Venue: Current, the year-old restaurant and exhibit space located at Pier 59 of Chelsea Piers, across from the West Side Highway. TV One had the first Upfront/NewFront attraction there two weeks ago with its breakfast event, and chances are this place will be the site of even more Upfront events in 2018. It has an elegant look, with great views of the Hudson River and New Jersey skyline, and it easily breaks into two main rooms -- one for buffet service, another for sit-down meals and presentations. For this occasion, the front doors were decorated with cartoon squiggles, and those squiggles, posted on a large blue screen, caught the eye of attendees in the presentation room. A certain nominee for best new Upfront/NewFront location this year. Grade: 4 Jacks
Presentation: “All together now under one roof” was the theme each speaker emphasized over and over. Instead of Maker and other Disney units operating independently of each other to reach Millennials and Generation Z there is only one avenue advertisers wishing to tap these audiences need utilize -- Disney Digital Network. From this point forward, DDN, under the company's consumer products and interactive media unit, will program a variety of content for various platforms. "Our brand promise: special entertainment with heart," declared James Pitaro, Chairman of Disney's Consumer Products and Interactive Media division. "This venture will be the place where Disney storytelling and the digital zeitgeist collide." The variety of content available for both individual messages and branded program support will come from Maker's assortment of creators, working together with Disney-managed editorial staff and social media organizers. DDN will break down into six categories or "editorial voices" -- Oh My Disney (daily content reflecting Millennial/Gen X tastes), Disney Style (mixing familiar Disney characters and stories with fashion trends), Disney Family (activities parents and children can do together), Babble (parenting forum), Polaris (gaming and game culture) and Star Wars (anything related to the famous movie series). Although the commentary emphasized how these categories will be displayed on mobile phones and social media, executives assured afterward that smart TV sets and devices like Roku and Chromecast will become major DDN platforms. Grade: 3.5 Jacks