What differentiates Simonds’ venture from other studios in Hollywood is the cross platform content to bring a more immersive experience to the audience. An article on Robert Simonds in Variety describes STX as a fully integrated entertainment company. With new age technology divisions like STXdigital, the studio aims to integrate various different ways by which we consume content. Combining the individual reach and popularity of these platforms to unlock the value of direct connection between stars and their fans, the company is bringing a revolution in the entertainment industry.
Solidifying its presence in the digital content, the company has recently announced the launch of a Facebook exclusive variety series under its digital division STXdigital. The mobile-first show “Pop Now” is a cutting edge idea that leverages the connected and well-established Facebook community.
What is Pop Now?
Jason Goldberg, Chief Creative Officer of Unscripted and Alternative Programming at STX, said that the company saw a changing trend of people consuming late night programming on their mobile devices. This led to the inception of a talk show model build to serve specific audiences with its deconstructed architecture. Aimed at the next generation of highly engaged audiences, the series reimagines the format of a traditional late night talk show. This allows the audience to engage with celebrities across the Facebook Community.
Pop Now eliminates the “host” from the talk show design, and gives the stars complete freedom to curate a unique experience for their fans. Each episode or segment will feature a new celebrity, and there will be no set structure on how the show will proceed. This way, the celebrities can talk about their next film or TV projects, upcoming music, or simply have an authentic interaction with their fans across the world in real time.
In this day when all the late night talk shows have become predictable and monotonous, a series like Pop Now will be both refreshing and more effective. Bob Simonds and his team have plans to produce each segment of the show in multiple formats to ensure that their audience can enjoy the content on the array of viewing options across Facebook channels. This means that the fans can engage with their favourite stars via FB Live, Newsfeed, Instagram, and 360 Video.
Turning the traditional “sit down” talk show approach into a Facebook experience, Pop Now allows the fans to enjoy the content and connect with their favourite stars in a new way. The show will also provide the celebrities a platform to reach the growing online community that has moved from traditional linear viewing to mobile devices.
Since the launch of the company in 2014, people have been wondering can Robert Simonds make STX Entertainment be the next major studio in Hollywood. With projects that aim at providing a truly immersive appeal and bringing stars closer to the audiences, the company is definitely carving is place as a new age studio.