on Channel Nine, as well as national radio reaching the tween and teen set on Today FM (Hot 30 and The Dirt) and Nova FM (Smallzy’s Surgery). A new music single for the Australian market, “Make it in America” was also released by Sony Music and serviced to commerical radio to coincide with Victoria’s tour.

Victoria’s frenzied press schedule comprised Melbourne and Sydney press junket days, fan meet and greets, Hoyts VIP screenings of Victorious, promo shoots, photo shoots for various magazines, radio interviews, plus social media PR for Hamilton Island. A large component within the tour was an event produced to promote the CP side of Victorious: to this end, a fashion show was held by Nickelodeon Consumer Products in the city of Melbourne. Nick ran a national comeptition to find 5 ultimate Victorious fans to “Walk the Catwalk”, which received over 6,400 entries in just one week – well above the average rate of response! The young winners were flown in from around the country to model the Victorious apparel in the fashion show, which was co-hosted by Victoria and MTV Australia’s Kate Peck in front of an eager audience of over 5000. The Victorious samples capped off a range of summer apparel modelled for Target.

Whilst in Sydney, Victoria also shot over two week’s worth of hosted links for Victorious programming stunts. ‘Total Tori Hour’, scheduled to telecast January 14-25 at 5pm on Nickelodeon in Australia, will feature Victoria Justice hosting Victorious episode links in Sydney with the Sydney Opera House as a backdrop. A great example of asset and resource sharing across VIMN, the Total Tori Hour marathon was also planned for use internationally, with Victoria also shooting against a greenscreen for other markets to adapt and use the associated competition (“spot the status updates”) as required.

The Hamilton Island leg of the trip capped off the highly productive press and promo tour, with the arrangement made through commerical partnerships for Hamilton Island to host Victoria Justice in exchange for social media reaching her fan base. Victoria Tweeted several Instagram pics from Hamilton Island to her huge following of over 3 million fans, and also incorporated the anticipation of going to Hamilton Island as a talking point within press interviews. Several of the destination’s best experiences were packed into one and a half days, with Victoria and co. enjoying a beautiful seafood lunch overlooking Pebble Beach at world-renowned luxury resort Qualia; making friends with a cuddly koala at the island’s animal park; enjoying a splash in an infinity pool; and the highlight: a VIP visit to Whitehaven Beach via sea plane, flying over the magniificent waters of the Great Barrier Reef….quite possibly setting the new benchmark as the ideal way to wind up an international press tour!

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After winning a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bake-off on a recent episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, Heather and Adam Rousseau, the winners and owners of SugarHigh Bakery in Michigan shared their winning recipe for “Turtle Power Turtle Cupcakes.”

The bakers were judged by a panel of judges including guest judge Kevin Michael Richardson, the voice of Shredder on Nickelodeon’s new TMNT reboot.

“The ninja turtle toppers were made from green gumballs, fondant for the headbands & hands – royal icing eyes and a chocolate cookie dusted with silver luster dust for the manhole cover,” Heather said. “Super easy, but very time consuming!”

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 whole eggs

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup sour cream

1 ½ cup walnuts, chopped

Caramel Sauce, recipe follows

Chocolate Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream, recipe follows

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 320 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, cream butter. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on high until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, baking chocolate and cocoa powder. Add flour and baking soda. Add buttermilk, vanilla and sour cream, scraping bowl as needed. Turn off mixer and fold in walnuts by hand. Bake about 15-16 minutes or until baked through. Allow to cool completely.

To assemble:

Poke two or three holes half way through the cupcake. Pour Salted Carmel Sauce into each hole. Generously frost each cupcake with Chocolate Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream. Drizzle with additional Salted Caramel Sauce and sprinkle with walnuts.

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup heavy cream

Dissolve sugar in water in a medium pot. Gently stir with a wooden spoon, taking care not to get sugar granules on the side of the pot. Heat until caramel is a deep amber color. Add in the salt and vanilla. Carefully add cream and allow the caramel to dissolve in the cream, stirring occasionally. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.

