Character Project is USA Network’s ongoing artistic initiative committed to celebrating America’s characters. This year, USA commissioned 8 filmmakers to create a short film that explores the theme of character from their own unique perspective.

The Character Project campaign was supported off-channel via a multimedia strategy including national print (Entertainment Weekly and The New Yorker), out-of-home (subway two-sheets and Taxi TV), digital (banners and search) and an aggressive social media presence. To increase reach, USA aligned itself with Vanity Fair to showcase these films in-book, online and at special première screenings in New York City and Los Angeles. The centrepiece was a 10-page foldout in Vanity Fair’s July issue.

USA Network treated the launch of Character Project like the première of an original series, dedicating its airwaves through promos and sneak peeks to drive awareness, interest and digital sampling. The Character Project digital hub launched on May 13th on characterproject.usanetwork.com and featured all of the films along with bonus materials.

The Character Project campaign was supported off-channel via a multimedia strategy including national and local print, out-of-home, digital and an aggressive social media presence. USA aligned itself with Vanity Fair to showcase these films in-book in a 10-page foldout, online and at special première screenings in NYC and LA.

In addition to streaming the films online, thousands of fans experienced free screenings within the Mobile Capsule units, which offered the style and spectacle of a contemporary art installation. The campaign generated hundreds of millions of impressions and received positive recognition in the press, while the films garnered film festival awards. The website characterproject.usanetwork.com received over 1m page views, over 285m impressions in the press, and over 775m impressions overall. Most importantly, the films reinforced USA Network's brand positioning with its core audience while creating an audience with film enthusiasts and influencers who hadn't been previously familiar with the network.