- 7 weeks ago
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00:00Hello, everyone. Caroline Wanga here, CEO of Essence. Excited to be with you today as we give you an opportunity to get a sneak peek at what we have going on for 2021 festival.
00:20We've got the team on the ground able to tell us all of the things that you have to look forward to as we go into 2021. We also, in essence, have continued our work to serve Black women deeply through culture equity and celebration and couldn't be more excited to give you a sneak peek. Before we show you what we have in store for 2021, we want to give you an opportunity to see what we did in 2020. 45 million streams and lots of folks were able to spend this time with us. And so this exclusive look at what we did in 2020 will play now.
00:50about your thought process. Once a decision will be made to go virtual.
00:59Who's going to watch this? Will I watch this?
01:01I'm going to try. I'm not going to like do heart surgery, but you know what I mean, in the event space.
01:06There is nothing like Essence Festival. If you could put everything of Black culture in one event, we capture it in Essence Festival.
01:27It's not just the stuff that you see, it's what you feel when you're there. It's like the largest family reunion in history.
01:34Now to growing concerns about the deadly coronavirus officially hitting the U.S.
01:40Just one day after Mayor Latoya Cantrell made the recommendation to shut down all major events through 2020, Essence Festival organizers announced that festival will be canceled as they now look ahead to 2021.
01:52Imagine its impact for this long and the way it shut things down. And so it was a hard decision to, you know, really realize like we couldn't have a physical festival.
02:05We wanted to, in some way, even if it was virtual, recreate that intimacy, recreate that two-way communication, right?
02:12And what was challenging is that you've got to get everything out in time and you had to design the internal operations that supported it.
02:21While some people kind of could look at a festival and say, does it have a place, you know, this sort of celebration or maybe it seems frivolous to some people.
02:29We know Essence Festival has always been more than that.
02:35What do you want?
02:36And they breathe.
02:37I want you to stand up tall.
02:48As Black creatives, it's just really hard to navigate, like, do I just feel what I'm feeling as a human or am I going to just push through it and deliver my art and my craft because people need it?
03:01More unstoppable, whether you're talking about as mothers, as wives, as executives, having the unstoppable theme as kind of our anchor really gave us direction in the midst of kind of a chaotic time.
03:19So how do we really raise our voice and the voice of the Black culture so that the Black female felt like she was being heard during these times?
03:31We really thought about what if we took the concept of that literally taking the pages and tearing them apart.
03:37So when you look at the graphics, you'll actually see that torn paper texture incorporated with the iconic images of Black women who are the change makers of their times.
03:49And also just elements that you see with the protests that were happening, the props of color.
03:54So really putting those wood boards together and working not only through how we do promotions and for the virtual events across the stages, but also with the video and animators to really bring that story to life.
04:14Think about the global Black community.
04:18You know, they don't have a chance to experience the festival for whatever reason.
04:22It could be economic reasons, it could be geographic, but the opportunity to put this on a platform during a time that is the perfect storm for Black lives.
04:33The curiosity that our audience has that they want to be at festival and some people just cannot be there.
04:39I think in the future, we'll find a way to have a virtual version as well, because it's just, I think, worldwide, like our community needs this.
04:53All right, welcome back.
04:55I am excited now to have with me Latreviate Smith-Wilson, who will tell us more about what the purpose of 2021 and the festival that we all love will be.
05:04Trey?
05:05Thanks so much, Caroline.
05:07Listen, this could not be a more exciting time for us.
05:10For 27 years, the Essence Festival of Culture has embodied just that, the power and the purpose of Black culture.
05:19And now, as a 100% owned Black company, that includes building from the festival's foundation of music, entertainment, and empowerment, to reclaiming our economics,
05:31and crafting more opportunities for ownership of and in the culture that we create, we innovate, and we evolve.
05:40And the numbers, they're astounding, right?
05:43More than half a million attendees over July 4th weekend every year in New Orleans.
05:49And a total of more than $4 billion of economic impact to the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana since its inception.
