Big televised events are great for our business. We all know how sales spike for the Super Bowl and the Oscars. Homeowners want new, bigger TVs and projectors and better sound systems for these annual events. We now have an opportunity with a once-in-a-lifetime event. Hamilton has been sold out on Broadway since it premiered five years ago in July 2015. People wait years to see it. It is the hottest ticket on Broadway and arguably in entertainment. Now it will be streaming to homes on July 3rd.
Disney purchased the worldwide rights to release the filmed version with the original cast. It was filmed during a live production of the show at the Richard Rodgers Theater just two weeks before the original cast departed. It was slated for a theatrical release in Fall 2021, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Disney has chosen to instead release the production on Disney+ in time to celebrate July 4th. So for just $6.99 for a one-month subscription, all of the world can see Hamilton in just a few short weeks.
Do you think your clients are going to be excited about this? I can assure you that my New York-area clients are getting amped up. So am I — I’ve been dying to see the show but haven’t been able to score tickets. How can you make the experience memorable for your clients? They are going to want everything for this spectacular — bigger and better screens, better sound systems, and a solid network to stream it on. This isn’t just a one-time viewing like the Super Bowl or Oscars. This is something that can be watched over and over.
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This is a big-budget musical, with a complex, fast-paced soundtrack. Having great audio will be key. Clients will want to upgrade to a killer sound system if they have the budget, or at least to something better than the TV speakers. If you cannot get dozens of surround sound systems or high-end soundbar sales or out of this, you are not trying hard enough (assuming you are in a region that is allowing work and your clients are comfortable having you in their homes).
The big screen experience can not be discounted either. Break out those 75-inch and larger TVs, or, better yet, now is a great time to rejuvenate your two-piece projection sales. Put in a Screen Innovations Solo Pro2 screen and you do not even need to wire it for power — it can be ordered with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that only needs to be charged every 3-6 months with regular use. I have many clients with a powerful 7000-lumen projector in their living room, a Solo Pro2 screen, and discrete or invisible speakers. It is an interior designer’s dream and the client has a system that, with the push of a button, is the envy of all of their friends. We even bump the screen out from the wall a bit so that artwork can hang on the wall to make it even more attractive and discrete when the screen is up.
Combine the Hamilton phenomena with the renewed demand for home viewing of all content, especially movies, and there are even more reasons to upgrade. The launch of Trolls World Tour, was a huge success with over $100 million in revenue — making more for Universal than the domestic haul for the original Trolls movie. Some of my acting clients have told me that they think direct-to-video will be a big business. For them, it is likely revenue neutral — they will get paid whether theaters come back or more movies go straight to streaming. It is even possible they could make more from streaming, as there are fewer entities sharing the pot.
You know I’m going to be tuning in and cranking it up on July 3. Will you and your clients be ready?
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