Chris Albert, Nat Geo’s executive VP, marketing and communications, is departing the network after 20 years. His final activation was a big one: he oversaw Nat Geo’s presence at Disney’s huge fan convention, D23, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., which, of course, also is home to DIsneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Albert went out with a splash, setting up a Hexadome theatrical experience for fans that treated them to an immersive video and audio show full of some of Nat Geo’s most compelling content and upcoming series and specials. Attendees got to see Will Smith and Chris Hemsworth take on extreme environments, Alex Honnold free-climb Yosemite’s El Capitan, Jane Goodall commune with chimps as well as lions roaming the African plains, whales swimming, polar bears battling, and finally, penguins – and base jumpers – plunging off cliffs.
Putting it all together was no small feat. Albert and his team traveled to a tiny town outside of Frankfurt, Germany to work with the audio team, who were editing more than 520 audio channels to create a complete surround-sound experience while receiving video edits overnight from Australia. Nat Geo’s presence at D23 also boasted celebrity appearances, including 28-year-old filmmaker and photographer Bertie Gregory, and many panels.
It’s just the latest and greatest in Albert’s long slate of marketing wins, including last spring’s Queens, which included an immersive Fashion Week event; contributing to the Disney-owned channel’s Oscar win for best documentary film for Free Solo; pulling off an enormous event on a U.S. Naval carrier in San Diego and many more. Albert talked to Spotlight about going big for D23, what he loves about creating impactful events and what he’s looking forward to next.
Q: D23 offers so much content and so many activations. How do you even start with it?
A: D23 is a really exciting opportunity for us to represent the National Geographic brand, which is a brand that people love and want to interact with, while standing alongside the greats at Disney like Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm.
Q: How long has Nat Geo been a part of D23?
A: We’ve always had a presence there, but this year was by far our biggest presence in a number of different ways. Our president, Courteney Monroe, really wanted us to use D23 as a moment to showcase our brand in a meaningful, innovative, exciting way. So that was basically our RFP: create a brand-defining moment at D23 the fans could interact with that would really showcase the depth and breadth of the National Geographic brand and our content. Little Cinema, which is an amazing agency that we work with, pitched us this Hexadome idea and that was the only idea we looked at because everyone fell in love with it. We spent months putting it together.
Q: What is the Hexadome?
A: It’s six massive screens, 54 speakers of audio and more than 520 audio channels in this 12-minute piece that really allowed people to step into the world of Nat Geo. Chris [Spencer, executive VP, creative, National Geographic Partners] and I went to Germany a few weeks ago where the audio team is based and they had built a mini-Hexadome. Before then, we had just been looking at it on our computer. When you can actually stand in the Hexadome, you realize what an incredible experience it is. Courteney really wanted an experience where you could step into the world of Nat Geo, and I don't think we could have come up with something better.
We spent five days there, looking at cuts numerous times and providing notes. We did that for five days to get the piece totally locked. But what I loved at D23 was standing in the Hexadome, watching the fans watch the piece and watching their reactions to the different moments. We were celebrating our past, present and future content in this really innovative storytelling way. It was great to see the fans as engaged with National Geographic as they were with all of the iconic Disney brands like Marvel, Avatar and Lucasfilm.
Q: Those are some pretty big, splashy, loud, futuristic kinds of brands. Did you feel like you needed to step up to the challenge to match what those guys were going to do?
A: D23 was all about celebrating storytelling in innovative ways and using technology to demonstrate how Disney is literally the best storyteller in the world. This D23 across the board was bigger and better than it had ever been before. We took all of those notes to heart, and that's how we came up with the Hexadome. It was less about competing with our friends and our fellow Disney brands than it was just to show up in a way that did our brand justice. But also I am competitive, so I did love that we could hold our ground next to those amazing, iconic brands.
And then our big, big moment: This year, as part of the idea of making D23 bigger and better, they also had a show each night at the Honda Civic Center, which is about 10 minutes from the Anaheim Convention Center. The Disney entertainment showcase was Friday night, and we had David Blaine there because we have a show coming out next year called Do Not Attempt with David Blaine. And he did a magic trick for 12,000 people. It was so insane. [Editor’s note: The video below of Blaine performing the trick is really cool.]
Q: How do you feel Disney has taken the brand of Nat Geo and integrated it into the overall Disney brand?
A: I think we are in such an incredibly fortunate position, because even before the merger [between Fox and Disney in 2019] closed National Geographic was a tile on Disney Plus. That alone has given us so much opportunity for our brand because obviously Disney Plus is a massive priority for the company.
A lot of the thinking around our content and what we’re making is all about what will be successful on Disney Plus. I think A Real Bug’s Life, voiced by Awkafina, is a great example where we used popular Disney IP, put a National Geographic spin on it, and it did incredibly well on Disney. The second season is coming out next year. It’s really about taking what our brand is about and marrying it with what works so successfully at Disney. That just sets us up for success in a way that I think many of our competitors don’t have.
Q: My understanding is that you've opted to not renew your contract and depart after Labor Day. How does that feel? You just came off what must be a total high of D23 and I know you loved what you guys did with Queens, and you're just doing these really cool, giant, innovative events. Is that hard to walk away from?
A: Sure, obviously, it's bittersweet, but I also feel like I'm excited for a second chapter. I have loved every second at Nat Geo, but I feel like now is the time for me to figure out what's next. So yes, it's bittersweet, but I have an amazing team. They'll continue to do amazing things. I will always be rooting for Nat Geo, and actually I sort of love the Hexadome being one of the last things that we did, because I feel like I am going out on a high note, and I'm going out on something that I'm incredibly proud of. I feel like that's a nice way to end such a storied chapter.
