Duran Duran’s “A Hollywood High”
S.D. Professionals drives music fans to global theatrical release of Duran Duran’s docu-concert film, “A Hollywood High”
The Project
S.D. Professionals joined our film distribution partner, Abramorama, to market the worldwide premiere of Duran Duran’s “A Hollywood High,” a feature-length docu-concert film celebrating the iconic rock band’s four-decade-long career. As Duran Duran’s first film, “A Hollywood High” was a huge deal for both the band and the fans, so the global hitmakers wanted to make the film a special experience best seen in theaters.
Mixed and mastered with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision for an immersive audio and visual experience, “A Hollywood High” presented an exciting opportunity for fans across the globe to share a unique live experience and see Duran Duran's spectacular concert from a front-row seat perspective.
Arranging a worldwide theatrical premiere is a monumental task, and Abramorama’s brand of "event cinema" and screenings, along with their expertise in documentary distribution and experience working with iconic musical acts, made them the ideal partner for this project.
As the exclusive marketing partner with Abramorama, SD Pros focused our efforts on marketing “A Hollywood High” to a global audience, maximizing reach, engagement and viewership for a worldwide theatrical release.
“I had the opportunity to work with Jacob and his team on Duran Duran’s ‘A Hollywood High’ film roll out. I’ve worked with the band for so long, and am used to collaborating with different people with much frequency, but SD Pros truly blew me away. From their knowledge, to their work ethic, to just how pleasant and fun they all were no matter what the circumstance, I can say with certainty that I do hope my path crosses with them again soon. A pleasure!”
— Katy Krassner, Duran Duran’s Marketing Director
Microsite
Marketing a Worldwide Premiere
From designing promotional graphics to targeting digital ads, there are so many facets that go into a marketing campaign for any film, however the core of every film project is the website. While Duran Duran had a website of their own, SD Pros began by creating a dedicated film website, fully-focused on driving ticket sales and directing fans to the nearest screenings in their respective areas.
Using the official poster for inspiration, we used Squarespace to quickly build a stunning, mobile-friendly website with fast load times, search engine optimization (SEO) and easy navigation. The simplicity of Squarespace allowed us to update theater listings and press on-the-fly, using striking colors, fonts and graphics, while conveying the energy of both the band and the film. Featuring the trailer on the homepage in an appealing way helped us capture the attention of site visitors and maintain the audience’s focus on theatrical screenings, while the Mailchimp integration helped us quickly build upon the band’s already engaged subscriber base.
Social Marketing
To kick off our social marketing efforts, we designed promotional graphics for each social channel and worked closely with the band to create copy in their distinctive tone and voice. Then, starting with the trailer premiere, we created geo-targeted ads for each theatrical market to increase viewership, followers and engagement, ultimately engineering a highly-targeted audience to drive box office sales around the globe. Implementing canvas ads, social ads and video ads helped us to reach every social media platform in the most effective way possible.
We utilized Duran Duran’s already extensive Mailchimp subscriber base to promote the film and its screenings through expertly-designed email newsletters, while collecting more subscribers via the film’s official website. This gave us a direct line of communication to their fan base without relying on social media algorithms and ads as the sole source of marketing.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with you and the top shelf humans at SD Pros as you produce first class work with an open and collaborative spirit. From our first collaboration with Dolly Parton to music films with Duran Duran, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Mr. Jimmy and our documentary Cosplay Universe to Lady With Fangs And A Moustache, the team at SD Pros continually delivers and engages audiences with results.”
— Evan Saxon
Head of Music Strategy & International Distribution,
Abramorama
Dolly Parton and Duran Duran Join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Success
Global Hitmakers Become a Cinematic Success
“A Hollywood High” premiered on November 3, 2022, in 34 countries worldwide. The premiere was such a great success that a series of encore screenings ran in select theaters throughout the following weeks around the globe, giving Duran Duran fans more opportunity to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary on the big screen.
Following the success of the film, the band’s status as rock and roll icons was further cemented as they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. Alongside Duran Duran, our longtime client and collaborator Dolly Parton was also inducted into the Hall of Fame on the very same night, making our team at S.D. Professionals very proud to be a trusted partner to these legendary names in entertainment!
