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PWKND22 PRESS

Mayor Eric Adams and Paley CEO Maureen Reidy Announce PaleyWKND - A Live, NYC Celebration Featuring Experiences from the Worlds of Major League Sports, Blockbuster Entertainment, Family Programming, Media, and Gaming

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Tens of Thousands of New Yorkers and visitors expected to attend this family-friendly, free and open to the public, once-in-a-lifetime New York City celebration from Saturday, October 1 to Sunday, October 2, kicking off with an opening night celebration on Friday, September 30 at The Paley Museum

Frank A. Bennack, Jr. chairs powerhouse PaleyWKND Host Committee of the media industry’s and New York’s most prominent leaders with Mayor Adams showing strong support and serving as Honorary Chair

NEW YORK, August 11, 2022 – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and The Paley Center for Media President & CEO Maureen Reidy today announced the first-ever PaleyWKND, a live, immersive, once-in-a-lifetime, family-friendly, free and open to the public celebration in the heart of midtown Manhattan. The ultimate media, sports, gaming, and entertainment festival, PaleyWKND is expected to draw tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to The Paley Museum from Saturday, October 1 through Sunday, October 2, 2022, kicking off with an opening night celebration on Friday, September 30.

PaleyWKND will feature exciting, entertaining, and educational attractions and experiences both inside and outside The Paley Museum as Paley takes over 52nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues for the weekend. Chairman of The Paley Center for Media and Executive Vice Chairman and former CEO of Hearst Frank A. Bennack, Jr. chairs the powerhouse PaleyWKND host committee of the media industry’s and New York’s most prominent business leaders, with Mayor Adams serving as Honorary Chair. 

“I’m excited to stand with The Paley Center and announce PaleyWKND this fall,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “This will be an incredible event for all New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy, and only further solidifies New York as the greatest city in the world when it comes to culture and cultural opportunities. PaleyWKND will also help bolster our economic recovery after two years of a pandemic. New York City is back, and we can feel the energy!”

“We are thrilled to have Mayor Adams serve as the honorary chair for the PaleyWKND Host Committee, joining an amazing group of extraordinary leaders from New York and across the media industry,” said Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Chairman of The Paley Center for Media and Executive Vice Chairman and former CEO of Hearst. “The Paley Center leads the global discussion about the cultural, creative, and social significance of media and entertainment, and what members and fans will see and experience during PaleyWKND represents the marquee, quality content this renowned institution brings to the public every day within the walls of its distinguished museum.”

“PaleyWKND is the ultimate media, sports, gaming, and entertainment festival offering once-in-a-lifetime, memorable experiences for little kids, big kids and kids at heart,” said Maureen Reidy, President & CEO of The Paley Center for Media. “A tribute to New York and the first-of-its-kind celebration of all things media and entertainment, PaleyWKND is sure to take its place as a can’t-miss, must-attend event this fall.”

PaleyWKND is an exciting collaboration of The Paley Center, over two dozen world class companies and iconic media brands, and strongly supported by the City of New York. The event will bring an incredible array of interactive experiences and immersive attractions from the exciting worlds of media, sports, gaming, and entertainment, taking over The Paley Museum and its entire 52nd Street block between 5th and 6th Avenues from October 1-2. The festival is a tribute to New York City and celebrates the return to in-person programming, production, and events as the nation and the world emerge from this once-in-a-century pandemic. The event is free to the public; guests can walk up to enter or reserve their tickets for timed entry at www.PaleyWKND.org. 

“NYC & Company applauds The Paley Center for Media on the creation of PaleyWKND, a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity for locals and visitors to immerse themselves in a thoughtfully curated celebration of media, entertainment and sports that could only happen in NYC,” said Fred Dixon, President & CEO of NYC & Company. “This weekend event is sure to be a draw, attracting visitors, spending and further boosting our robust tourism recovery.”

A signature experience at PaleyWKND will be the first-time-ever public opportunity to see the “Crown Jewels of Sports” together, when all four major sports championship trophies will be displayed inside the museum. Visitors will be able to take photos with the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup, Major League Baseball’s Commissioner’s Trophy, the National Basketball Association’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, and the National Football League’s Vince Lombardi Trophy. Football gridirons, basketball courts, batting cages, soccer fields and race cars will expand the sporting experience as professional leagues from the world’s most popular sports provide fans with interactive and fun gameday experiences.

Photo ops with A-list celebrities, iconic athletes, renowned sportscasters, primetime newscasters, celebrity social media influencers, and the hottest gamers will take place throughout the weekend. The world of gaming will level up with the hottest new titles, video game lounges and e-sports tournaments from Nintendo, XBOX, EA Sports, and Take-Two Interactive. Young guests can be Slimed by Nickelodeon, unleash the play in the Nerf blaster zone with Hasbro, catch a sneak preview of the latest Barbie animated series with Mattel, craft with American Girl and meet beloved larger-than-life animated characters from favorite stories and series.

