Crown Media Dazzles at the Rainbow Room -- Upfront News and Views

Venueamp160 The Rainbow Room at 30 Rockefeller Plaza one of the most elegant spaces you39ll find in this city or any other amp160The room features sparkling chandeliers above comfortable tables all around and dramatic skyline views on three sides Great table decor flowers in the center and dishes of seasonal greens waiting at each seat Appetizers and drinks were served at the adjacent Bar 65 and for this affair a virtual realityequipped sleigh was displayed in one corner Yours truly and MediaVillage Managing Editor EB Moss pictured below were the first to enjoy a spin in this sleigh commissioned by Hallmark for Six Flags39 amusement parks once Samsung Gear VR helmets were placed on our heads We spent a few minutes dashing through animated snow and scenery attempting to outfox an impish elf pelting us with snowballs To tell the truth EB who had the reins fared better on that objective Grade 5 JacksPresentation amp160Crown39s message can be summed up in two talking pointsamp160 First trust matters more than ever before amp160Second for consumers in general Hallmark is a topofmind brand when it comes to epitomizing trustamp8221 amp160Crown Media Family Networks President and CEO Bill Abbott pictured below andamp160Executive Vice President Ad Sales and Digital Media Ed Georgeramp160pushed both points in their respective remarks but Georgeramp160went one step further Noting the recent decision by some advertisers to pull their messages off several Web sitesamp160in particular YouTubeamp160because of placement adjacent to controversial usergenerated content Georgeramp160invited those upset sponsors to reconsider or for some expand their relationship with Hallmark as compensation for their digital effort quotYour commercials will air in a safe environment with solid audience and ratingsquot he advocatedquotWe39re in a unique positionquot Abbott added amp160quotOur brand is immediately recognized and trustworthy No other company means so much to so many peoplequot Georgeramp160may be the first network ad executive this Upfront cycle to incorporate the YouTube controversy in his public pitchamp160Will others follow his lead if these advertiser pullouts don39t end soon Grade 4 JacksNews Sixty original movies will debut on Hallmark Channel over the next year a third of them running late November and December via the network39s perennial quotCountdown to Christmasquot campaign The rest will largely be spread out by theme fall winter Valentine39s Day Mother39s Day June weddings etc Hallmark Movies ampamp Mysteries39 annual quotMost Wonderful Movies Of Christmasquot period will see 12 new movies premiere including one executive produced by Kathie Lee Gifford who was in attendance and generous with her time for both attendees and reporters Courtney ThorneSmith will star in Emma Fielding Mysteries a new feature in HMampampM39s ongoing quotmystery wheelquot franchise coming this summer or fallamp160 Grade 3 JacksHosts amp160Debbie Matenopoulos and Mark Steines pictured below at left cohosts of Hallmark Channel39s daytime series Home ampamp Family were charming in their introductions of Hallmark Channel and HMampampM programming The charm increased when they interacted with celebrities at their tables such as recurring madefor movie stars Lacey Chabert Danica McKellar and Kellie Martin or cracked each other up midsentences Grade 35 JacksStar Time amp160Grammynominated pop star Jewel who stars in HMampampMamp8217s Fixer Upper Mysteries franchise and is pictured at top displayed in grand fashion the full range of her talent delivering one of the most sensational performances in recent memory at any amp8211 repeat any TV industry event How39s this for a daring choice to open a setamp160 Over the Rainbow acapella amp160It was spellbindingamp160 The audience was transfixedamp160 She then offered a trio of songs with solo guitar including her first hit Save Your Soul amp160And for a wrapup a yodeling song acapella amp160All that plus speaking to the audience inbetween songs about her life and growth as a person laced with humor and poignant reflections Example quotMy car was stolen That sucked amp160I wasn39t in it Silver liningquot amp160Grade 5 Jacks I would give her 10 if I couldCuisine Sensational and delectable all the way starting with risotto balls and crab cakes among the appetizersamp160 Best eat roasted black cod with miso glaze draped over that and a sticky rice cake Worst eat NA Note Cuisine ratings do not factor into the overall Jacks score amp160Grade 5 JacksData Insight Ratings for Hallmark Movies ampamp Mysteries have spiked 83 percent over the last two years Grade 3 JacksInnovative Opportunity That virtual reality sleigh ride available during the predinner hour was as innovative as it getsamp160 Surprised no mention was made about VR or something else during the presentationamp160 Grades 45 Jacks for the VR ride 1 Jack for not following upOverall Grade amp1604 Jacksamp160amp160 As classy and tasteful an event like this can be thanks to a wellpaced and hosted program Jewel39s turn to remember and just having it all go down at the Rainbow RoomSpecial Note amp160With Hallmark reaching more than 90 million TV households and its movies drawing 46 million viewers when will the big TV content makers Warner Bros Paramount MGM Universal Sony etc do some original business with Hallmarkamp160 Love to hear some answersNext up April begins with our first Spanishlanguage player Azteca AmericaOur Jacks scaleamp160 5 Jacks amp8211 Excellent 4 Jacks Very Good 3 Jacks amp8211 Good 2 Jacks amp8211 Fair 1 Jack Poor 0 Jacks Don39t go thereUntil the next time stay well and stay tunedTop and bottom photos by E B Moss amp160Others courtesy of Hallmark Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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Crown Media Dazzles at the Rainbow Room -- Upfront News and Views

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Simon Applebaum

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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Crown Media Dazzles at the Rainbow Room -- Upfront News and Views

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Simon Applebaum

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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