Hearst Kicks Off HearstLive with a Street Party

If you happened to be in Columbus Circle last night, and wondered what all the commotion was, it was the kick-off street party celebration for HearstLive outside Hearst Tower. The headquarter’s street-level windows at the 57th Street and 8th Avenue intersection got a serious digital makeover: they’ll showcase a rotating display of news, entertainment, and info, curated from Hearst brands from its 300 magazines like ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmo, and Esquire, to brands like A+E Networks, ESPN, Houston Chronicle, and video companies like BuzzFeed. The display will be a combo of slideshows, videos, live-streaming, and animation.

There to celebrate were magazine staffers including Nina Garcia (Marie Claire) to Michele Promaulayko (Cosmopolitan) to Dr Oz. (The Good Life), and special guests like Mandy Moore, Coco Rocha, and Kate Spade. DJ Mick was on music duty, and and tap dancer Savion Glover surprised the crowd with a performance.

“We’re thrilled to offer New York a visual, technological and social experience unlike anything they’ve seen before,” said Hearst president and CEO Steven R. Swartz in a press statement. “Our iconic brands entertain on every screen, device and format—what better way to give people the opportunity to interact and engage with dynamic, timely content from our businesses and partners than in this innovative format. Ten years ago, Hearst Tower made history as the city’s first occupied green skyscraper. As we approach this anniversary, we are proud to be the first to build an LED ‘sculpture’ merging news, information and entertainment.”