05:58But most importantly, the Essence Festival has created a home for Black communities as the world's largest cultural, entertainment, and empowerment experience,
06:08surpassing every national music, entertainment, and cultural festival based on average daily attendance.
06:17It is a much anticipated homecoming for Black artists to be uplifted and replenished.
06:24It is a place for our brightest minds to convene around solutions to critical issues impacting our communities,
06:31and for our most creative and bold and passionate selves to be celebrated and renewed.
06:38It is where we celebrate, where we honor each other, and stand in our power, in our truth, in our very being unapologetically.
06:48So much so that even in 2020, when for the first time in its history we were forced to shift the live festival to a virtual experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
06:59a half million people still showed up for what was at that time the first experience of its kind and scale to be executed virtually.
07:08To date, as Caroline mentioned, more than 45 million full-stream views of festival content and it's growing every day.
07:17So Trey, that is awesome. Can you just talk a little bit about what being able to deliver the festival virtually looks in even more detail?
07:29Like what happened when we presented this festival virtually last year?
07:33Caroline, that is such a great question, right? But I want us to go back just a little bit.
07:38Let's go back to 2019, pre-COVID, when 74% of our festival app users were not in New Orleans.
07:47That's right. Three quarters of our app users were in other cities and other countries,
07:53but they wanted to engage in the activities of festival in any way that they could.
07:58Fast forward a year later, when we experienced this incredible success with our first virtual festival,
08:05one thing is now crystal clear to us. Virtual is here to stay.
08:10And more specifically, the power packed combination of a live and virtual experience will be the future of the Essence Festival.
08:20Our enhanced technology and streaming capabilities have delivered exponentially more reach, more value, and more engagement than ever before.
08:31And we will continue to meet the demands of our domestic and global community with opportunities to be part of this incredible experience.
08:39In what was perhaps one of the most challenging years of our lifetime, for Black communities in particular, marked by unthinkable injustices and disparities,
08:51we worked tirelessly to be of service in a way that mattered and that made a difference.
08:57And out of that came innovations that will be a part of how we engage moving forward to continually offer Black women and communities more, better, and best.
09:08Essence Festival of Culture is that place.
09:11And today, to all of our community and to all of our partners, we say, welcome home.
09:18Trey, thank you so much for sharing that story.
09:21I think in a year where the world felt disconnected,
09:25to hear the story of how the Essence Festival brought people across the globe together is just the kind of thing we need right now.
09:32So I sincerely appreciate you giving that update and look forward to hearing more from you.
09:37Next up, we're going to hear from Stephanie, who is our Vice President of Experiential Branded Content and Video.
09:45And she's out in the field and going to give us a little bit more about what you can expect as we go into Festival 2021.
09:52Stephanie, how you doing?
09:54Yes, Caroline. I am over the moon excited to be able to give you the theme to the 2021 Essence Festival of Culture.
10:01Now, it was important for us to think of something that celebrated her in all of her glory, from her beauty to her fashion to how she speaks up for her community to her joy.
10:13So this year's theme is Bernetta.
10:20You're in the middle of something here?
10:23She follows me everywhere. I'm sorry about that.
10:26So as I was saying, the theme to this year's Essence Festival of Culture is Live Loud.
10:34I love it. Thank you so much for that, Steph.
10:37I think, you know, when I think about Live Loud, like when I think about that, it's so perfect for where things are right now, right?
10:45Whether it be about the Black community, whether it be about the world, what we have the opportunity to do when we say Live Loud is a couple of things that are critically important.
10:54The first of those is the idea that what you have to say is already enough.
10:59There isn't anything you need to go get.
11:01You're just turning up the volume on who you are, how you want to live, what you want to go after, and who can come with you.
11:08And I don't know a better year for us to turn up the volume on who we are and what we do.
11:13That also gives our partners an opportunity to go on that journey with us.
11:17So if we're loud, they'll live in it with us.
