When Fandom & Work Collide

Every once a while a project comes along that blends something you love with a truly unique experience. To promote Google Fiber’s partnership with Game of Thrones, we created a once in a lifetime experience for fans of the show and Google Fiber subscribers. The idea was to take an already existing event and “Plus” it. The Google Fiber store in Austin would be housing The Iron Throne and offering visitors a chance to sit on it for a photo, but they wanted to create something more, something that would surprise and delight fans and attract attention on social media. After several weeks of ideation we came up with the idea of a “Flash Mob” style Coronation Ceremony. Complete with musicians, props, and surprises. My team arrived in Austin two days before and we quickly went to work. Rehearsals with the musicians took place inside the space as they would need to play and move through the crowd. The actors worked their lines and actions, and the production team began setting up hidden cameras. We had to rehearse at night so as not to draw attention to the space. The next day we arrived early and put the finishing touches on the space and did one more run through. Shortly after the doors opened a crowd began to form. We waited until a good crowd was inside the space, then we picked our mark. Moving quickly, like a crew of professionals about to pull off a heist, the team took their places. As the mark sat down on the throne, we sprang into action!

As soon as the mark sat, a single violin started to play the Game of Thrones theme song. The violinist then appeared, much to everyone's confusion. When the next chord was struck, several more musicians appeared, bringing the theme to life! Mid-way through, an actor dressed as the Hand of the King appeared, asking the mark to rise. He then crowned the new ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, complete with a crown and Jon Snow’s sword. As the rest of the crowd watched in awe they were soon joined by several more actors who began to play up what was happening. In the end they were asked to kneel and then the final surprise hit. Banners representing all of the Houses in the series dropped from the ceiling with a clunk and the music swelled to glorious applause. We repeated this several times throughout the day. Each time making sure that we had a fresh crowd and an unsuspecting mark. The experience was a huge success. Drawing a massive crowd, generating millions of social impressions, and ultimately driving awareness for Google Fiber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx0C90TZdOY

When an opportunity like this comes along it tends to perk everyone up. No matter what the project is you always give it your best, even when it is something you’re not passionate about (like the newest digital HR Platform). But when you are a true fan of the client you tend to put yourself into it. Because we were fans, we were able to bring tiny details from the show to give it that extra special touch. Our writer spent hours re-watching scenes that involved the coronation so that the spoken dialogue felt true to the character. The musicians practiced for hours to make sure they did the theme justice. Wardrobe pulled out all the stops to dress the actors and extras as authentically as possible. The mood on set reflected our excitement and it carried through all the way to the edit. At the end of it all, I got to sit on the Iron Throne, happy with my work and proud of my team.