ESPN The Magazine #predraft party: Wiley on the social media studio
NEW YORK — Tonight ESPN The Magazine hosts its Ninth Annual Pre-Draft Event featuring top draft prospects, current and former NFL players and other personalities.
What makes this event even more unique than in years past is the addition of a social studio. Here, fans and personalities can interact with ESPN talent Marcellus Wiley, Michael Smith and Charissa Thompson in person via social media including Twitter, using The Mag‘s handle (@ESPNMag) and #predraft, a hashtag created specifically for this event.
This is not Wiley’s first “social studio rodeo”: His first foray took place with Thompson at ESPN The Magazine‘s NEXT event in Indianapolis in February to help kick off Super Bowl weekend. Creating an on-site social studio allows fans and consumers to interact with their favorite personalities and brands, and helps bring The Mag‘s NFL Pre-Draft event to life.
Front Row caught up with Wiley, who besides analyzing the NFL is host of Max & Marcellus on 710 AM ESPN Radio Los Angeles, to shed some light on what the social studio is all about and what he is most looking forward to on the eve of the Draft:
(Event sponsors include AT&T, Axe, Bud Light, Fiat, Geico, Jim Beam, and Samsung.)
What did you learn from the first social media studio hosting experience that would prepare you for this one?
Rule No. 1: Don’t yell! Since the music is loud and you’re excited to meet everyone, it wears quickly on those poor little vocal cords. I nearly lost my voice engaging with all the fans. By the end, I was almost reduced to just a handshake. And the next day, I had to be on the air, so this time I will be more cautious. No more “riot to quiet,” ha!
Were there any particularly fun or interesting stories you recall from your first experience at NEXT/Super Bowl?
It was great hanging with Charissa, I remember us going back and forth, battling word for word on some of Drake’s songs. Also, a few women were flirting with me.
What advice would you give to social media studio “rookie” Michael Smith?
I would advise him to share his time, because so many people want to come meet us, make sure you look in the background for the shy person and engage them as well.
Any particular Twitter personalities (talent, athletes, celebs, or otherwise) you hope to hear from online?
Bill Maher and Dennis Miller because they are so smart, funny, and daring. Jeremy Lin just because I haven’t met him before and he’s from the #IvyLeagueBallGang like myself, and if any and every model in the world wants to say hey, who am I to say no?! Oh yeah, if President Obama is around, tell him to holla at his boy. Another fellow Ivy leaguer, ha!
