The WarnerMedia Innovation Lab made several key announcements, deepening its commitment to cutting edge technology and the incubation of new consumer facing products, services and experiences. These announcements include the location of its physical space in New York City which will be powered by AT&T’s 5G network, making it one of AT&T’s first permanent 5G experience centers. The Lab also announced further details on its partnerships with WarnerMedia Ad Sales and with Xandr, AT&T’s advanced advertising and analytics company. Finally, the Lab announced the appointment of an architecture firm to lead design of the physical space.
The WarnerMedia Innovation Lab will be a newly constructed 20,000 square foot facility located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, featuring an immersive zone for showcasing consumer-ready experiences visible to the public, flexible indoor and outdoor event spaces, dedicated R&D environments and an open and collaborative modern work space.
“The Lab is more than a technology incubator, but also a dream factory for us to create the wonderment that fans have come to love and expect from WarnerMedia,” said Jesse Redniss, GM, WarnerMedia Innovation Lab. “Here we’ll flex the best of WarnerMedia’s creative storytelling capabilities combined with cutting edge technology from AT&T and our partners to deliver experiences that will be talked about for a lifetime.”
The Lab, which is slated to open its doors to strategic partners and WarnerMedia cross-business unit teams in early 2020, will bring 5G experiences to life through exploration and development initiatives, enabling a real-time virtualized collaboration ecosystem across WarnerMedia and the AT&T offerings. This builds on AT&T’s commitment to offer 5G across WarnerMedia properties. From the Innovation Lab in New York City to Warner Bros. in Los Angeles, to The Lounge by AT&T in Seattle and WarnerMedia’s Atlanta studios, 5G has the power to transform how WarnerMedia’s content is created and consumed.
“By working across AT&T, we’re able to combine the latest in 5G technology with immersive content experiences and cutting-edge advertising capabilities,” said David Christopher, president of AT&T Mobility and Entertainment. “The WarnerMedia Innovation Lab will be a space where developers, creators and visitors will be inspired to push the boundaries of entertainment, all powered by the company that first introduced the U.S. to the power of mobile 5G.”
WarnerMedia’s commitment to the Lab’s ability to revolutionize the overall fan experience includes advertising as well. Dan Riess, head of advanced advertising and branded content, WarnerMedia Ad Sales, commented, “Storytelling is in our company’s DNA and part of that experience is how the content is enjoyed, including advertising. The Lab is a critical part of our testing and learning on the new experiences in advertising that we will be rolling out to market.”
The WarnerMedia Innovation Lab will be also be backed by consumer insights and technology from Xandr, AT&T’s advanced advertising and analytics company, as it continues to test and develop new advertising capabilities that make brand messages more relevant and engaging to consumers. This powerful combination will deliver innovative consumer experiences and foster an entrepreneurial spirit across the full WarnerMedia portfolio of brands.
Kirk McDonald, CMO, Xandr. said, “Working with our colleagues at AT&T Communications and WarnerMedia, we are uniquely positioned to develop new advertising innovations that engage consumers and provide integral feedback for marketers and brands. The WarnerMedia Innovation Lab will accelerate the adoption of new advertising formats and provide an environment to showcase our collaborative work.”
The new advertising advancements also allow marketers to learn how their messages resonate with viewers, as the Lab unveils a new balance in the relationship between advertising, technology and content. The innovations will include MR/VR applications, 5G uses that enhance new advertising capabilities, and better UI/UX experiences to “Make Advertising Matter.”
Architectural design firm Design Republic was awarded the services project for the Lab’s physical space in NYC, with work beginning this summer. Design Republic is an award-winning architectural design firm specializing in corporate workplace, retail, and media technology design, and was chosen based on their culture fit with WarnerMedia and innovative approach and design concepts, as evidenced by recent work with clients including Nasdaq, Bvlgari and WarnerMedia’s own Bleacher Report.
WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More