How to De-Age the Oscars with Amelia Dimoldenberg

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New series, streaming March 14th, only on Paramount Plus. It is Friday, March 13th. It's a question I hear a lot, and you probably do too. Do young people care about the Oscars?

I know that's a question, the Academy debates a lot.

“And specifically, how to get more Gen Z and even young millennials”

who grew up on YouTube and their phones and seeing celebrities all the time and not necessarily going to the multiplex every weekend to care about the movies enough to tune into Hollywood's annual commercial for itself.

In recent years, the Academy has started adding more influencers to the press invites. They beefed up their social media presence. And for the first time last year, the show streamed live on Hulu in addition to airing on ABC,

amazing, it took that long.

So largely because the younger audience on streaming and mobile is watching online, and the show's ratings actually improved last year to 19.6 million viewers, a post-pandemic high, still lower than pre-pandemic, but more encouraging, the show was up 19% among adults 18 to 49 per Nielsen.

And among adults, 18 to 34, the improvement was 28%. Of course, the Academy recently agreed to move the entire show to YouTube in 2029, in part, yes, to help reach that younger demo. One of those efforts to de-age the 98-year-old show is Amelia Demoldenberg.

She's the popular host of Chicken Shop Date on YouTube. She's got more than 3 million followers there. Tons more on other platforms. And she's now in her third year as the social media ambassador and red carpet correspondent for the Oscars.

She's basically the official interviewer for the show. She gets a nice spot on the red carpet. She posts videos and the lead-up to the show. She's got a new one with Conan O'Brien that just posted. I thought it'd be a nice opportunity to have her on the town

to talk about her role for the Oscars. And her ideas for making the show more relevant to young people. Plus her own business, as I top creator, and how she's planning to transition that into more traditional movies and TV.

So today, it's a bonus episode with Amelia Demoldenberg and how to make young people care about the Oscars. From the ringer and puck, I'm that Melanie, and this is the town. [MUSIC PLAYING] OK, we are here with Amelia Demoldenberg,

who is the official social media ambassador and red carpet correspondent of the Oscars.

Third year in a row for that.

Am I correct? You are correct. That time's a charm. I've seen you on the red carpet before, but it just means you are the official person

that everybody has to talk to on behalf of the Academy. Exactly, yeah. Because I think in years previous, the social media ambassador maybe didn't do the red carpet hosting. OK.

“And I think that maybe that's why I'm bringing to the table.”

That's my skill set. So yeah, I added in the title of red carpet correspondent, as well, because I wanted it just to be clear that that's what I'm doing. I'm not just going to be going running around like--

posting TikToks. Exactly. Even though we do love that, I'm there with a purpose to interview the guests and the nominees. And yeah, I've had a great time doing it so far.

I'm excited to do it. Third time in a row. Well, when they hired you for the first year, I looked at that. I was like, OK, that's actually smart.

I'm often very critical of the things that the Academy does.

But I looked at your-- you joining. I was like, that is extremely smart because they are clearly trying to bring in a younger audience. And you have a much younger demo than the Oscars are typically associated with.

And when I was thinking about the Oscars this year, and how they've got some very cool young stars in the mix like Chalamet and Michael B. Jordan and bringing Jesse Buckley bringing in these younger demo, I was like, I'm going to have Amelia on the show

and just ask her, how does the Oscars appeal

Is it even something they should try at this point? Because you read all about how people just consume clips online. They're not actually interested in it. It's just for your mother and your grandmother's Oscars.

How can you get young people to care about this?

“Well, I think young people care about movies.”

And they care about actors.

And that has never died down that love.

And I think the Oscars really represents that. And I love for movies, I love for film, and I love for actors. And so I think it's within that that I think the appeal lies. I also think there's the Oscars, obviously,

like such an incredible award show that still, I think, holds some holds way within Gen Z and beyond. Wouldn't they just rather watch you having fried chicken with the stars? I think that in terms of red carpet, it's fun.

Like for me, I find it really fun because it's an opportunity to have a conveyor belt of talent that just gets you to pass you. And then I can't get off. And that's pretty exciting to be able to have the opportunity to like, potentially, interview like loads of actors

that my audience would love me to speak to. And I don't really get that opportunity. It's very difficult to get time still with talent at that level. And so at least you know when you're when you're at the Oscars right car,

but you've got more of a chance than you would have otherwise.

“But yeah, I think that the Oscars are still--”

I think just in general, people do like to have some stare on like what they should like and what they shouldn't. And I think there's so much out there to watch and consume.

