A successful writer presenting his new novel to his fans in a legendary venue, accompanied by an Oscar-winning composer: a unique experience in the publishing world, made possible by the determination of the Vivendi group’s businesses.
A MADE IN VIVENDI PROMOTION
EDITIS X OLYMPIA X UNIVERSAL MUSIC X HAVAS X CANAL+
On November 18, 2019, an author found his name lit up in red on a theater billboard. This had never been seen before, it was a first for a writer – and yet, it seemed like such an obvious thing to do. Like singers, authors are artists, and their creations and universes produce fans who dream of meeting them.
Based on this original idea from BETC (Havas), an innovative project was born: “Harlan Coben & friends” was both a new take on book launches and a new way for a writer to meet his readers.
At Vivendi, we had all the talent required to set up this unprecedented event: the author through Editis, the legendary venue through Olympia, the creative team through BETC/Havas, the musician and composer through Universal Music Group, the production through A&R Studios, and a host for the evening through Canal+.
1,600 fans turned up to see Harlan Coben, who is king of the thriller, having sold over 75 million books worldwide. “Harlan Coben & friends” at the Olympia was an unprecedented reading experience, a chance for fans to discover the universe of his new novel Run away.
Accompanied by many special guests, Harlan Coben took the legendary Olympia stage by storm. Produced by A&R Studios (a creative agency belonging to Universal Music France) and hosted by Laurie Cholewa, a presenter on Canal+, the event saw the group Cocoon (belonging to the label Barclay) take to the stage for a mini concert, while Hildur Guðnadóttir, an Icelandic cellist and composer (Deutsche Grammophon), recently acclaimed for her work on the series Chernobyland on the filmJoker, also took to the stage to reveal her soundtrack to accompany the novelRun away, with Stéphane Varupenne of the Comédie Française reading excerpts of the novel, accompanied by its soundtrack.
To bring this exceptional evening to a close, Harlan Coben himself read a final passage from his novel, in time to the notes played live on stage by Hildur Guðnadóttir with her cello.
This unprecedented launch was a perfect illustration of both the natural bridges between Vivendi’s creative businesses and the group’s ability to support its talents so that their work is given the greatest possible reach.
