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National Geographic is transporting select WeWork shared office spaces back to the ‘90s to promote its new show Valley of the Boom.
The six-part limited series follows technology leaders during the rise and cataclysmic burst of the dot-com bubble, chronicling a time “when a new industry was born from the most unlikely of people and places.”
To tap into that creative energy of early internet startups, Nat Geo is turning WeWork locations in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles into Valley of the Boom Internet Cafés.
“WeWork is a modernized version of the infamous ’90s startup garage,” said Jill Cress, chief marketing and communications officer of National Geographic Partners. “This partnership allows us to bring a little of the Valley of the Boom disruptive energy directly to consumers, many of whom are using WeWork as the first home for their budding businesses.”
The activations were executed in collaboration with Berlin Cameron’s experiential arm BCXP, and will be full of interactive experiences that harken back to that era, such as desktop computer stations with classic games including Oregon Trail, Doom and Tetris, along with social vending machines that dispense ‘90s candy, toys and trading cards in response to tweets and Instagram posts that use the hashtag #ValleyOfTheBoom.
It will also include a nod to modern-day entrepreneurs with practical career development opportunities to help members take their networking and business development skills to the next level. Think on-site consultations with LinkedIn experts to optimize a person’s visibility on the platform, professional headshots and branding takeovers in common areas.
In addition, in January WeWork will host exclusive screenings of the first two episodes of Valley of the Boom, followed by curated discussions with series talent and experts.
Starring Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn and Lamorne Morris, Valley of the Boom is from showrunner Matthew Carnahan and STX Entertainment, and is executive produced by Arianna Huffington.
It premieres January 13 at 9 p.m. on National Geographic.
“Companies of all sizes and industries come together at WeWork locations around the world to pursue their life’s work, drink good coffee and thrive,” said Laura Brounstein, vice president of campaigns and content for WeWork, in a statement. “Partnering with best-in-class brands like National Geographic helps us bring them unique content and experiences they can’t enjoy anyplace else,”
The Valley of the Boom Internet Cafes will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following WeWork locations:
New York
Times Square (Dec. 3)
Grand Central (Dec. 4)
SoHo West (Dec. 5)
7th Avenue (Dec. 6)
Los Angeles
Vine (Dec. 3)
Burbank (Dec. 4)
Pacific Design Center (Dec. 5)
Playa (Dec. 6)
San Francisco
Transbay (Dec. 3)
Embarcadero (Dec. 4)
600 California (Dec. 5)
Valley Towers (Dec. 6)
Tags: experiential activation nat geo national geographic valley of the boom wework