Sweety High is a digital media company that is best known for their focus on media aimed at “Gen Z Girls” that covers topics such as music, beauty, fashion, DIY, sports, and arts and entertainment. In February of 2017, they announced their collaboration with musical.ly to bring the series to the live-stream platform known as live.ly. As part of this partnership, Sweety High has agreed to launch a live-action variety show called “After The Bell” which will feature interviews with celebrities, performances and more.
Frank Simonetti, CEO and co-founder of Sweety High and Veronica Zelle CCO and co-founder of Sweety High recently discussed the brand, its mission, and its hopes for the future via an exclusive interview.
Meagan Meehan (MM) of Entertainment Vine: What kinds of content does Sweet High deal with as per the “lifestyle” title and how do you find your contributors?
Frank Simonetti (FS): We staff a team of female writers who cover everything from first crushes to first jobs, break down current trends, and highlight young women making an impact in their industries. We aim to provide editorial and video content that is relatable, fun, and aspirational for today’s tween and teen girl.
MM: You have partnered with huge companies, so how have these collaborations come about?
FS: Sweety High was founded on the unconditional belief that young girls are powerful tastemakers and the Gen Z demographic is finally receiving real weight amongst advertisers. We have been focused on this demo for the past five years and know these girls better than anyone. Working across entertainment, fashion, beauty, food, sports and DIY, Sweety High has partnered with Disney, NBCU, America’s Got Talent, Macy’s, Sony, Warner Brothers and Live Nation among many others. Approximately 80 million strong, Gen Z will soon become the largest generation on record, representing 40% of the US population by 2020. As the most tech-savvy, connected consumer group, they wield tremendous economic impact — influencing $600 billion in annual spending.
MM: You’re most recently partnership is with musical.ly’s live.ly platform so how did that come about and what’s is it like to work with them?
Veronica Zelle (VZ): Our decision to partner with musical.ly was a natural fit as our audiences are so closely aligned. We have embraced the culture of livestreaming and believe that it allows each viewer feel special and seen. Our daily live show, “After the Bell,” is also the highest-rated show with the highest retention rate on the platform.
MM: Your new series is called “After The Bell” so can you tell us a bit more about the show?
FS: Already reaching an audience of 300,000 to 400,000 viewers per week, “After the Bell” features Sweety High personalities Cassie DiLaura and Taylor Audette, who have reinvented the talk show into a live experience for a new generation of consumers. As live streaming has become a key growth area in engaging Sweety High’s audience, the series offers a new kind of relationship with the platform’s core fans, yielding mass interaction for almost an hour straight. musical.ly has put its might behind the partnership by placing “After the Bell” as a recommended series on its main page, scheduling the show in the coveted after school time slot, and pushing notifications to all users when the show is live.
MM: How did you think up the show’s plot and what can audiences expect from the storylines and characters?
VZ: After the Bell’ was envisioned as the ultimate variety show for this new generation. While many are just discovering the capabilities of musical.ly and their live platform, we’ve started integrating viewers and brands in ways we never could have even a year ago. It serves both the consumer and the advertiser with real time feedback.
MM: What are your company’s next projects and biggest goals for the future
FS: Sweety High aims to continue providing the best quality content and experiences to our growing audience.
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To learn more about Sweety High, visit their official website.