Fans can preview Meta’s Metaverse, exploring New York City and the universe through augmented reality and virtual reality, and everyone can become a primetime news anchor or talk show host with pop-up studios presented by Bloomberg.

Throughout the weekend, Paley Center members will enjoy VIP access with exclusive members-only hours; fast-track priority lanes; exclusive celebrity, athlete, and character meet-and-greets; as well as an invitation to the Red Carpet Preview Cocktail Reception, which kicks off the event on Friday, September 30. The Paley Center invites all New Yorkers and visitors to officially join its special membership community and enjoy these and other benefits year-round.

The initial lineup of organizations and companies at PaleyWKND includes Altice Optimum, AMC/AMC+, Bloomberg, EA Sports, ESPN, FOX, Fremantle, Hasbro, Hearst, Mattel & American Girl, Meta, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, NBC Sports, New York Red Bulls, National Football League, National Hockey League, Nickelodeon, Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive Software, Telemundo, TelevisaUnivision, Warner Bros. Discovery, World Surf League, and XBOX.

The host committee currently includes Cris Abrego, Banijay and Endemol Shine Holdings; Alfonso de Angoitia, TelevisaUnivision; Bela Bajaria, Netflix; Robert M. Bakish, Paramount Global; David Baszucki, Roblox; Brandon Beck, Riot Games; Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate Television Group; Greg Berlanti, Berlanti Productions; Gary B. Bettman, National Hockey League; Adam Bird, McKinsey & Company; Andy Bird, CBE Pearson; Casey Bloys, HBO / HBO Max; Aryeh B. Bourkoff, LionTree LLC; Robert A. Boyd II, Tyler Perry Studios; Campbell Brown, Meta; Dave Brown, Fastbreak Sports; Gerry Byrne, Penske Media Corporation; George Cheeks, CBS / Paramount+; Agnes Chu, Condé Nast Entertainment; Adriana Cisneros, Cisneros; Charlie Collier, FOX Entertainment; Cesar Conde, NBCUniversal; Steve Cooper, Warner Music Group; Eddy Cue, Apple, Inc.; Wade Davis, TelevisaUnivision; Anne del Castillo, New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (ex officio member); Fred Dixon, NYC & Company; Daniel L. Doctoroff, Target ALS; Brendon Donohue, NBA2K League; Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. Television Group; Tami Erwin, Verizon; Cristiana Falcone, JMCMRJ Foundation; Mike Fries, Liberty Global; Dexter Goei, Altice USA; Roger Goodell, National Football League; Johnny Green, WCBS; Sharon Greenberger, YMCA; Robert Greenblatt; Ari Greenburg, WME; Judy Hart-Angelo; Paige Hayes, PwC; Alberto Ibargüen, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Robert A. Iger; Matt Johnson, Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Kole; John H. Josephson, SESAC; Mel Karmazin; Michael E. Kassan, MediaLink; Jeffrey Katzenberg, WndrCo; Courtney A. Kemp, End of Episode Productions; David Kenny, Nielsen; Jason Kilar; Charles D. King, MACRO; Steve King, Publicis Groupe; Henry A. Kissinger, Kissinger Associates, Inc.; Philippe Krakowsky, Interpublic Group; Ynon Kreiz, Mattel, Inc.; Robert Kyncl, YouTube; Steve Lafferty, CAA; John Landgraf, FX Networks & FX Productions; Jim Lanzone, Yahoo, Inc.; Mark Lazarus, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming; Debra Lee, Leading Women Defined, Inc.; Isaac Lee, EXILE Content; Keith Le Goy, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Lew Leone, FOX5; Eric Lerner, WNBC; Marne Levine, Meta; Lynn Lewis, UM; Dick Lippin, The Lippin Group; Erik Logan, World Surf League; Chris MacDonald, McCann; Dan McDermott, AMC Networks; Kirk McDonald, GroupM North America; Chris McDonnell, WPIX; Robert D. Manfred, Jr., Major League Baseball; Paulo Marinho, Grupo Globo; Maire Mason, Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc.; Crystal McCrary, Producer, Director, & Author; Jonathan Miller, Integrated Media Company; Daniel L. Mosley, William S. Paley Foundation; Jennifer Mullin, Fremantle; Lachlan Murdoch, FOX; David Nevins, Showtime / Paramount+; Katherine Oliver, Bloomberg Associates; Connie Orlando, BET; Dawn Ostroff, Spotify; William C. Paley, 2023 LLC; Mary Parent, Legendary Entertainment; Tina Perry, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network; Tyler Perry, Tyler Perry Studios; James Pitaro, ESPN; Marc Pritchard, The Procter & Gamble Company; Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Vivendi; Shari Redstone, Paramount Global; Peter Rice; Brian Robbins, Paramount; Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod Corp.; Susan Rovner, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming; Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment; Faiza J. Saeed, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; Ricardo B. Salinas, Grupo Salinas; Jennifer Salke, Amazon; Josh Sapan, AMC Networks; Philip W. Schuman, FTI Consulting; Robert B. Schumer, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Cristina Schwarz, Telemundo 47/WNJU; Stanley S. Shuman, Allen & Company LLC; Adam Silver, National Basketball Association; Edward Skyler, Citi; Michelle Sneed, A Few Good Women Productions, LLC; Phil Spencer, Microsoft; Evan Spiegel, Snap Inc.; Phillip Sun, M88; Zack Van Amburg, Apple, Inc.; Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn Corporation; Sherrie Rollins Westin, Sesame Workshop; Andrew Wilson, Electronic Arts; Tina Wilson, Nielsen; Jennifer Witz, SiriusXM; Dick Wolf, Wolf Entertainment; Michael Wright, EPIX / MGM; David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.; Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

