Student Industry Experience: Assisting Rizer at HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry Immersive Event

WORDS BY NFC STUDENT, MICHELLE GIGLIO

I recently had the amazing opportunity to assist the Rizer agency group with their event screening of the new HBO series, ‘IT; Welcome to Derry’. The immersive experience allowed fans to step into a world of horror, to celebrate the release of the show in Australia!

The whole experience was incredible; it allowed me to gain first hand experience seeing and supporting the set up of a major event. From the moment I first arrived, I was directed around the theatre and received a rundown of the decorative elements as well as the finer details for the night of the event. 

The planning of the night was so intricate; I was amazed by the level of detail and effort the team were putting in for fans of IT. When I first arrived, I could feel a sense of eeriness, especially with the venue acting as an extension of the storyline for episode 1, with the events of the plot taking place in a cinema.

Over the two days of assisting, I was given many creative tasks to enhance the atmosphere of the theatre. From decorating the candy bar with jarred lollies and organising the display, to individually decorating 275 theatre seats with folded blankets, glasses and a pacifier to add to the immersive experience in the theatre. I was also able to plaster the halls, bathrooms and other walls with posters. I even had to graffiti the bathroom stalls, not to mention the hundreds of popcorn boxes that needed to be built then filled for the night!

It was so exciting to see the event come together, it all looked even better than expected! The highlight for me was definitely being able to attend the event after helping. Seeing all the work that goes into an event such as this was truly incredible, and to see the end result was so special. I'm so grateful to have had the support from the lovely Rizer group team, not to mention the outstanding help of the NFC team who allowed me to participate in this experience.

SEE MORE FROM THE “IT: WELCOME TO DERRY” IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: