who understands the importance of viral marketing, it’s Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu.
At WIRED’s Big Interview event in San Francisco, the onetime YouTuber and Crazy Rich Asians director said that working with acts like Justin Bieber taught him the value of connecting with fans online during the creation process. While directing Bieber’s concert film, Never Say Never, in the late aughts, Chu said the then-14-year-old star used Twitter to introduce Chu to fans. After Bieber posted a clip joking that the director was following him around on set, Chu told WIRED’s senior culture editor, Manisha Krishnan, he began to watch his online followers grow by tens of thousands of people almost instantly, something that really drove home the power of direct connection with a fan base.
Working with Bieber, Chu said, made him realize that “the story is being told before you even start shooting, and after you’re done with the movie, you have to continue that story.” That’s why he believes fans have felt so invested in Wicked—and its sequel, Wicked: For Good—and why the movie’s marketing and press tours have leaned so heavily on the relationships built by the cast while filming.
Bonds, like the one between stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, came from the immense pressure the crew felt to make something not only great but also bankable. “We only had each other, so we’re very, very bonded,” Chu said, likening the relationship to that of Silicon Valley developers working long hours together to deliver a new product.
Photograph: Annie Noelker
Photograph: Annie Noelker
