Television
June 10, 2003
The WB And Pepsi Team Up To Present “Pepsi Smash”
(June 10, 2003 – Burbank, CA) – The WB and Pepsi, two of the strongest brands in youth marketing, are proud to announce the premiere of “PEPSI SMASH” on Wednesday, July 16 at 9:00 p.m. Part of The WB/Pepsi relationship, “PEPSI SMASH” is a one-hour show featuring live musical performances from some of the hottest acts in pop music today. Already booked to appear in the show’s six-week run are Beyoncé, Evanescence, Michelle Branch, Foo Fighters, Ashanti, Fabolous and Mya, to name just a few.
“PEPSI SMASH” offers the excitement of one-of-a-kind, live performances -- there will be no lip-syncing or singing to track, a true rarity for musical acts on television. Each week, “PEPSI SMASH” will deliver these artists in a format featuring a permanent host along with a variety of guest hosts and a few surprise visitors along the way. As many as five groups or artists will perform on each show, and viewers will have the opportunity to see up-close and personal segments with artists backstage as well as behind-the-scenes footage of artists on tour in the U.S. and around the world.
“PEPSI SMASH” continues The WB’s long-running tradition of bringing the hottest music of the times to the small screen. Executive produced by Joel Gallen (Super Bowl XXXVII Halftime Show, 2002 MTV Movie Awards, The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show) of Tenth Planet Productions, “PEPSI SMASH” puts music into television in a way that hasn’t been seen for some time.
"Hot musical acts haven’t been on broadcast television in years and The WB is the perfect place for the return of this kind of programming, especially in the hands of superstar producer Joel Gallen," said Keith Cox, Senior Vice President, Alternative Programming, The WB. "We're thrilled to be working with Pepsi on this exciting summer show, and viewers won't find anything else like it on network TV."
"We're going to create a music lover's dream, with weekly events featuring the best acts in the music industry on a show that will present great live performers in a completely intimate audience environment," said Joel Gallen, Executive Producer.
“For generations, music has been an incredibly important part of the Pepsi experience,” said Dave Burwick, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Pepsi-Cola North America. ‘PEPSI SMASH’ enables us to bring some of the hottest music directly to fans through our own show. With superstar talent, non-stop entertainment and top-notch production, this is ’can’t miss’ television – particularly for teens and young adults.”
The WB is America’s fifth broadcast network and is currently the fastest-growing network this season among total viewers an in the 18-34 and 18-49 demographics. Paced by ground-breaking shows such as “SMALLVILLE,” “7TH HEAVEN,” “GILMORE GIRLS,” “EVERWOOD,” “DAWSON’S CREEK,” “JKX: THE JAMIE KENNEDY EXPERIMENT,” “REBA,” “WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU,” “ANGEL” and “CHARMED,” The WB is a pop culture phenomenon and has launched the careers of dozens of young stars who make up the faces of new Hollywood including James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams, Kristin Kreuk, Tom Welling, Alexis Bledel and Gregory Smith.
Pepsi-Cola North America (www.pepsi.com), headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., is the $4 billion refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo, Inc. (www.pepsico.com) in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. brands include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Twist, Pepsi ONE, Pepsi Blue, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Code Red, Mug, Sierra Mist, Slice, Aquafina, SoBe, Dole single-serve juices and FruitWorks. The company also makes and markets North America’s #1 ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks. # # #