The Paley Center for Media would like to thank its supporters: 161st Street BID, Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID, and the Grand Central Partnership.

 

PaleyWKND Initial Lineup

October 1-2, 2022

The Initial Lineup of Programs and Experiences Currently Includes:

Professional Sports League Championship Trophies – The Crown Jewels of Sports

For the first time ever as part of a public exhibit, all four major professional sports league championship trophies will be on display inside the Museum for special photo opportunities: 

  • National Hockey League: Stanley Cup®
    • Major League Baseball: Commissioner’s Trophy
    • National Basketball Association: Larry O’Brien Trophy
    • National Football League: Vince Lombardi Trophy

National Football League (NFL)

Do you have what it takes to be a future NFL player? Find out at PaleyWKND as the NFL brings the NFL experience to 52nd Street! Join in skills and drills on a mini turfed field, take a photo of The Vince Lombardi Trophy and view the full collection of all 56 Super Bowl Rings up close!

 

National Hockey League (NHL)

The Stanley Cup® to be Displayed at The Paley Center

The National Hockey League will display the prestigious Stanley Cup® at the Spielberg Gallery as part of a special one-of-a-kind exhibition. Get your photos taken with your favorite trophy.

Meta

Preview the metaverse and take a trip to where the physical and virtual worlds collide at PaleyWKND! Meta Immersive Learning (MIL) will take you on an immersive journey featuring mind-blowing AR (Augmented Reality) & VR (Virtual Reality) experiences which take you from the streets of New York to the vast expanse of the universe! 

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon brings its signature Slime and beloved shows to an interactive fan experience for kids and families! From photo ops that take fans into Nickelodeon’s beloved preschool series, including Blue’s Clues & You!, and Santiago of the Seas, to one-of-a-kind experiences that immerse fans in the worlds of hit shows such as That Girl Lay Lay, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan, and NFL Slimetime, to bestowing Nickelodeon’s greatest honor of getting Slimed…kids will have the Slime of their life at this truly interactive exhibit.

Fremantle – “The Price is Right”

Come on down! as Fremantle brings “The Price Is Right” to PaleyWKND! Fremantle celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the iconic “THE PRICE IS RIGHT” by bringing a celebration of television’s longest running game show to PaleyWKND. Fans can play the games, spin the Big Wheel and more on the Come On Down Tour bus.

Major League Baseball (MLB)

MLB Creates “Dream Playing Field” for Fans and Kids at PaleyWKND

Put your MLB baseball athleticism to the test! Show off your swing and fielding skills! Kids and fans will get to PLAY BALL in special MLB batting and fielding cages. Along with giveaways, MLB guests and talent will be on hand for surprise appearances and meet-and-greets.

NINTENDO

Play it at PaleyWKND – fans get hands-on time with Nintendo Switch Sports and Splatoon 3! Nintendo will have a gaming tent where fans can enjoy some of its recent games and view game trailers.

Hasbro

Hasbro Brings Super-Sized Fun with Fan-Favorite Games & Nerf Blaster Zone

Kids can play with Hasbro’s most popular games and toys including oversized versions of Operation and Connect 4 games, and a giant Nerf blaster zone where people of all ages can get active and unleash the play with NERF blasters.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

The NBA and WNBA Bring Basketball to 52nd Street

Get your hoop on courtesy of the NBA and WNBA at PaleyWKND! Two basketball courts right on 52nd street will immerse kids and families in the fun of honing their dribbling, passing and shooting skills alongside members of the NBA family during Jr. NBA Basketball Clinics! 