Chocolate Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream:

5 egg whites

1 teaspoons salt

1/8 cup water

1 1/8 cups granulated sugar

3 sticks butter, room temperature

¼ cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup Caramel Sauce

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, with a whisk attachment, beat eggs whites and salt on high speed until frothy. While eggs are beating, in a medium saucepan, dissolve sugar in water over medium heat. Increase heat to high and boil until syrup reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Turn mixer medium speed and slowly add the hot syrup to the egg mixture by carefully pouring the sugar down the side of the mixing bowl. Once all sugar is added, turn the mixer on high and beat mixture until it comes to room temperature. Once cooled, add vanilla and butter in small pieces, beating until smooth. Add in the cocoa powder and Caramel Sauce thoroughly combine.

(Turtle Power Turtle Cupcake recipe courtesy of SugarHigh Bakery, Cupcake Wars 2012)

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With holiday shopping season now in full force, you might have already seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys on a number of holiday “hot lists” (Secret Sewer Lair Playset on Toys R Us’s “2012 Hot Toy List”; Shellraiser Vehicle, pictured above, on KNWA morning show’s “Hot Holiday Toys” segment; action figures on Time To Play’s “Most Wanted” list; etc.), or on the wish lists of the Turtle aficionados in your life.

Turtles toys have gotten notice beyond children’s wish lists and toy roundups, though. In the toy world, there are awards for the best, most original, innovative toys out there — and as excitement around Nickelodeon’s new TMNT series builds, TMNT products have made the cut. For its “Toy of the Year Awards,” the Toy Industry Association (TIA) narrowed the Shellraiser Vehicle down as a finalist for “Boy Toy of the Year.” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles overall is up for “Property of the Year.”

With the introduction of its “People’s Choice Award,” which will go to the most popular plaything of the year, TIA is getting the consumers more involved. You can cast your cyber-ballot here until voting closes on Jan. 13, 2013.

The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on Feb. 9, 2013 as the kick-off to the 110^th American International Toy Fair.

Happy voting… and happy Cyber Monday!

The post TMNT Toys of the Year — VOTE Now! appeared first on Viacom Corporate.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mural by Village Underground, Shoreditch in London, England. (Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo have certainly showed no signs of slowing down their quest for global domination, as they accompanied Viacom International Media Networks execs to Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), the world’s largest brand and property marketplace held at London’s Olympia in October.  With special guests Rich Magallanes, SVP, Animation, Current Series and original co-creator Kevin Eastman at their side, the Ninja fab four and the Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) team were ready to showcase some of the hottest Nickelodeon franchises and characters available for license in 2013.

In true Turtle style with their comedic sensibility, Rich and Kevin took part in the market’s lead keynote presentation, hosted by Guardian columnist and broadcasting consultant Steve Hewlett.  When asked Nickelodeon’s reasons for re-launching and revamping the iconic franchise first created by Eastman and Peter Laird back in the ‘80s, Magallanes replied with gusto “Because it’s cool!” before adding that its iconic status, along with its  relatable, dynamic characters and added layers of action and fantasy that have kept this property an evergreen favorite with generations of audiences around the globe.  

Providing exclusive anecdotal insight into how the idea behind the Turtles first came about (from a quick sketch drawn for amusement with friend and colleague Peter Laird back in the ‘80s!), Eastman captivated fans by revealing previously unheard secrets behind the show (that Shredder was born from washing a cheese grater, that Raphael was based on Kevin’s own personality and that April was originally in her 20s).  Delighting audiences with their in-depth knowledge and good humor, both Eastman and Magallanes perfectly embodied the excitement and enthusiasm felt by the whole team at Nickelodeon about the new franchise.

Meanwhile, down at the ‘can’t help but miss it’ Nickelodeon booth (with a 12-foot Dora and SpongeBob looming high above the industry crowds), the Ninja-powered NVCP team couldn’t wait to showcase the brand new Turtle lines and products with global partner Playmates, set to hit stories in Spring 2013.  Just days earlier, the team had also announced that that  The LEGO Group, makers of the world’s leading construction toys, have also expanded their global partnership to develop a range of Turtles construction toys, set to launch early next year.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, the market presented a perfect opportunity for the NVCP team to announce new infant programs around Nickelodeon’s evergreen properties SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.  Announced by Michael Connolly, Senior Vice President, NVCP, the new lines, Dora Baby and Bubbly Baby Bob! [working titles], are set to roll out internationally in Winter/Spring 2013.   