And I think people have always like throughout the history

of enjoyed being told, this is a good movie or this is a good actor. And so I think it maybe also helps like distill the vast world of art and culture that's out there. I also think bringing in someone like you is an acknowledgment of the clip culture

that we live in where you are very good at creating moments with people and stuff that can travel across the internet. And it's just a different style of interview and content. Then someone on the right carpet asking, who are you wearing for the 400th time?

- Sure, and I do think that the prep that goes into the red carpet interviews that I do, like I think maybe some people wouldn't expect the level of research and preparation that we do. - Are you doing it or not?

- Yeah, it's like I'm revising for my exams. It's very detailed and obviously I'm watching all of the movies and then we're writing specific questions that each nominee, you know, it's not just like we have, I have general questions but I try to not use them.

I try to be asking specific questions to each person. And then I have to memorize them because I don't like looking down at my cards when I'm in an interview because I want it to feel like I'm just having a chat with them and it feels so like off the cuff.

But actually I've been like in a dark room for the past week and before that prepping for like the past months to know what I know of these random facts about the celebrities and then in the end I just forget all of it and just go, oh, so like watch favourite biscuit or something

and then maybe I will remember something that about the movie but it just depends. It's like half improvised and half prepped and all that stuff but yeah. - You got a good question for Leo.

- Oh my God.

Well, I always prep for Leo and then obviously never happens.

- No, he never, he's never talked to you. - No, he's never. - Why not? - It's a conveyor belt. You're the official Academy Red Carpet Correspondent.

- Okay, if I got the answer to Caprio this year I will literally eat my shoe but I would love to see him. - I know his publicist, I'm gonna make that happen. - Thank you, I prefer that. - Your publicists like you are not like you.

- Hmm, I feel like maybe, I don't know, I don't get like specific feedback from publicists but what I would say is that it's definitely changed like I started my show chicken shop day on YouTube over 10 years ago and back when I started it

I could not get anyone. I was trying, I was cold emailing everyone. I would turn up to gigs and try and befriended managers. Like all of these different things I was incredibly persistent.

I would version on annoying with people and you know, why, back then there was no reason for a talent to come on a YouTube show. Like why would they come on a YouTube show? - Now it's part of the circuit.

“And now it's like, I think it would be probably”

a number one thing to do would be to go on,

or to go on hot ones or chicken shop date or whatever

that is and it's completely done on one 80s.

“So I think publicists like me a lot more now”

than they used to or even know who I am now but yeah, the publicists are very important as you know, like I feel like they, especially with what we do and interviewing people, you know. So many of the interviews I've had have definitely relied

on simply the publicist in liking the show and persuading their talent to do it. - Yeah, and someone like Andrew Garfield gets a huge bump out of your show. I mean, that I think kind of completely

re-contextualized him and, you know, I've met him spend a little time with him. You know, people who know him know that he's a very fun and kind of cool guy but I don't feel like that was his persona

until your show. - Well, that's my favorite thing to do, I think, is to be able to like re-imagined someone's personality to a wider audience and often yes, as you said, it's that's actually their real personality.

They are incredibly charming, funny, all of these things but for whatever reason they haven't had the opportunity to be able to show that or for whatever reason and I love being able to bring that out of someone and I feel like that kind of happened as well

of Jack Harlow quite a few years ago, especially to the UK audience. The UK audience wasn't really familiar with his personality at all and maybe globally too, he's incredibly funny

and I think off the back of that interview, I gained a massive audience in America and I think lots of people thought that he as well was more charming than he let on in his music videos. - That's funny, did you get Timmy last year?

- I did on the carpet and I was shocked because he came past, he walked past by me and I was like, "Oh, Timmy, any walk past?" and I thought, "Oh, my God, we've lost him." And then suddenly I was like prepping for someone else

and then suddenly he just zoomed in to frame and I was just like, "Oh, okay, right, it's happening. It's happening."

“- Well, someone either someone told him you should do this”

or he likes your show. - Yeah, I think he knows the show and I've been trying to get him on my show for a long time but it's just not worked out and I would still love him as a guest

on Chicken Shop Day but I was so happy that I got 60 seconds with him at the Oscars and I'm hoping to this year as well. - I wanna know about your business. What is the business of Amelia? Like what, like you've done what?

115 episodes of your show now. You do brand deals, you have sponsorships, you do this for the Oscars, like you're doing a movie, you're doing a rom-com for NGM. Like what is your business like?

- Well, in terms of like what my actual business I have, like I have two employees and then I have my, and then I have three employees on the table and then I have three questions. - Yeah, my two managers.

