'Billboard' And 'The Hollywood Reporter' Unveil Branded Content Studio

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter today announced the launch of Adapt Studios, which will be dedicated to creating premium branded content and native advertising for brands looking to connect with consumers in the entertainment and music spaces. Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter are both part of Guggenheim Media's Entertainment Group.

Leveraging Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter's status as flagship news outlets in their respective spaces, Adapt Studios will offer advertisers unique access to an intensively targeted demographic of energetic, engaged fans. Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter now draw a combined 23.1 million monthly unique visitors in the U.S. and more than 15 million followers on major social media platforms, bolstering distribution efforts around customized content.*

"Entertainment and music are intrinsically linked to all of today's pop-culture moments," said Dan Strauss, general manager of Digital at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. "Adapt Studios will draw on that central role by creating authentic experiences that touch all advertising verticals, enhancing natural brand partnerships." 

The studio will also leverage the fashion clientele of Pret-a-Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter's style and beauty outlet.

"Adapt Studios is very much rooted in, and the product of, an entertainment company," said John Amato, co-president of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, who has played a lead role in the launch. "With the power of three industry-leading properties in Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter and Pret-a-Reporter, we see untapped potential for smart content that represents brands, and cultivates and engages our already diverse audiences." 

Billboard's proprietary chart data, including its heralded Billboard+Twitter Realtime Charts, will be featured in select branded content and native campaigns.

Leading the branded content team as Senior Director is Billboard.com's former Editor M. Tye Comer, who was instrumental in building Billboard.com's robust consumer audience. Comer, who will inform the branded content with an editorial perspective, will report to Strauss.

"The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard connect with readers to a large extent on account of the quality, precision and excellence of the content they produce every day," said Comer. "With this experience, we'll be able to offer brands a similarly powerful connection to entertainment and music audiences."

This latest extension continues the shift and growth both Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter have seen under the direction of Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer.

Adapt Studio's launch comes on the heels of a string of high-profile brand partnerships and projects, including Billboard's work with American Express on "AmEx Unstaged: AIR", an artist-in-residence program featuring videos with Mary Lambert, Betty Who and Rixton that allowed fans to engage and follow artists on the rise, and culminated in an exclusive concert.

Billboard also helped create Fan Ride with Ford, which captured frame-by-frame the moment when Grammy-winning singer David Bisbal offered two lucky fans a personal ride to the Billboard Latin Music Conference 25^th Anniversary Concert. 

Adapt Studios will remain highly mobile with on-location production capabilities at major music and film festivals and behind-the-scenes access with top talent across the globe.

*ComSore, Jan. 2015

About Billboard
Billboard is the world's most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com which is the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music – the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike.

About The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter is the entertainment industry's flagship media brand. With in-depth reporting, analysis, unprecedented access, world-class photography and video, and feature exclusives, The Hollywood Reporter is the definitive source for breaking entertainment and business news and was recently recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors, winning the 2015 National Magazine Award for General Excellence in the category of Special Interest Magazines.

Founded in 1930 as a trade-only publication, The Hollywood Reporter reached an all-time high of 24.2 million individuals worldwide online at thr.com in January 2015, and over 224,000 readers in its weekly magazine, delivering news to an audience of industry power players and consumers deeply invested in entertainment content. The Hollywood Reporter's platforms include an award-winning weekly magazine, dynamic web and mobile sites, festival and awards season apps, tablet, iPad editions, social media, and branded events. Follow The Hollywood Reporter on Twitter @thr and on Facebook at facebook.com/HollywoodReporter.  

Contact: Kaitlyn Kurosky
HIGH10 MEDIA
212 918 2040
[email protected]

SOURCE Billboard

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