Friday, June 08, 2018

How To SLIMEFEST + Article Round-Up | #CrazyCarCam | Nickelodeon [Updated]

Get tips on how to make a delicious snack and what to pack for your road trip to the first-ever U.S. Nickelodeon SlimeFest with this aweslime video from Nickelodeon and Cinnamon Toast Crunch!:




From the Bristol Herald Courier's RedEye:

Q&A: Chicago native Kel Mitchell returns home for Nickelodeon SlimeFest

CHICAGO — This summer, a TV station will enter the music festival fray, as Nickelodeon debuts the stateside version of its SlimeFest Saturday and Sunday, which debuted overseas in 2012. The headliners include EDM artist Zedd, rapper/singer Flo Rida, former One Direction singer Liam Payne and YouTube personality JoJo Siwa.

But also on the bill are stars from several of Nickelodeon’s original series, including Kel Mitchell, native Chicagoan, onetime star of “Keenan and Kel” and current actor on “Game Shakers.” RedEye caught up with Mitchell before he came to town for SlimeFest to talk about his part in the festival, Keenan Thompson and more.

Q: How did you come about being on a music tour? What will you be doing on stage?

A: Yeah, so Nickelodeon SlimeFest started overseas in 2012, and it was such a big success that they decided to bring it to the U.S. It’s awesome: It’s slime and it’s obstacle courses — you know, all the stuff that kids love.

The way I’m coming in is that I have a show called “Game Shakers” on Nickelodeon, and I’ll be there with some of my cast members from the show. Fans can meet these actors they look up to and hang out at the meet-and-greet, hear some great music and get slimed along the way.

Q: I love that slime is still going on in 2018.

A: Right? Yeah, we’re still going strong with the slime, definitely.

Q: With “Game Shakers,” what has that been like as far as getting back to acting full time?

A: Well, we’re in our third season, which is awesome. I love it, man. It’s just a fun show. I get a play a hip-hop mogul, and it’s a fun gig.

I was still working in the industry producing, and I also moved into directing, doing things behind the camera and doing some voice-over work for a lot of cartoons as well. I love family entertainment, man. That’s what I’m all about.

Q: I’ve heard voice-over actors say that it is about as good of a gig as you think it is.

A: Yeah, it’s fun, man. Of course you can go in pajamas if you want to, because no one sees you personally. It’s just your voice. But it’s still some work though. In “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” I was T-Bone, and we had to get up and really act it out. You know, if the dog was barreling through something, you had to really sound like you were doing it. So we were like jogging in place in the studio (laughs).

So, yeah, the acting, for those voice-over actors, you still have to do it. It definitely does help.

Q: As someone who uses their hands a lot when they talk, I totally get it. You did a ton of work as a child actor, so I’m curious if or how that experience helps you at all when you’re working with kids on “Game Shakers.”

A: Oh yeah, of course. I experienced the same thing at the same age that they’re experiencing it now, so I’m always giving advice, telling them that this is a job, you know what I mean? To always have fun, to bring great energy. They call me Uncle Kel on set, because I’m just like that uncle who gives great advice, you know what I mean? (laughs)

Then, I play a father on the show, but I’m like the Uncle Jesse. I’m a cool dad character, so I’ll come in and say, “Hey, do this,” and walk off set. We have really fun episodes. The kids are great, and they take all the advice very well.

Q: I’m assuming having three kids of your own helps?

A: Oh yeah, definitely, being a dad. And it’s cool too, because I’m around kids all the time, so I’m learning all this new stuff, all new slang words and all the dance moves, you know? It keeps me young.

Q: Kids keep you on your toes for sure.

A: Yeah, man.

Q: I grew up with “Good Burger” and “All That,” so it was cool to see a lot of you get together recently on “Wild ‘n Out.” I’m curious what that was like.

A: It was an awesome time. Nick Cannon, he hit us up and was like, “Hey, I think this would be awesome, everybody getting together.” We had done a lot of stuff in the past, getting everyone together at different Comic Cons and stuff, and I’m a big fan of “Wild ‘n Out,” so I was like, “Oh yeah, let’s do this!”