I've got CAA, I've got my publicist in London and in America and then I've got, like, my style, listen all those things. So those are all of my outgoing, so my expenses, but in terms of how I make my money,

I guess, yeah, through commercial work. And then my chicken shop date obviously that adds sense on YouTube, that kind of pays for the running of that show. So I don't do any sponsorships on the show

because I want to keep it authentic. Chicken shop date, I think is is a comedy series,

like first of all, that's how I see it.

Yes, I'm interviewing people, but I see it more as like a performance between me and them. And I just wanna keep it as close to the real deal as possible, I don't wanna then be looking to camera and trying to sell someone a busy drink.

- And three points, three, four million subs, not bad. - Not bad, but yeah, that took me a while to get, honestly. I think because of the way I came through and I was one of the early ones who was doing this type of format,

it just took a while for the internet to kind of catch on and the algorithms to get to where they are now, which makes it feel like you're just overwhelmed with content. But yeah, I make most of my money through commercial deals.

And tell me a little about the movie project. - Well, the movie, I've been developing it for like the past two years, and we announced it really recently, which is super exciting.

But yeah, I was always wanted to make my own rom-com movie.

I feel like I'm making a rom-com with chicken shop date, but you know, there's something about making a movie

“that is gonna like, that's what stands the test of time,”

I think, that-- - And it's based on your format, it's based on the fact that-- - So it's, yeah, it's about a, it's me, it's based on me. - And it's about a pop culture, it's a pop culture journalist who falls in love with some of that they've interviewed,

and it doesn't go to plan or does it, yes? - Interesting, and you fully own your show, your chicken shop date show. - Yes, which is one of the best things I've ever done is own the IP to my show.

And I would always say that to other people

is just, I think, key.

“And so many, so many content creators don't,”

you'll be surprised by how many, actually don't own the rights to their own show. And I feel really privileged to actually, but also I'm really happy about that. - But then when it came to doing a movie,

you went to a studio, you didn't go the Markiplier route where you pay for your own movie and put it in theaters and it grows as $30 million. - No, but I definitely don't have enough money in the bank to fund my own movie.

I mean, I wish I did, but I hear that there, it's millions of millions of millions of dollars. - No, it's as he made it for less than five. I mean, which is still a lot of money, but like-- - Five, yes.

- But my friend, my friend, Alexi Wasser, she just made a great film called Messy, and she made it for like peanuts. And you know what, yeah, maybe that is a good idea. And that's the background I come from,

but I also am someone who is at the age of where traditional media is still alluring to me, you know?

“I'm like on the cost, I'm like a millennial,”

and that to me has always been something.

And movies again, just like, movies just still are so relevant. And yes, social media and content is having a moment and it's incredibly popular, but it also traditional media

is still there and people love it. I get why the Academy loves you, talking about how movies are still so relevant. I feel like a lot of people don't feel that way. - Well, young people don't feel that way.

- Yeah, I guess, and maybe I'm a bit out of touch then with what like, young people are really watching, but me anyway, and I feel like the way that I've approached my work always has been to kind of reference what I'm into

and what my interests are, and then put that into my work and hope that it resonates. And I'm someone who, yeah, is really interested in movies and actors and that world, and I love meeting them and interviewing them and watching them.

And I don't watch, yeah, I don't watch Twitch or live streamers and maybe that's obviously what so many people are watching, but it's just not what I'm watching.

“- What do you think about YouTube airing the Oscars?”

That's happening, that's happening in the 2029 show will be exclusively on YouTube. - Exclusively. - Yes. - Oh my God, so am I gonna be hosting? - I don't know, we'll see, but yeah, they have a whole plan,

they're gonna try to get young people to watch via their phones or on their apps and their TVs. It's kind of amazing. - Wow, it's huge, yeah, I actually think it's a big risk for the Academy because they have this built-in audience

that's been watching the Oscars for as long as they've been alive

and they've always known them to be on ABC

and when you hear Oscars, you think ABC or Huller wherever you watch it now. And they're just not gonna think to watch on YouTube. I don't, they're gonna have to do a huge marketing campaign to educate people that the show is now on YouTube.

- But also, YouTube is the biggest streaming platform in America, right? - It is. - And I think most people, a lot of people now, they have it on their television. - Yep. - And I think most of the viewing on YouTube,

like people are watching on their TVs now. Not most, but a lot of people. - So I do think, I do think it's, you know, you're gonna be pressing another button, right? To get it on.