Mattel & American Girl

Be among the very first audiences to experience episodes from the second half of Season1 of Mattel’s Barbie: It Takes Two, on the Big Screen at PaleyWKND!  Join Malibu & Brooklyn on fun-filled adventures that take them from the beach to the big city!  And while you’re here, enter the world of American Girl!  Bring your favorite American Girl doll to the party and enjoy exclusive, character-themed D.I.Y. crafting experiences, American Girl prize giveaways, and more!

NASCAR/NBC Sports

NASCAR and NBC SPORTS bring high-speed thrills to PaleyWKND! Get an up close and personal look at NASCAR's latest mind-boggling innovation, the Next Gen car. See the Bill France Cup, the legendary trophy awarded to each year’s NASCAR Cup Series champion, and if you’re feeling like a race car driver yourself, you can get behind the wheel and take to the track in one of NASCAR's virtual iRacing simulators!

National Hockey League (NHL)

NHL Stanley Cup to be Displayed at The Paley Center

The National Hockey League will display the prestigious Stanley Cup at the Spielberg Gallery as part of a special one-of-a-kind exhibition. Get your photos taken with your favorite trophy.

FOX

The worldwide TV phenomenon The Masked Singer comes to PaleyWKND in all its sequined, spangled, razzle-dazzle glory!  Join favorite characters from FOX’s #1 series including “The Sun” in exploring the show’s most iconic looks with fun photo-ops and more!

Hearst

Hearst Media Production Group presents “Innovation Nation,” with Mo Rocca and Young Inventors on the PaleyWKND Main Stage, showcasing change-makers creating solutions for real needs in our communities.

Join Maile Carpenter, author of Food Network Magazine’s bestselling “RECIPE-A-DAY” KIDS COOKBOOK, for demos, tastings and prizes. Learn easy techniques for young chefs creating fun food at home, including leaf cookies and a veggie plate that looks like a garden! 

EA Sports

EA SPORTS brings Madden NFL 23 and other hot, new releases to The Paley Center.

ESPN

Celebrate the Power of Sports with ESPN! Fans can join in the fun with inclusive interactive sports activities and create fun social media images for immediate digital sharing with your friends.

XBOX

Xbox joins PaleyWKND for Saturday and Sunday with games and giveaways!

TelevisaUnivision

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with TelevisaUnivision and experience specially curated screenings and more.

New York Red Bulls

Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls freestylers bring their soccer skills to PaleyWKND, demonstrating tips and tricks on the Main Stage. Fans can also test their aim with an interactive “One Touch” soccer accuracy challenge.

Warner Bros. Discovery

Home to many of the most iconic brands, franchises and characters in the history of entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery will be screening their latest and most anticipated titles at PaleyWKND.

Bloomberg

Watch Bloomberg TV & Radio in action at a custom pop-up news studio! Try your skills at anchoring your own newscast! Attendees can learn how to make a newscast and radio broadcast at Bloomberg’s custom News & Radio desk.

Telemundo

For Hispanic Heritage Month, watch one of the brilliant Super Series™ that Telemundo has brought to screens around the world.  Get an intimate look at some glamorous fashion from behind the scenes and celebrate shows that have captured the hearts and minds of millions of viewers. 

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

Level up with Take-Two Interactive’s hottest titles! Join Take-Two Interactive at PaleyGX and experience cutting edge game play with NBA2K, WWE2K and more!

World Surf League

See how the World Surf League is progressing the sport of competitive surfing at PaleyWKND! Experience all the moments from the world's best surfers and the world's best waves as they blaze a new era of surfing.

AMC/AMC+

AMC/AMC+’s mold breaking, genre defying, and premier storytelling hits the big screen at PaleyWKND with preview screenings of some of their most popular series and anticipated shows!

Altice/Optimum a brand of Altice USA

Altice USA’S Optimum & Lightpath Powers Up 5G Fiber Internet at PaleyWKND!  

Experience ultra-fast 100% fiber internet connectivity thanks to Paley’s partnership with Lightpath Fiber and Optimum Fiber.

 

Events and participants subject to change.

 

About The Paley Center for Media   

The Paley Center for Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has proudly made its home in NYC for over 45 years and operates the iconic Paley Museum. Through its respected programming, The Paley Center leads the discussion about the cultural, creative, and social significance of media, drawing upon its curatorial expertise, an international collection, and close relationships with the media community. The general public can participate in Paley programs in both New York and Los Angeles that explore and celebrate the creativity, the innovations, the talent and the leaders who are shaping media. The public can also access the Paley Center's permanent media collection, The Paley Archive, often referred to as a national treasure, containing over 160,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Through the global programs of its Media Council and International Council, the Paley Center also serves as a neutral setting where media professionals can engage in discussion and debate about the evolving media landscape. Previously known as The Museum of Television & Radio, The Paley Center was founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, a pioneering innovator in the industry.

 

For more information, please visit www.PaleyWKND.org

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