It was funny, because no one knew that Keenan was going to actually come out on stage. I was hitting him up when I was out there, because every time I’m in New York, me and my wife go visit him and his wife and hang out, so I was like, “Hey, man, I’m about to be on ‘Wild ‘n Out,’ I’m only here for the two shows, then I’m going back to L.A., but I wanted to let you know.” And he was just like, “Yeah, just go hard. You’re all good. I’ll see you next time you’re in New York.”

We hit the stage, and then he just came out on stage, which was hilarious and surprised everybody. Like, Nick didn’t even know he was going to be there, either. It was a lot of fun. We keep in contact. We all grew up together, so when we all get together, it’s like a high school reunion, you know what I mean? (laughs)

Q: It’s cool that you guys still stay in touch, because when I told people my age I was talking to you, their first reaction was, “You gotta ask about ‘Good Burger’; you gotta ask about ‘Keenan and Kel.’”

A: Shout out to the fans that still love it. Like even today, when I go to any restaurant, I get the “Good Burger” spiel. They stop me everywhere talking about orange soda. And I embrace it — it’s all good. I love the fact that people enjoyed it and that they think we did a good job with the show.

Q-and-A’s are edited for length and clarity.

--Ends--

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Why Viacom Is Betting on SlimeFest, Clusterfest and Other Live Events

The company is expanding new revenue streams, with Comedy Central boss Kent Alterman saying live experiences for consumers help "solidify brand affinity."
Summer is the time for open-air theater, outdoor concerts, and … SlimeFest?!

The Nickelodeon event, which started in international markets in 2012 as a showcase for music acts, stars from the network and the channel's signature green slime, is making its U.S. debut in June, adding to a busy month of live events for Viacom that also includes Comedy Central’s second annual Clusterfest in San Francisco (June 1-3), VidCon in Anaheim (June 20-23) and the BET Experience in L.A. (June 21-23).

“We are ahead of our first-year projections," says Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon Group, about SlimeFest, which takes place in Chicago on June 9 and June 10 with musical performances from the likes of Liam Payne and Flo Rida. "Tickets are a near sell-out for the whole weekend, and sponsorships are completely sold,”

Viacom is looking to such events, some of them U.S. versions of international staples, to bring new revenue to the company as it looks beyond the subscriber, ratings and advertising challenges of its traditional TV networks business.

Bob Bakish mandated an expansion of live events, which include fan festivals, award shows and such shows as the touring Paw Patrol Live and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, which is up for 12 Tony Awards, as part of a push for growth in ancillary businesses, which also include recreation and consumer products, when he became Viacom’s permanent CEO in late 2016.

The new live events have added to such Viacom big-event U.S. mainstays as the MTV VMAs and Nick’s Kids’ Choice Awards and such popular international events as Isle of MTV, Nickelodeon's Slime Cup in Singapore and Day of Play Brazil, as well as Comedy Central's FriendsFest in the U.K. and Spain. And in February, Viacom acquired YouTuber convention and festival VidCon, whose first edition under Viacom ownership also takes place this month.

The events bring in revenue from such sources as licensing deals, ticket sales, sponsorships and merchandising. There are already early signs that the strategy is bearing fruit. The company’s total number of live events grew 102 percent in its latest fiscal year ended Sept. 30, with attendance going up 54 percent to about 2 million.

Viacom's ancillary revenue reached $280 million last fiscal year, with management targeting $350 million this year and $500 million-$600 million by 2020. That may only account for 2 percent of Viacom’s $13.3 billion in revenue last year, but it’s a notable growth segment.

Analysts have taken note, with UBS’s John Hodulik after the latest earnings report lauding Viacom’s “accelerating revenues from nontraditional businesses.”

“Not only do these businesses reinforce the brands from a consumer standpoint and create new revenue opportunities, but they also give us unique offerings to advertisers and distribution partners,” Bakish emphasized on Viacom’s most recent earnings call, highlighting that in the first calendar quarter, global events attendance doubled over the same quarter of 2017. “This is an exciting area, and we expect revenue in live events and recreation to nearly double” in the current fiscal year.