- You and I know that, but I don't think the 70 year olds that have been watching the Oscars their entire life are going to think that. But we saw it with football. When Thursday and I football went from Fox over to Amazon,

they had a drop-off for the first couple years,

because there's just a, there's a friction cost of thinking about where to watch that football, and oh, it's not on TV, it must not be on. And they had to educate people. - Yeah, well, I guess if there is a drop-off,

then if you're saying there's a drop-off, but then eventually people understand how to press the button on that TV vibe, then-- - Maybe you can start in the campaign to educate people. - I could be the face of learning how

to operate your television. - Yeah. - And they'll probably go with Julia Roberts to tell older people what to do that. - If you don't know me, not after my rom-com debut.

- That's true, that's true. I know, it's that you haven't been invited to participate in the actual Oscars show, yeah. We need to get you into the program of the show. - We do need to get me into show,

and I actually just interviewed Conan actually for my show, and I should have mentioned it to him then, but I didn't. But yeah, he-- - Hopefully you charmed him enough

where he will think of it on his own, or he'll listen to the show. - Exactly, I still-- - Not too late, Conan. - He'll be definitely listening to the show.

- So what else could the Academy do

- I love the musical performances of the Oscars.

I think that's one of their real strengths, and I was actually locked outside for Cynthia and Ariana Grande's performance. They opened the Oscars, but because I was still finishing off on the record,

I missed it. - Yeah. - It's just unfortunate that the Oscars are dependent on the nominees. So if suff gets nominated that is not cinematic,

you, or fun, or a pop star, like it's just not as interesting of a show. - I just feel like there's were interesting ways to make the movies that are nominated, resonate with a wider audience.

There's creative decisions that you could make that you could be doing stuff on stage. I think it's definitely possible. It's too easy to say, oh no, just because there's an art house film or whatever, that it's not going to be interesting,

like think outside the box.

“So that's why I do love being able to interview”

or just a wide range of different nominees and try and find the fun in their movie, even if their movie is about the Holocaust, or whatever, it's like there's all these-- - Or HamNet. (laughs)

- All right, who are you rooting for? I mean, this year I'll be a little different than with K-pop demon hunters, the song will be a big head, but-- - Oh, yes, I love death.

- Yes, who are you rooting for? - Who am I rooting for? Good question. I really loved, I really loved HamNet. I didn't think I would love it as much as I did.

- Yeah, you and Craig, Craig's our producers, Craig is super into HamNet. - Really, yeah, I loved it. Jesse Buckley's performance is like nothing else I've seen, but I also loved Roseburn so much.

And if I'd have legs, I thought Timothy Charlemagne was fab actually. - Your team Timmy, so you wouldn't vote for Leo over Timmy? - Timmy, Timothy was my one, but if I do meet Leo on the carpet, I will tell him it's him. - You'll tell him that you voted for him

if you had a vote. - Yeah, I was home, I voted for him, and I'll tell everyone I've voted for him. - You don't have a vote, but you rigged it to vote for him. I love you, Craig.

- Oh, you did, yeah, Wagner Moore is great, too. He's a fun guy. You should get him. - You should get him. - Just interview Tim for 'cause I do interviews at the luncheon.

- Mm-hmm. - And I didn't see you there. - Yeah, I was locked in a room where she can hug it since it's next. I'd like to see anyone, yeah, I see you at Sundance.

I saw you at the party for the Charlie XCX movie.

You didn't see me, I said, "Is that a million-to-molder

"in my Craig was like, yeah, that's her." - Thanks for saying hi. - I'm sorry, I don't, I don't, I don't know you. We're meeting right now via this awkward Zoom. - Well, next time you see me at the Oscars, say hello.

- Do you get invited to the Beyonce party? - No, but I really want to. - Yeah, I don't either, but that's the ticket.

“- You should, you're the social media ambassador.”

- This is what I'm saying, I should be there. And I love her so much. I know all of her songs and I would be there on the dance floor. Apparently people are dancing until like seven in the morning there.

- The key though is that these parties don't go up to people and ask them to come on your show. Bill Marges that, and people hate it. It's why he doesn't get invited to parties. It's because when Bill Marges at a party,

he's like, "Oh, you should come on my show." And people feel awkward about it. - Excuse me, Matt, people come up to me. - Oh, there you go. All right, yeah, you're a little bit more friendly

and friendly than Bill Marges. - Not the way, because someone's coming over. I know that I'm gonna be like, "I love your show." No, which is what I love to come on in. And I'm like, "Well, the thing is we actually only film in London,

so I can't really make that happen right now." - Yeah, that doesn't happen to me. People don't do that enough now. (laughs) - All right, so.

