Case Study IV
Record Store Day, Rock Label
A Film x Live Music Brand Experience
Partner: An independent Rock Label | Venue: 500+ Capacity, Nashville, TN | Event: Record Store Day
The Opportunity
Intended Activation Design
FANWRKS was approached by a major record label to design a film promotion activation tied to their upcoming feature release. The brief called for an immersive, on-the-ground experience that could drive awareness for the film while deepening fan connection with the artists tied to the project, all within the energy of a live music environment.
The label selected a well known Nashville club as the venue. The event was anchored to Record Store Day, a culturally significant moment in music retail and fan community, projected to draw 500+ attendees. A lineup of internationally touring rock bands was booked to perform, creating a natural stage for an activation that could organically blend film, music, and fan culture.
500+
projected attendees
2
Data Collection Sites
Record Store
Day
Anchor Event
The Concept
Storefront Concept with Hollywood Flats
FANWRKS' Role
Hollywood Flat:
A movable facade piece fully customizable to fit each design
FANWRKS developed a concept centered on a pop-up storefront activation inspired by the film's visual identity. The activation was designed to live in the venue's pre-show general admission space, transforming the time between door open and first set into an immersive brand moment.
Key creative elements included:
A custom storefront facade built to evoke the film's aesthetic, functioning as a photo-ready centerpiece and conversation starter
Branded giveaways and limited collectibles tied to the film, designed to drive organic social sharing
Fan data collection touchpoints embedded within the experience, capturing first-party information from a captive, highly engaged audience
Brand ambassador staffing trained on both the film's narrative and the artists on the bill, bridging film and music fan communities
Creative ideation for interactive moments tied to the live performance, extending the activation beyond a static display
FANWRKS handled the full scope of concept development and pre-production planning for this activation. Our work spanned creative strategy, physical production design, and operational planning from the ground up.
Creative Strategy:
Developed the shoe store concept from brief to full concept presentation, aligning the film's visual language with the live music environment at the club.
Set & Prop Design:
Designed the storefront facade and in-venue physical elements. Planned the layout to maximize fan traffic flow, photo opportunity density, and data capture touchpoints.
Set & Prop Design:
Designed the storefront facade and in-venue physical elements. Planned the layout to maximize fan traffic flow, photo opportunity density, and data capture touchpoints.
Fan Data Architecture:
Mapped out data collection mechanics designed to capture first-party fan data during the pre-show window, giving the label actionable audience intelligence from a high-intent crowd.
Built a full staffing blueprint including on site tour managers and 5 brand ambassadors trained on the client’s brand, the film's identity, and the event's goals.
Staffing Plan:
What Happened
Despite strong creative alignment between FANWRKS and the label, the activation did not move forward to execution. The decision was driven by two converging factors: timeline constraints that compressed the production window below what was needed to deliver at the standard we require, and budget considerations that did not accommodate the full scope of the designed experience.
FANWRKS made the call not to compromise on execution quality. Our standard is that every activation we deploy reflects the artist's brand at the highest level. A scaled-back, rushed execution would not have served the label, the film, or the fans in attendance.
What This Demonstrates
This project showcases FANWRKS' ability to work across both music and film, translating a brand narrative into a physical, live fan experience. The work done on this activation, from concept through production design, reflects the same capability we bring to every engagement:
Cross-industry fluency: bridging film promotion and live music fan culture
Concept-to-production speed: full creative development delivered in a compressed timeframe
Attention to brand integrity: every physical and experiential element designed around the partner's visual identity
Data-first thinking: fan data collection built into the experience from the start, not added as an afterthought
Operational discipline: the willingness to hold a quality standard rather than execute below it