Winner Spotlight: Legendary (HBO Max)
Legendary (HBO Max)
Winning Agency: Hearts & Science
2022 Award of Excellence: Social – Community Building & Engagement (Content & Marketing)
Legendary is an American reality TV competition series exploring the world of voguing in LGBTQIA+ ballroom culture. Originally airing on HBO Max from May 2020 until December 2022, the series follows representatives from eight Ballroom Houses as they compete through nine rounds of fashion and dance challenges in the hopes of winning a $100,000 prize. In order to make this fledgling show a hit, Hearts & Science Agency needed to generate excitement and engagement among the LGBTQIA+ community that first created and developed Ballroom culture into the cultural force it is today.
A social media campaign was established that encouraged followers to try voguing via a viral dance challenge. Cross-promotion was established among a network of influencers that reached 2.8 million people. A series of Paper Magazine digital cover images were shot featuring the show’s contestants, receiving over 451,000 page views. The social media #LegendaryChallenge campaign videos received 3.7 billion views on TikTok, 429% above benchmark with over 1 million video responses to the campaign.
In July 2020, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season. On January 31, 2023, after HBO Max’s cancellation of the show following its third season, it was announced that Legendary would be released on The Roku Channel and Tubi moving forward.