11:20And so the ability to have our partners be able to go on that Live Loud journey is even better.
11:26And then thirdly for me, Steph, which to me, this is the most important piece of everything I thought through when you shared that theme.
11:34Everybody deserves loud living.
11:38And so to then take ourselves to this epic, epic place of virtually turning up the volume on how we authentically live our lives and celebrating that from the place that we are.
11:50Baby, 2021 is about to show us something.
11:53I couldn't be more excited.
11:55I will live loud in 2021 and I look forward to others doing it too.
12:00Thanks, Steph.
12:01And Bernadette, Bernadette, Bernetta, whatever her name is.
12:05Bernadetta.
12:07So here's the thing, you guys, like I am extremely excited about the opportunity to live loud.
12:13And again, 2020 has given us an opportunity to reflect and understand how we stay connected in memes other than in person.
12:21And one of the ways that we've done that for many years has been with our twice Webby nominated podcast.
12:28Yes, girl hosted by Charlie and Corey, who are wonderful folks within our world.
12:35And so right now, what I am excited to do is to bring the two stars of our favorite podcast.
12:41Yes, girl to come and give us a little bit on how they feel about where we're going in 2021 with festival.
12:47Corey, Charlie, take it away.
12:49Take it away.
12:50Hi, I'm Charlie Penn.
12:51I'm Corey Murray.
12:52And we're your hosts of Yes Girl.
12:57Corey Murray, as you know, the vice president of the United States of America is a black woman.
13:03Yes, she is.
13:04Come on, VP Kamala Harris.
13:06Madam Vice President.
13:08And so that means we really need to continue the conversation nationally among black women about what it really means to step into our power.
13:15And I'm looking forward to seeing that come alive on the wealth and power stage this year.
13:18What about you?
13:19Well, that is one element that I'm truly, truly into.
13:23But also, I really love the other elements and how politics and even beauty merge.
13:28I mean, last year is where we learned about the Crown Act through the cast of Bad Hair.
13:33And yes, it was told through the lens of entertainment, but we really got true education about that legislation that really helps us fight discrimination against black women and how we choose to wear our hair in our workplaces.
13:45So these are a lot of the conversations that we're going to see come to life.
13:48I am so excited to be back, even virtually I'm back because it still fills my spirit so much because there were so many things that we got to see, even as we were not in New Orleans, which is where our heart is.
14:00But, you know, we love coming together, even across the digital divide.
14:05Charlie Pan, what did you love about the Essence Festival of Culture?
14:08Well, I love that we've been able to bring all of the elements that we love to life virtually.
14:13You know, of course, I'm a sucker for Wellness House.
14:15You already know.
14:16Of course.
14:17I love it.
14:18I need Wellness House.
14:19I need it.
14:20Especially now.
14:21Especially right now, Corey.
14:22It's been beautiful to just see black women healing together, working out together.
14:27And now more than ever, we want to know how to put our health first.
14:30And Wellness House allows you to just feed your mind, your body, and your soul.
14:35And we're bringing all of that back this year.
14:37Oh, my God.
14:38What about you, Corey?
14:39Something tells me it has a little something to do with entertainment all access.
14:42Well, you know it does because clearly at Essence Festival of Culture, we give you guys what's new, hot, and next for entertainment.
14:49And last year, we were able to get a sneak peek of P-Valley, which you and I know now as the co-host of Yes Girl podcast.
14:56We fell in love with a certain character.
14:58Oh, yeah.
14:59Uncle Clifford.
15:00Uncle Clifford.
15:01And we got to know that that show would be new and hot right from the entertainment all access stage last year.
15:08It always tells us what's new and what's next.
15:10And typically, whatever we feature on that stage, we're all obsessed with for like a year.
15:14And another thing I'm looking forward to, Charlie Penn, is the return of the super lounges.
15:18You know, those are those special parties that we had.
15:21They had a theme.
15:22They had vibes.
15:23They had energy.
15:25I mean, we talking Afrobeat.
