HearstLive brings never-before-seen storytelling power to Hearst Tower

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Hearst unveiled a first-of-its-kind media installation at a recent street party at its New York City headquarters. In addition to the launch of the HearstLive content platform, the night included a surprise performance from American tap dancing legend Savion Glover and the arrivals of noteworthy talent and VIPs from across Hearst's media properties.

HearstLive is a street level display housed in the base of Hearst headquarters in the landmarked Hearst Tower. The vibrant widow installation showcases continuously updated news, entertainment and information at a scale that has never before been seen in New York City.

"At Hearst, we are constantly delivering exciting ways for audiences to connect with our content," Hearst Chief Technology Officer Phil Wiser said in a press release. "HearstLive presents an entirely new medium to deliver news, entertainment and information, and allows for an unprecedented level of updates and engagement with our brands."

  • Dr. Oz, Sandra Lee, Hannah Storm, Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer & Soledad O'Brien celebrate the launch of HearstLive.
  • Confetti flies over the 8th Avenue Street Party to mark HearstLive's official launch.
  • American tap dancer Savion Glover kicks off the HearstLive Street Party.

With more than a quarter million pedestrians passing the intersection of 57th Street and 8th Avenue each week, there is no shortage of people who will experience the stories of HearstLive in person.

"After seeing this, I feel like I should demand that my show always be seen at seven feet tall. This is just amazing, and any way that you can give more visibility to content and issues that, in my opinion at least, are really important is just a great opportunity," said Soledad O'Brien, host of Hearst Television's "Matter of Fact."

The experience, however, transcends the physical space surrounding Hearst Tower through HearstLive.com. When connected through a mobile device, HearstLive.com elevates all of the content from the windows onto an engaging platform.

Passersby can use HearstLive.com to read more about their favorite content, while anyone – near to or far from the Tower – can visit the site remotely to check in on the top stories of the day.

Model and designer Coco Rocha attended the event as a guest, and as part of the content being featured on the installation as she debuted an iconic new hairstyle.

"I can't think of any better way to welcome my new look into the world," Rocha said. 

HearstLive presents a unique opportunity to highlight the breadth of brands and businesses in which Hearst has a stake.

Daily content, curated by three news producers and a team of Hearst designers, will highlight everything from cable television clips through Hearst's partnership with A+E Networks to updates on the world economy from Fitch Ratings, a Hearst-majority owned company. Additionally, stories will be sourced from Hearst partners including Complex, ESPN and Vice; Hearst's 30 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif.; nearly 300 magazines around the world including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Car and Driver; 17 daily newspapers including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Albany Times Union; digital and video companies such as BuzzFeed and AwesomenessTV; and information and services sources including Hearst Health, among others.

"The installation is so much fun. Think about how interactive this is. It stops you in your tracks on the streets of New York, and not a lot of things can do that," said fashion consultant and star of 'The Chew' Clinton Kelly. 

From a technical perspective, completing HearstLive was no small feat. Planning for the installation has been in the works for over a year, and the physical screens that comprise the display required more than 7 million individual LEDs distributed across 1,348 custom-engineered LED modules.

"Exposing our brand to a quarter of a million people [weekly] is an opportunity that is just unprecedented, so I am really excited about it," said Michele Promaulayko, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan.

The dynamic nature of the installation allows content to be provided through slideshows, videos, live streaming and animation. While the sleek axis design is in line with the diagrid structure of the Tower itself, as designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster.

Visit HearstLive.com to engage with today's stories.

Hearst, HearstLive, Wiser
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