Shaquille O'Neal to Host "The Shaq-tacular Spectacular," an Immersive VR New Year's Eve Countdown Special Available Across Meta Quest, Facebook, Instagram and Messenger's Watch Together
Featured Special Guests Include Cardi B, Killer Mike, Ludacris, Lil Yachty, Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek and more
Produced in Partnership with Meta by Westbrook Media, Media.Monks and Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legends Productions
The Shaq’tacular Spectacular, hosted by Shaquille O’Neal (DJ DIESEL), is filled with all-star musical acts, thrilling celebrity entertainment and an epic neon light performance complete with a DJ set from our party’s host!
Shaquille O’Neal said: “This year we’re ringing in 2023 with new experiences and connections. I’m excited to celebrate with some of my favorite artists and athletes in a way that you can enjoy with friends and family in VR across the world. From music, laughs and much more, we’re celebrating New Year’s Eve and welcoming 2023 with a spectacular party you won’t want to miss!”
The can’t-miss NYE countdown features performances by Cardi B, Ludacris, Lil Yachty, Killer Mike, WHIPPED CREAM and DJ DIESEL, along with additional special guest appearances by Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek. The exciting acts join Shaq center stage surrounded by a roller rink, basketball court and mainstage that’s filled with a marching band, cheerleaders, pro roller skaters, basketball players and fans inside the party.
The one-hour special is custom-made for VR, produced by Westbrook Media, Media.Monks and Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legends Productions.
The event will premiere in VR in Meta Horizon Worlds and on Meta Quest TV, as well as on Shaquille O’Neal’s Facebook and Instagram pages and Messenger’s Watch Together.
Starting Saturday, December 31, at 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET, fans can kick off the premium immersive VR experience in each time zone with a Meta Quest 2 headset to ring in the new year—interacting with friends as they dance and play games in their best NYE attire. Dance-offs in the show can be replicated by users on the dance floor in the virtual space. Don’t worry if you’re not able to join right when the party starts, as the show will be on an endless loop all night where you can join in at any time for the start of the celebrations.
Brad Haugen, President of Westbrook Media, said: “Virtual Reality has become such an exciting new way to experience and participate in and engage with entertainment and culture. We are thrilled to partner with Shaq, the team at Jersey Legends, Media.Monks and Meta and invite audiences to spend New Year’s Eve with some of their favorite performers and athletes in a way that truly allows them to feel like they are in the room too. The show has electrifying performances, hilarious and competitive games, and it’s been so fun for us to explore all that we can do in this space.”
Eric Shamlin, EVP Global Head of Entertainment, Media.Monks, commented: “We’re proud to partner with Westbrook Media and Meta on this—just one example of how great teamwork can deliver boundary pushing, immersive entertainment at the highest quality.”
The project marks the second VR collaboration between Westbrook Media and Meta.
Watch the first look here.
About Westbrook Media
Westbrook Media, the digital division of Westbrook Inc., is a best-in-class content studio that incubates and produces premium IP with talent, creators, and brands. From unscripted digital series to short form social videos and everything in between, Westbrook Media takes an innovative approach to storytelling by bridging traditional entertainment with emerging technologies, formats and artists. Recently the team created and produced Megan Thee Stallion’s Off Thee Leash and Charli vs. Dixie, with social media sensations, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio for Snapchat, the latest season of Exposure, the first-of-its-kind mobile device competition series, in partnership with Samsung, and the virtual reality visual album for Post Malone's Twelve Carat Toothache: A VR Experience in celebration of the singer-songwriter’s newest studio album.
About Media.Monks
Media.Monks, the digital-first operating brand of S4Capital plc, connects content, data & digital media and technology services across one global team built from the bottom up. Inspired by the connectivity and flexibility of technology APIs, a single-P&L model offers clients seamless access to a 9,000-strong team of multidisciplinary digital talent organized across 57 talent hubs in 32 countries. With an aim to win the decade, Media.Monks is leading brands into a new digital era—virtualization—defined by a continually evolving set of consumer behaviors and a redefined relationship with the digital touchpoints in our lives. Media.Monks partners with some of the world’s most innovative companies, top tech brands and up-and-coming DTC and B2B brands, helping them own their data, transform their digital marketing and build customer ecosystems through both custom and enterprise technology solution-enabled experiences.
About Jersey Legends
Jersey Legends was created by Shaquille O’Neal as a brand development, marketing and entertainment company. Since their inception in 2020, Jersey Legends has successfully navigated all the entertainment industry’s landscape highlighted by a thriving commercial production unit that provides in-house production support for content and high-end creations for O’Neal and other talent driven clients. The approach gives turn-key solutions for brand partners to operate with a tighter production schedule, while allowing talent to be more involved in the creative process. Additionally, O’Neal has grown the brand to a prolific multi-media company that also develops and produces original scripted and unscripted television, feature films, animated series, and podcasts with the mission of creating unique content that inspires and provokes thought.