But Wall Street still focuses more on the ratings and cord-cutting pressures on Viacom’s traditional networks business. “Management remains focused on key initiatives as they work to dig out of a decade of poor operating performance,” said Guggenheim Securities analyst Michael Morris in a recent note. “While we see meaningful potential, we remain cautious given secular headwinds for ad-supported linear TV.”

Nickelodeon found that research supports the push into in-person experiences. "The majority, 66 percent, of today’s parents say their kids are their best friends and that spending time together and sharing entertainment experiences is a top priority," says Zarghami, highlighting that she wants to make SlimeFest the brand’s signature U.S. event. "Live experiences are a great avenue for feeding that need and helping to bring kids and their families closer together and closer to Nickelodeon."

Quality control of the brand in live experiences is key, she also emphasizes. "Hiring outside vendors and partnering with experts like Live Nation for Slimefest is, for example, important for scale and credibility in a new space," she says. "But we also created a new division at Nick to ensure that the translation of our brand is always done thoughtfully and in a high-quality way. The Nick Experience is our internal team who oversees our moves into live and real-world experiences, and their job is to ensure brand consistency and to make sure everything we do is playful and quality and fun."

BET is another Viacom network that has developed know-how with live events in the U.S. "The BET Experience was created to amplify the BET Awards and deepen the connection between our viewers and the content they love," says Scott Mills, president of BET Networks, ahead of the latest edition of the L.A. mainstay. "Now in its sixth year, the festival has grown in popularity and numbers, with 165,000 people attending each year for the last two years, and has galvanized consumers with the brand in organic ways, providing unbound access to talent, performances and one-of-a-kind activations."

Comedy Central is another Viacom network that has been expanding its live events business. Its second Clusterfest, which will feature Jon Stewart, Amy Schumer, Trevor Noah and the Wu-Tang Clan, among others, kicks off Friday. Among the popular experiental features that will make a comeback is a re-creation of the bar from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

"Bob made it one of the strategic imperatives that we get more involved in live events and find ways to connect directly with our fans in the real world and bring our brands to live," Comedy Central president Kent Alterman tells THR. "We have increasingly become more savvy digitally. But the ability to connect directly with fans in an immersive experience that they associate with us and our talent is a great thing and helps solidify brand affinity."

Importantly, feedback from last year's debut outing showed that "the experience was universally applauded" by fans and industry folks alike, Alterman emphasizes. "We just felt this ripple of feedback from talent and reps for months, including people who weren’t there."

In year two, he says Comedy Central had an easier planning process for Clusterfest thanks to the success of the first outing. "In year one, you are really asking talent to take a leap of faith with you," he explains. "It's much more of a known thing now, so the booking is easier." And ticket sales have been outpacing trends in the launch year.

With that in mind, Comedy Central plans to develop its live events business further over time. "We look at this as our starting point," says Alterman. "We see opportunity to keep expanding and do more."

--Ends--

From WGN-TV:

Zedd, Liam Payne, and Flo Rida headline first U.S. Nickelodeon SlimeFest



Kel Mitchell, known for his role on Nickelodeon's "All That" and comedy duo of "Keenan and Kel", talks to Larry and Robin about the debut of SlimeFest coming to Chicago, IL. Mitchell will be joined by his "Game Shakers" colleague at SlimeFest, while Breanna Yde and JoJo Siwa are some other expected headliners. Mitchell says the two-day event is like the well-known music festival, Coachella, but for kids and families.

Nickelodeon SlimeFest
Saturday and Sunday
Huntington Bank Pavillion at Northerly Island
http://Nickslimefest.com

--Ends--

From WBEZ:

Kel Mitchell And Nickelodeon Bring Slime To Chicago

Nickelodeon star Kel Mitchell will greet fans this weekend during an appearance at SlimeFest -- the Coachella for kids (And, OK, moms and dads too).

The Chicago native and star of the Nick show Game Shakers stopped by the Morning Shift Thursday to chat with Tony Sarabia about his early acting career, including his time on Kenan and Kel and All That.

So, what is SlimeFest? The two-day music festival is being held Saturday and Sunday at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island with performances from DJ and producer Zedd, rapper Flo Rida. And slime. Lots of slime.

In this interview, Mitchell talks about SlimeFest, his Chicago acting roots and how his big break was not on TV but on the back of a box of Cap'n Crunch cereal.