And breathe!

To mark the truly exciting year ahead for NVCP, the team hosted an underground cocktail party in true Turtle style at Village Underground, London. With an 16m x 7m bespoke mural painted on the outside of the building, painted by acclaimed US artist David Flores, and with the London trains rattling overhead, guests couldn’t help but feel like they had been invited into the Turtles very own underground lair (albeit with cocktails and canapés at the ready!)

With presentations from Michael Connolly, Mark Kingston, VP, Pan Euro Licensing & Retail Sales, and Charlotte Castillo, VP Marketing, NVCP, guests were privy to a sneak peak reveal of the highly anticipated TMNT movie (set to launch in 2014) before raising a glass in celebration of all that is to come in 2013. 

In the words of Connolly, “licensees, retailers and Nickelodeon fans will not be disappointed.”

The post Licensing Shows Its Turtle Power at BLE in London appeared first on Viacom Corporate.

Turtle Power was in full force in Cannes as Viacom International Media Networks execs descended on the Cote D’Azur once more for MIPCOM 2012, the bi-annual international television and media market, to launch a raft of VIMN programming for international syndication, including Nickelodeon’s brand new CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  With bandanas at the ready, the team created quite a stir by announcing the hotly speculated news that the series would be coming to free-to-air screens in the UK through a deal with ITV, the UK’s leading commercial broadcaster. Celebratory pizza anyone?

Although Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo could sadly not be there (fighting evil across the Pacific so we heard), they were represented in style by VIMN’s very own ninja-powered execs Pierluigi Gazzolo (VIMN’s COO) and Caroline Beaton (VIMN’s SVP of Intl Programme Sales) who met with a number of potential interested partners ready to snap up Nickelodeon’s hottest new franchise! 

With the sun shining over the Palais, the team were delighted to announce a raft of other pre-sale deals for the series, with broadcasters including Televisão Independente S.A (Portugal), RTL Klub (Hungary), Rádio e Televisão Bandeirantes (Brazil), S&E Media Project Limited / STB QTV (Ukraine), ABS-CBN Corporation (Philippines) and Televisora Nicaraguaense S.A. (Nicuragua), not to mention the recently announced three-year deal signed with national Spanish broadcaster Television Espanola (TVE).  The reason for the series pre-sale popularity? Relatable, dynamic characters and exciting, engaging storylines for kids today – along with a loyal fan base that is hungry for new fresh content.

Beaton said, “These deals directly reflect the enormous buzz the series is generating in the international TV buying marketplace, securing more pre-sale deals than ever before for a Nickelodeon series as well as Nick’s proven ability to deliver hit content that appeals to audiences around the world.”  

VIMN programming and acquisitions execs, including Jules Borkent (SVP Global Programming & Acquisitons) and Nina Hahn (SVP, Intl Production & Development) were also on hand at MIPCOM 2012 to platform the company’s renowned kids’ portfolio and branded entertainment opportunities; and VIMN’s SVP of Digital, Philip Bourchier O’Ferrall took to the stand to take part in a Social TV panel to showcase VIMN’s stellar multi-platform strategy.

Speaking alongside Karla Feci, Strategic Partner Development, Facebook UK and Peter Blacker, EVP Digital Media and Emerging Business, Telemundo Media USA, O’Ferrall explained to 150+ delegates how VIMN continues to find new and innovative ways to successfully provide young fans with a richer and more immersive viewing experience, allowing them to interact directly with a show as iconic, exciting, engaging and enthralling as the network’s largest music awards show, the MTV EMAs.  His secret?  Start the engagement process 6-12 months out, ensure that content is available across all devices and platforms and leverage brand partners.  

As O’Ferrall simply put it, “empower…supercharge…innovate.”

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