For FX’s new Tulsa noir, The Lowdown, our objective was to break through a saturated media landscape by reimagining the traditional press tour. Rather than asking audiences to tune in through conventional promotional channels, we aimed to bring the world of the series directly to them — embedding its themes of music, literature, conversation, and cultural curiosity into real-life spaces audiences already inhabit.
We set out to:
Build cultural relevance beyond standard TV marketing
Generate organic social conversation through unscripted moments
Position Ethan Hawke not just as a lead actor, but as a cultural conduit
Connect the show’s noir sensibility to everyday, discoverable experiences
Drive awareness and intent to watch through authenticity rather than spectacle
Our goal was to create a campaign that felt lived-in, literary, and spontaneous — mirroring the tone of the series itself — while delivering measurable impact across press, influencer engagement, and social amplification.
To bring The Lowdown to life, we built a multi-city cultural tour designed to feel organic but engineered for maximum conversation. The strategy was simple: show up where audiences already are — coffee shops, diners, bookstores, record stores, subways — and let the show intersect naturally with culture.
In New York, Ethan Hawke and co-star Kyle MacLachlan kicked off the campaign with intimate coffee conversations before surprising guests at a Brooklyn diner with complimentary pie inspired by the series. What could have been a routine morning became a shareable cultural moment.
We expanded into the streets and subway systems, partnering with native digital creators like Trackstar, Subway Takes, and Dude With a Sign. These unscripted collaborations allowed Ethan to enter existing creator ecosystems authentically, reaching audiences who trust and engage with those platforms daily.
The campaign deepened at Housing Works, where Ethan joined his favorite authors for an intimate storytelling night reflecting the literary undercurrents of the series. Signed books were hidden throughout the store, rewarding fans with discovery moments that echoed the mystery of the show.
In Los Angeles, the momentum continued. At Canter’s Deli, Ethan and Jeanne Tripplehorn recreated the diner magic for West Coast audiences. At Amoeba Music, Ethan and Killer Mike connected over records, tapping into shared cultural passions aligned with the show’s tone. The tour culminated at Brain Dead Studios with a special screening and live taping of The Watch podcast alongside creator Sterlin Harjo — merging fandom, criticism, and conversation.
The key challenge was maintaining authenticity while executing a tightly orchestrated, multi-day schedule across two cities. Each appearance had to feel spontaneous — never staged. By blending press, influencer collaborations, cultural institutions, and real-world interactions, we created moments that felt accidental but were strategically designed to travel across platforms.
The campaign successfully met its objective of driving awareness through authenticity. By embedding The Lowdown into real-world cultural spaces, we generated organic social content across multiple platforms, fueled by fan-captured moments, creator amplification, and press coverage.
The multi-city tour sparked sustained conversation, with audiences asking, “Where will Ethan show up next?” — turning the campaign itself into a narrative thread. Influencer collaborations expanded reach into younger and culturally engaged demographics, while bookstore, music, and diner activations aligned the series with lifestyle communities beyond traditional TV audiences.
The integrated approach blended earned media, influencer reach, and experiential storytelling into a cohesive campaign that felt both premium and personal. Rather than relying solely on advertising, we created lived experiences that audiences documented and shared themselves.
The result was a timely, culturally relevant launch that positioned The Lowdown as more than a series — it became a presence.