- No, I didn't come on. I was knocking down the door. - Yes, exactly, I'm sure. Who is this guy? So what is success for you on the red carpet?

Is it a viral video? Is it keeping it classy and keeping up the aura of the Oscars, is it getting more young people to watch? What are you judge yourself on for your performance at the Oscars?

- I judge on different things.

“I think, obviously, it's, I've prepped for every nominee,”

so I would love to get as many interviews as possible with the nominees.

It's always just your heart sinks when you see someone walk past

and you're not gonna get that interview, but with all my interviews, I'm never looking to make something viral. I think that's never been my ammo, and I also think, doing, approaching things that way doesn't work.

I'm trying to get show a different side of someone's personality and/or just kind of let that personality shine like what you mentioned before with my previous interviews. If I can come away and people have watched it,

watch my interviews and think, oh my God, they are amazing. That nominee is incredible and so charming and funny. I've never seen them open up like this or be like this, that that to me is success, yeah.

- Well, good luck to you. I will, of course, say hello to you.

- Thanks to you and good luck with the show. All right, we are back with the call sheet, Craig. I think I've asked you this before, but I can't imagine you are into Colleen Hoover books. - No, my wife is not.

(laughs) Oh, she is, yeah, my wife reads them as well. This weekend, we've got another Colleen Hoover book in theaters, reminders of him, which is an interesting one because obviously, it ends with us

was a huge global smash for you in a million worldwide,

that we know what came out of that movie,

“then the follow-up, which was regretting you, I believe.”

That one was not Sony, that one came out through Paramount. - That was the one with Dave Franco and McKenna Grace and Allison Williams. - Exactly, that one did only 90 million. Now, there's still pretty good for that kind of a movie

in this theatrical environment. Open to 13.6, and now we've got another one, this one coming from Universal called Reminders of him, this one has even less star power. I think the stars are Micah Monroe and Tyreeque Widdlers,

who I was not familiar with. And I don't know, the tracking on this is 14 million and that would be higher than the opening of the previous one. I'm gonna take the under on this one. - This tracking would have been higher than regretting you.

- Just a little bit, it's basically the same. It's about the same as we're getting you. There was probably some overhang from it ends with us on the last one and now with the third one, maybe it'll go down a little bit more,

also those star power and it's kind of an odd weekend.

“I think Hopper's is gonna take the crown overall,”

but I don't know, are you confident or not confident in the Colleen Hoover fans?

- The problem is we don't know how popular

this book is in her collection. - I know, we are probably not them. I deal people to be discussing the Colleen Hoover adaptations, but yeah, just given the tracking that I've seen and given the pre-sale numbers I've seen,

I think this one's gonna come in a little less. - And you won't be there to contribute to the box-offs performance of this movie. - Sadly no, as you know, I have some Oscars events that we are committed to.

By the way, do you have any goals for the Oscars this year? - Do I have any goals for the Oscars? - We're going, we're going, we're gonna be roaming around. Like, do you want, is there anyone you want to meet? Is there anyone you, you know, anything you want to do?

Like, give it, give it your goal. - I haven't thought about that. I'm not nominated, so I don't think I'm gonna win anything.

“- Yeah, you don't to remember to thank your agent.”

- No, I'd like to have a few small beers with anyone associated with one battle after another. - I'd like to have them with Delo with someone. - We are gonna have a few small beers, a few more Delos with somebody from one battle after another.

It will likely not be Leo or Benicio or even Jason Finity. It will probably be a DP on the movie or something, but we will do that, that is our goal. If we get a picture of it, we will put it on the town in Instagram page.

All right, meantime, take in the under on reminders of him, it's our universal. That's the show for today. I want to thank Mike Gaston, Melia Demoldenberg, to subscribe, or back, or to your John Jones.

And I want to thank you, we will see you next week. (upbeat music) - Simon, you're still at the Stoia, also this school of football, just at some places, and then I hope that it's still.

- No, not at all. Because Stoia is my safe space. - Mm, do you mean that's all right? - Yeah, exactly. Because Stoia is like the Stoia app,

which is just different. The game, the studio, the job, or the music. - Stim. - Cross. I don't feel like Stoia.

- Stoia is in the lead. - Save. - With this Stoia. As you can see, Stoia is in the lead. But Stoia is in the lead.

- Stop. - The Recuting Spirale. With Stoia and AllJobs, they all come to an end for one year, in one package to a fixed price.

So, they are up to 75% cost improvements, and they are all flexible. Now, let's take a look at Stoia's D.E. slash AllJobs.

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