15:27That's a good time.
15:28And I know you love this 90s R&B.
15:30You know I love a theme night, Corey.
15:32And the super lounges always have the best theme.
15:34So the fact that they're coming back, girl, sign me up.
15:37So it's like concerts, super lounges, parties, entertainment all access, wellness house.
15:43And all the things that we love.
15:46Yes.
15:47I mean, we could go on.
15:48Get Lifted Gospel Sunday.
15:49Everything is coming back.
15:51All your favorites.
15:52So please stick around to learn more of what's in store for 2021's Essence Festival of Culture.
15:59Now you guys can see why we love Corey and Charlie so much.
16:03Yes Girl Podcast.
16:04They've got great energy.
16:05Thank you, Charlie and Corey, for spending time with us.
16:07And now we're going to go back out to Stephanie who has some more news.
16:12Steph?
16:13Thank you, Caroline.
16:15So we know the question remains.
16:18The burning question.
16:19How are we activating Enola in person?
16:23What does hybrid Essence Festival of Culture look like?
16:27Well, today we have a treat for you because we have an expert in this field.
16:31I'm talking about Carmen Jones, director of experiential and growth lead.
16:36Carmen, how are you doing today?
16:38I'm doing great.
16:39How are you doing out in the cold?
16:41You know, I'm freezing, but you know, your energy is keeping me warm.
16:46I see you got the backdrop behind you live loud.
16:49So I, you know, I love that theme.
16:51So right now we're going to let the people know.
16:54So what was the thought process when we thought about activating in person Enola for this year?
17:01We really wanted to focus on the local residents.
17:05We really wanted to champion the local community and really focus on the city that's given so much to Essence Festival for over 25 years.
17:17So I think it's amazing that we are honing in and treating those NOLA residents with this programming.
17:26I think that's absolutely amazing.
17:28So why don't you talk about some of the ways that Essence will show up on the ground in NOLA this year?
17:35We are really looking to have a few unique and impactful activations to celebrate and honor NOLA residents.
17:42And two really unique ways is about bringing the coveted festival programs to life.
17:49One is in a format of an Airstream, the self-contained mobile structure with this open layout for presentations and activations that will be placed throughout the city in multiple locations.
18:01And the second way is the drop trailer pop-ups.
18:05This is similar to the Airstream, but this is more of a closed-in structure.
18:10And this is actually great for us to feature marketplace vendors, retail, some of the great restaurants that we know and love in New Orleans.
18:19And keeping in mind that both of these activations will be social distancing compliant.
18:24We will really focus on a safe and fun environment for all those who are participating.
18:31But we can't move forward without talking about the music.
18:34What I love most about what we're going to do with the music is we're going to capture the quintessential New Orleans music scene by leveraging Black-owned venues, iconic establishments.
18:44So we can have these speakeasy-style theme musical performances that can bring some of our great franchises to life.
18:51The after darks and the super lounges.
18:54So this year we're looking at doing two different things.
18:58One is an outdoor live concert.
19:00This is where we can feature some of our amazing festival franchises.
19:04The main stage, maybe some after dark, and the coveted, gift-lifted Gospel Sunday celebration.
19:10Love this.
19:11This is a great opportunity for us to really have these moments that we've been missing so much from 2019.
19:17And then there's the drive-in, another great social distancing outdoor engagement,
19:22where we'll feature great content from Essie Studios and, most importantly, content from sponsors.
19:28Why don't you talk a little bit about how people gain access, right?
19:34We already know it's open to NOLA residents only.
19:37But what is a special way that people can actually gain access to these special events?
19:43It's about the community.
19:45So Essie's will partner with local charitable organizations, as well as some national,
19:51to identify great tasks that local residents can participate in,
19:56so they can support their community and their neighbor.
19:59The more you do, the higher the chance that you can participate in some of our great outdoor activities.
20:06That is so cool.
20:08So we're giving back to the residents, but then we're also giving back to NOLA
20:12by helping their residents find ways to get involved in their community.
