HULU x FREAKNIK: THE WILDEST PARTY NEVER TOLD

EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN | FABRICATION | EVENT PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT

The Challenge

Pop’N was called upon by the Hulu team to get a little bit WILD! We were tasked with producing the documentary’s red carpet screening and after party for Hulu’s Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told for Atlanta tastemakers, influencers and celebrities in the birthplace of the annual event. Hulu wanted to replicate and exude the nostalgia of Freaknik, create social and on-the-ground buzz and drive tune-in and awareness to the documentary’s premiere. 

The Approach

Pop’N knows Atlanta likes to rep’ for the city–hard.  To create nostalgia and make it feel like the hottest party in the city, we  strategically merged the luxe of new Atlanta with the rawness of old Atlanta to bring the 80’s-90’s Freaknik vibes back for one special night.

Our creative approach was to lean into all of the “hip- hop  culture gold” that Freaknik was known for– the cars, iconic locations, celebrity sightings and the music–and import it into our event. 

To bring Piedmont Park and Alanta’s 90’s iconic locations into the event, we recreated  the famous Atlanta Rim Shop, to give away custom merch  and the Gold Mart to bling people out with  crystal tooth gems. We also imported vintage 90’s cars to anchor the room in the Freaknik feels and create memorable photo opps  that helped garner real-life excitement, press coverage and social media attention. 

To ensure the buzz was buzzin’ for the documentary’s debut, we invited  the who’s who of Atlanta and entertainment industry leaders, including Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, Uncle Luke, Ceelo, Killer Mike, Kandi Burruss and more, to make it a star-studded night. The after party  also featured the iconic DJ Nabs who spun all the  Freaknik classics to ensure we kept the party authentic to the era.

The Results

With attendance exceeding well over the expected 200 guests, the event garnered buzz  that multiplied exponentially due to celebrity social posts, red carpet press coverage and the Atlanta iconic photographers who captured and shared the epic moments. With 5.2M potential reach in social media , 64.5M press impressions and hit #1 on Hulu, the documentary delivered beyond triple the numbers expected.