As TV has exploded, so has San Diego Comic-Con, with nearly every network represented. Put differently: “Comic-Con is a sh*t show, and it only becomes more of a sh*t show every year,” said Meghan Kirsch, Viceland’s VP of marketing.

Last year was not only Kirsch’s first year on the job, but Viceland’s first year at Comic-Con.

“My boss was like, alright we gotta do something at Comic-Con, what are you doing? Well, it’s in literally three weeks, guy, what do you wanna do? I knew how hard it was to stand out. Then I was like, ‘I’m just going to take a school bus, we’re going to convert it and make it into an awesome party space, and then we can take it to other places, so it has a lot more value besides just a one-off experience at Comic-Con.’ He said alright great, love it, do it. Done.”

One year later, and the Viceland Party Bus has become an extension of the network’s brand and a character in and of itself, with an Instagram following (@vicelandbus) and a stated goal to become famous.

“It has a life of its own. It’s a mobile billboard, a party on wheels, it can be whatever we want it to be,” said Kirsch. “We can connect to fans, convert new fans and bring them into our world in a personal, memorable way. But it works best when we have a show to layer in and promote.”

After being part of Rolling Stone’s top 25 things at Comic-Con last year with its launch for F*ck, That’s Delicious with Action Bronson, the bus has traveled through SXSW, The Meadows Music and Arts Festival, the Women’s March, and other cultural events.

This year, Viceland is upping the ante by bringing The Dawson, AKA James Van Der Beek, to San Diego to promote their new show What Would Diplo Do?, which premieres August 3. The show stars Van Der Beek as a fictionalized take on the titular DJ, Diplo.

“I was Team Pacey all the time. Now that I’ve worked with him, I’m Team Dawson. It’s such a ridiculous premise. James plays Diplo, who’s totally alive and well and in the prime of his career. We’re having fun with DJ culture and the EDM world, and having a full popup parking lot party during the day with the bus, DJs, energy drinks, glow sticks and giveaways,” said Kirsch.

“James Van Der Beek isn’t the first person people would equate to the Vice brand. But what’s cool about Viceland, we’ll take people you’ve never heard of before, kind of undiscovered, like Desus & Mero, and give them a platform and let them to do their thing. Then you can have Gloria Steinem attached to a hardcore documentary series about women’s rights and oppression around the world [woman], which is also not your conventional nerdy, pretentious hipster vibe, which might have been the perception of the old Vice,” said Kirsch. “With James, we’re using him in a way you’ve never seen before. It couldn’t be any further from the Dawson’s Creek era. He’s got the 90s nostalgia thing, which is back in a major way right now. It’s just random. That’s why it’s weird and that’s why it works,” said Kirsch.

To bolster its presence, Viceland moved the party closer to the Convention Center this year.

“Last year, we were way too far off the beaten path. Everyone’s right near the Convention Center and Gaslamp. We brought people in with Action Bronson. I think a lot of those fans weren’t even Comic Con goers but were local San Diego fans. This year we’re going to be way closer, we’re going to be right in the heart of it, and make sure everyone going by can see what’s happening and stop in and hang with us,” said Kirsch.

The Party Bus was at 530 Island Ave, with a lounge area, snacks, and a rooftop deck bumping with special guests from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, through Saturday, July 22.

In addition, Van Der Beek is hosting a private party for the network, complete with confetti cannons.

“As you know, Comic-Con is like the land of the haves and have nots. There’s the real fanboys who wait in line for six hours for panels, and then the Hollywood crowd comes in to velvet-roped parties that no one else can get into. It’s like nerds pressing their faces against the glass. It’s kind of weird,” she said. “Hopefully some good talent will show up. It’s perfect timing for the premiere and is getting James a lot of press. It’s a win on a lot of levels.”

For Kirsch, going outside the convention center is the only logical choice.

“Doing anything on the floor is just nuts. I prefer what we’re doing, which attracts just as many people,” she said. “I see the amount of money that these brands spend on these activations and they never quite pay off. It’s an insane million-dollar experience for whatever show is coming up, but it’s never that cool. People are waiting in line for so long to get in and see what it is and it isn’t that amazing.”

Enter: a fully equipped party bus with a speaker system, couches, wood floors, a fridge, and bar.

“One of the things I remembered when I was there was a crazy karaoke bus that was going on all night. That was another inspiration. It was the only thing going on past 2 a.m. I felt doing this awesome pop-up all-day all-night party will stand out. The brand of Vice brings a lot of cache, and we’re just trying to keep it real and fun, and do something fun for fans that isn’t so contrived, that feels organic and is a cool opportunity to chill with the brand.”

The bus works on multiple levels, as it’s also a production hub for the network. Doug Benson has recorded his podcast on the bus, and several artists have come in and filmed content with Viceland.

“We’ll have a camera crew there talking to fans, and trying to create content from it like we always do. We have this on-air device where viewers call in to a phone number and leave messages about whatever topic they want, and we play those as on-air interstitials. It’s another opportunity to just come on and engage with us,” said Kirsch. “We’re always making stuff, experimenting. It’s a very diverse startup DIY brand.”

While it appeals to millennials, a docuseries about EDM culture that blurs the lines between fiction and reality doesn’t scream Comic-Con, but that’s the point.

“I’m a little curious to see how it goes. Because it’s during the daytime, and it’s not like a music festival where everyone is day drinking and partying. Because people just want to hang out there and have an instaparty, we’ll see how it goes.

“It’s counter-programming. Everybody’s at Comic-Con now. It doesn’t even have to relate to superheroes or sci-fi. Last year was a great opportunity because we had Action Bronson watching Ancient Aliens, and obviously that has the Comic-Con layer,” said Kirsch. “Maybe this one isn’t a perfect bulls-eye, but because it’s James Van Der Beek and he’s got such a following, and because of the timing of the show, I think we’re poised to create a lot of attention.”

What Would Diplo Do? premieres August 3 on Viceland.

[All images courtesy of Viceland]

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