In another move to appeal to younger and broader audiences, the Academy has partnered with Meta — the parent company of Instagram and Facebook — to bring creators to this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony to create short-form content on Reels.
A total of 12 creators — including Boman Martinez-Reid, Rickey Thompson, Remi Bader and Denzel Dion — will attend the Oscars red carpet, the ceremony at the Dolby Theater and the Governors Ball to create content for Reels. An additional 11 creators will attend the Oscars pre-show for content that will be shared exclusively on Facebook and Instagram.
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As part of the partnership, the Reels creators will have “unparalleled access to bring viewers closer to the Oscars experience,” according to Julie Geer, the head of creator networks and streaming partnerships at Meta. “This partnership allows us to showcase the talented and inspirational creators on our technologies, aligning them with one of the most acclaimed award shows today,” Geer said.
The creators’ presence will coincide with a new acknowledgment at the ceremony of Twitter’s top fan-favorite film released in 2021. The award, while unofficial, is a nod to the most popular film category that the Academy originally toyed with in 2019 before ultimately scrapping the idea due to pushback from members and critics.
“This partnership with Meta is yet another incredible opportunity for social media users and movie fans around the world to be intimately involved in the show from start to finish,” Meryl Johnson, the vp of digital marketing at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Our digital audiences can now go above and beyond just watching the Oscars — they’ll be more connected to the experience and really change how people interact with the telecast in the future.”