Slime, slime, slime (and music)
Tony Sarabia: So what is SlimeFest?

Kel Mitchell: It’s a cool fest where you can see musical acts that kids love. Flo Rida is going to be there and Zedd, the EDM artist. Liam Payne from One Direction, you know they’re all going in different directions now. They split up their doing their own thing. So he’ll be there and Jojo Siwa. The kids get to see musical guests, and then also there are obstacle courses there. And fun things to do for the kids all with slime involved. SlimeFest got started overseas around 2012.

Starting his acting career in Chicago
Tony: Was acting something you’ve always wanted to do?

Mitchell: You know what? It was something that I got into one summer. My parents kept me in the church and where we grew up there was also some kids going in the wrong direction. My parents were like we have to get this kid in the right thing, something positive. They sent me to eta Creative Arts Foundation and I studied under Runako Jahi. I had fun doing the summer camp and doing these plays. I was a bit of a class clown anyway. It was a way to channel that energy. Shout out to the arts and after school programs because it really changed my life.

Kenan and Kel, All That
Tony: How did All That happen, and that spin-off Kenan and Kel?

Mitchell: Yeah I remember the producers would see Kenan and I hanging out after we would film All That and in between breaks. And we were like brothers and we still are. And we would do all kinds of crazy jokes. And so a hiatus came up and they were like, well you know on this hiatus you all are not going back to your cities. We’re going to have you all stay and we’re going to shoot a pilot and we’re going to call it…actually it didn’t have a name at first. But they were like we’re creating a show about the two of you. And we were like, “Heck yeah let’s do this!”

Modeling for Cap'n Crunch
Tony: I didn’t realize you were just 14 when you started on All That back in 1994, but you don’t consider that your first big role?

Mitchell: No my first big role, I mean to me was modeling for Cap’n Crunch. I was on the back of the Crunch Berry box. They actually came to eta, the Cap’n Crunch crew. They said we want to take some pictures of kids and I got it. And they put me on the back of the box and I remember getting chased by girls. Like they had the box and they were screaming. I was signing Crunch Berry boxes. It was awesome. It was a fun time.

GUEST: Kel Mitchell, television and movie actor

--Ends--

From WGN-TV:

Forecast: 100% chance of slime for WGN meteorologist Morgan Kolkmeyer

CHICAGO — There's a 100 percent chance of slime in meteorologist Morgan Kolkmeyer's forecast!

Actor Kel Mitchell joined WGN Morning News on Thursday to promote Nickelodeon SlimeFest, which is coming to Chicago's Northerly Island June 9-10. In honor of SlimeFest, our very own Morgan Kolkmeyer took one for the team and got slimed.

For tickets and more information on the festival visit Nickelodeon SlimeFest website.















--Ends--

From abc7chicago.com:

Kel Mitchell talks career, Nickelodeon Slimefest



Chicago native and Nickelodeon star Kel Mitchell stopped by WCL to talk about his career and the upcoming Nickelodeon Slimefest.

He also played a trivia game with Ryan and Val - and they got slimed!



Nickelodeon Slimefest will be held June 9 and 10 at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. For information and tickets, visit: https://www.nickslimefest.com/

Nickelodeon SlimeFest is the first multi-day music festival for kids and families in the U.S. Featuring performances by Grammy-winning artist, DJ and producer Zedd, chart-topper Liam Payne, multi-platinum artist Flo Rida, and Lip Sync Battle Shorties and social media star JoJo Siwa, the two-day event will be held at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, Ill., on Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10. General admission and VIP tickets will be available beginning Tuesday, March 6, at 10 a.m. (CT) via www.nickslimefest.com.

Nickelodeon SlimeFest will also feature: appearances by Nickelodeon stars Kel Mitchell and Benjamin Flores Jr. (Game Shakers), Riele Downs and Ella Anderson (Henry Danger), Breanna Yde (School of Rock), and Daniella Perkins and Owen Joyner (Knight Squad); immersive one-of-a-kind experiences; and plenty of the network’s signature green slime.

More Nick: Nickelodeon's SLIMEFEST Returns To Blackpool This October | Nickelodeon UK!

Originally published: Wednesday, June 06, 2018.
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