20:16That is so absolutely incredible.
20:18And I really do want to say safety is first for Essence Festival of Culture, right?
20:25Everything that we are talking about works no matter what phase or occupancy limitations are happening in NOLA,
20:35and that is really, really important for us, is safety first.
20:39Thank you so much, Carmen, for all of that.
20:41We are so excited for what we are bringing together.
20:45So, so, so dope.
20:46All that sounds so incredibly amazing and exciting, but we cannot forget about our virtual viewers.
20:54I mean, there were 45 million last year, so we have to get ready to give them an unforgettable virtual experience.
21:02This year, we are talking multi-track platform.
21:07What does that mean?
21:08So one year I counted in 2019, there were over 222 things to do at Essence Festival.
21:15No, we cannot do all of those things, but this year when viewers come to Essence Festival of Culture,
21:22we don't want them to just come and watch.
21:24We want them to come and do.
21:26So we're going to have our main program happening,
21:30but if someone is not interested with the programming happening on the main screen,
21:34they're going to have other options to explore.
21:37What does that mean?
21:38I'm talking about having specially customized sponsor experiences
21:43where viewers can experience meet and greets and performances and specialized content within the sponsor hub.
21:49I'm also talking about chats.
21:52We know that chats are really, really great, especially in the networking capacity.
21:57So doing these chats and watch parties is going to be really, really amazing for our audience to experience.
22:02And the last thing is one of my favorite, shopping, shopping, shopping.
22:08And I got to kick it back over to my girl, Carmen, who is going to explain everything about the virtual marketplace.
22:15Carmen?
22:16What I'm really excited about is supporting our Black-owned businesses.
22:20This year for 2021, we're bringing back Marketplace, but we're going to do it in a virtual way.
22:26We're very excited. We're going to have these great opportunities to shop, showcase and learn more about the owners.
22:32Caroline, we're going back to you.
22:35As we continue to just talk about what's going to be awesome about the 2021 festival,
22:39I'm really excited to have with me Felicia and Charisma,
22:43who are going to talk to us about the way in which the festival will leverage social and promotions
22:49to extend the experience of living loud.
22:52Charisma, why don't we start with you?
22:53We're leveraging our social media partners to amplify our Essence Festival content across all platforms.
23:00We believe why make ads when you can make TikToks?
23:03Last year, TikTok performed as the number one marketing tool of the year with over 100 million active users across the U.S.
23:10It has a unique hold on the Gen Z consumer with viral challenges that engage the Essence woman like no other.
23:18We plan to incorporate things similar to the Don't Rush Challenge, the Homecoming Challenge and the HBCU Drip Challenge,
23:25which totaled nearly 100 billion impressions across platforms.
23:29We are lifting our audience directly into our Essence Festival content through contesting, live programming and more directly on our social platforms.
23:38We are excited about this year's campaign.
23:41That's awesome. That's awesome. Felicia, what about for you?
23:44The reach that we're going to be able to achieve this year are the scale that we're driving online and attracting a more global audience,
23:50the diversity of platforms and partnerships that are coming to bear,
23:53and the continuous engagement and content that we'll be sharing with our audience through not just content,
23:59but fun challenges and contests that will really keep me engaged and excited about Essence Festival culture.
24:06I think that's fantastic. And I love hearing from both of you that this engagement starts before we get to that NOLA moment and after,
24:13which will be great even as we think about going into 2022. Thanks so much for being with us.
24:18Well, I'm so glad to have with me Cara, who's going to talk to us about the festival app that has been available.
24:26And she's first going to talk to us a little bit, Cara, if you could.
24:29What does it look like to leverage that app if you're going to participate virtually?
24:33Our Essence Festival of Culture app is back and better than ever.
24:37It's an engaging portal for everybody that loves all things festival to have access right in the palm of their hand.
24:43So for our virtual audience, there's going to be custom web views that link directly into each experience that they will have on Essence Studios.
24:51All of it right in the palm of your hand.
