From the Nominator

NEC Studio Sessions is an innovative digital performance series that showcases the artistry, individuality, and diverse musicality of New England Conservatory of Music students. Created in-house by NEC’s marketing team, the series blends high-caliber performance with personal storytelling, offering students a platform to share the inspiration behind their music and foster a deeper audience connection. Designed to engage prospective students, families, music educators, industry professionals, donors, and alumni, Studio Sessions is strategically distributed across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, NEC newsletters, and embedded news features, maximizing reach and engagement. A defining feature is its customizable backdrop, designed in collaboration with a Massachusetts College of Art and Design student, ensuring each session has a visually unique and immersive aesthetic. This cross-disciplinary approach reinforces NEC’s commitment to artistic innovation. Beyond performances, Studio Sessions serves as a gateway for audiences to explore NEC’s breadth of artistry, introducing them to new genres, instruments, and emerging artists in an accessible, digital-first format. The series earned 5.5% of NEC’s total YouTube views, with more than 32,000 views, 3.5% of total YouTube watch time, totaling 1,484 hours (62 days), 4.2% of total new YouTube subscribers, driving audience growth, 4.5% of total YouTube impressions, expanding NEC’s visibility, and 336,000 social media video views across 123 posts, generating 15,800 interactions. As the only conservatory leading a performance series of this scale, Studio Sessions sets a new benchmark for innovative digital storytelling in the arts.

From the Judges

We were highly impressed with the immense effort and coordination evident in the production of these compelling video sessions. We highlighted the innovative storytelling and strong media components that effectively engaged prospective students, likening the approach to popular intimate performance formats. The campaign's scalability, demonstrated high-impact results, and well-presented outcomes set a new benchmark, truly delivering on its promises. The sophisticated media and storytelling particularly stood out to us.