So scale, sports and emotional investment, but we also wanted to communicate the innovative ad technology that we have brought to the table. Ultimately we know we are trying to convince marketers to spend money with us, and we want them to know that we have a technology stack that will enable them to do that with confidence and ease.
With the writers’ strike behind us, Disney was able to incorporate talent into the presentation this year. How did that affect your approach to the programming?
We start planning our upfront a year out—we’re already talking about next year—and the main thing we ask ourselves is: What do we want attendees to feel? In that regard, I think we hit it out of the park this year. Everyone we spoke to said it felt different, that it felt special. Everything from the venue to the check-in to where people sat and how they were entertained, from the afterparty to the food and the planned interactions with talent—we planned out every aspect of the experience and were very happy with the execution.
How’d you get the right mix of talent and content to keep everything seamless?
Historically, viewers have consumed content in thematic blocks—they watch sports, entertainment or family programming. That has changed. Now people switch back and forth between genres with regularity. We wanted our programming to reflect that, having natural handoffs between the different groups. For instance, we thought it made perfect sense to have Quinta Brunson help introduce Jason Kelce to the stage, given that she and her show have deep Philadelphia roots. Finally, we were so happy to have Jimmy Kimmel back after two years of delays. Everyone said it was his best standup in memory, which is a testament to his talent. It was amazing to have him and his energy back on stage.
Bob Iger presented this year for the first time in 30 years. Why?
Bob has attended almost every upfront, but, yes, this was the first time on stage in several decades. Frankly, he is just so passionate about the strategy that we have going forward, from what we are doing at ESPN to streaming more broadly. He said it best: We have an incredible relationship with our talent and storytellers.
All of the promises he made last year are coming into focus, and he wanted to thank our partners and our advertisers for their support. Sometimes I think he forgets how valuable of a figure he is to Disney itself, so we were happy to have him kick off the show.
Speaking of kicking off the show, you were introduced to the upfront stage this year by a sketch that saw you as an animated figure in the Family Guy universe. Where did that idea come from and what was that experience like?
Well we knew [Iger] was going to join us, and we knew key talent would want to introduce him, so we were trying to figure out how I would come out after that. We work with a lot of teams on this, and somebody suggested a Family Guy skit. I love the show, so I thought it was a great idea. I had met Rich Appel, a producer on the show, at the U.S. Open, and he made it so easy. He reassured me that voice acting would be more accessible, and it ended up being fun.
