Coachella 2023 Case Study — Forward Studio

Forward serves as Coachella’s in house innovation and business development agency.

The programs we produce together use new technologies to scale the Coachella experience online and around the world, enable artists to reach new audiences, increase revenue, and advance Coachella’s position as one of the most innovation brands in live entertainment.

We build profitable new programs, partnerships, IP, and experiences for Coachella and it’s audience, working with some of the largest brands in the world along the way

At a Glance…

Gaming

We partnered with Fortnite and Alliance to scale the festival experience online with Coachella Island on Fortnite to offer innovative music experiences to millions of fans
Mobile AR

We partnered with Meta, Niantic and over 22 independent creators to craft over 13 effects for artists like BLACKPINK, Tobe Nwigwe, Becky and more
Broadcast AR

We scaled the broadcast AR program with Epic Games, Six Degrees, and All of It Now to deliver live AR moments for Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and the Gorillaz for millions of livestream viewers
Community

We partnered with Discord, hosted 15 AMAs with festival artists and established a year-round home for Coachella’s global community as the largest live music server on the platform
Transmedia Marketing

We introduced the Mirage, our core narrative tool, to create a cohesive brand experience that transcends the physical and digital realms.
AI

We brought our own custom bot to the Coachella Discord server allowing Coachella fans to create new IP and stories for Coachella’s worldbuilding

Partners

The Mirage Is Born

Through The Mirage, we wrote, directed, and produced premium content grounded in the ethos of the festival to introduce this new world, its origins, and its place within our reality. Each release in our Origin Story series coincided with the release of a new AR experience, showcasing the new effects within the real-world to establish its narrative context in a first-of-its-kind transmedia marketing campaign.