24:53There's also a schedule builder and the ability to share your schedule with all of your Facebook friends.
24:59Everybody that has FOMO wondering if they could be there, should they be there?
25:02You get to show them all of the exciting things that they're missing out on.
25:06With our virtual experience, we also have a chat feature.
25:09So anybody that wants to engage online and meet people that they've never met before from all around the world,
25:16they can have that experience directly within the app.
25:19I think that sounds like a super dope virtual experience to be able to participate in all of those things.
25:24And I love what you shared about those that may be having FOMO, being invited to come along on the journey.
25:30That's awesome.
25:31So if I'm on the ground in New Orleans during this time, what does my app experience look like?
25:36For everybody that's in person on the ground in NOLA, we have our reservation capability.
25:40So once you've made your schedule, you can hold your spot.
25:43And this is great for safety options, too.
25:45So we know when we've reached capacity as Essence and our team members,
25:50and also anybody can make sure that they don't book an event that has already been oversold.
25:55We also have A to Z points of interest that highlight specific locations, vendors, and venues that highlight everything that you can experience on the ground in New Orleans.
26:05That's fantastic because none of us wants to lose time trying to get to our next favorite event.
26:10So the ability to plan when you can arrive, make sure there's space for you, creates a great experience for everybody.
26:16Kara, thank you so much for being with us today.
26:18I really appreciate everything that you've shared and can't wait to have the experience.
26:22I am excited to toss this over to Stephanie, and I've heard that she's at one of my favorite spots in New Orleans.
26:29And I'm really, really jealous right now about what she's got in her bag of beignets.
26:34Miss Stephanie, how are you? How you feeling? How's the beignets? How you doing? You got powdered sugar on your nose?
26:41Well, you know, I am so excited today.
26:45And don't you worry, if you are watching, we are going to go in depth with all of these features in our one on one meetings and we cannot wait.
26:54So let's recap. Our theme this year is Live Loud, where we are celebrating her and all of her glory exactly as she is and celebrating black joy.
27:05Also, we'll be activating this year on the ground in accordance with CDC rules, of course.
27:12And we're talking Airstreams, which are absolutely gorgeous.
27:16Also, we have the drop trailers where we can have demos and product samplings.
27:21We'll be filming beautiful performances using NOLA as the backdrop and looking for these black venues and jute joints.
27:30We'll also have the outdoor activations and drive ins, which is really, really cool and I can't wait.
27:36And even better, we are giving access to local NOLA residents and the currency is charity.
27:43So we're going to give them ways they can give back to their community.
27:47And that's how they gain access to these amazing events.
27:50I mean, just all around so incredibly excited and proud for what we are planning this year.
27:56And Caroline, you know I'm a video head, so I cannot wait to capture these beautiful recap videos that we have done over the past few years.
28:06And being able to activate on the ground and get these beautiful shots is going to be really, really amazing for us.
28:12I couldn't agree with you more. It's one of my favorite cities in the world.
28:17I fully plan to eat myself through it as I do every time from my coffee with chicory to my beignets.
28:24So I look forward to my gluttonous experience that will be NOLA.
28:29We look forward to coming back to NOLA, a place that is family for Essence and we are family for them, including the residents.
28:37And for all of you that joined us today, thank you. Thank you for participating in this thing that's extremely important.
28:44Thank you for embracing living loud and loud living and helping to play your role in it.
28:49And what you will be able to have now that we've given you a little bit of a preview of what's coming for 2021
28:54is the opportunity to choose where you want to play because the choices are abundant, the fun is imminent.
29:00But we look forward to where you want to play as we have kickoff meetings with you over the next couple of weeks
29:05to give you the opportunity to live loud with us so we can do some loud living.
29:09So for me, thank you so much from the correspondents out in the field, Powder Face, Stephanie and everybody else.
29:18We appreciate being with you. We look forward to spending time with you.
29:23Love NOLA. Love Festival. Thanks everyone for joining us today.