WeWork has spent over $40 million to host the Creator Awards, it’s startup pitch competitions around the world that it hopes to take it to the silver screen.
The coworking firm teamed up with Ashton Kutcher to pitch a television show to NBC, coined the Creator Awards, which would be similar to Shark Tank.
Essentially, camera crews would follow contestants around to each events until the final event, where CEO Adam Neumann serves as a judge and performances include well-known artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers.
But as the company prepares for its highly anticipated initial public offering, the project remains on hold.
WeWork is known for its flashy marketing, and a potential television show proves just that. In fact, the company also explored a collaboration with esteemed Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese. WeWork hoped to hire Scorsese to direct videos to promote the brand over the summer.
It is clear that WeWork’s M.O. is to market itself as a lifestyle brand, as well as a technology business for its potential Wall Street investors. The upcoming IPO is anticipated to one of the biggest this year, just after Uber, and is expected to run alongside a $6 billion debt facility.
