VICE acquires Williamsburg venue Villain

Williamsburg events space/venue Villain moved to its new space at 307 Kent (between S. 2nd & S. 3rd) last year, and at a NewFronts presentation on Friday (5/4), VICE revealed that they have acquired the space, Digiday reports. The venue is just a few blocks away from Vice’s headquarters, which are in the former Death by Audio space.

Here’s more from the Digiday article:

Announcing the acquisition during its NewFronts presentation Friday afternoon, Vice is putting a greater emphasis on its ability to produce live events and activations for advertising clients. The company is no stranger to hosting events sponsored by brands, but the Villain acquisition will allow Vice to expand its work in this area with a help of a team with a proven track record, said [Vice Media’s president of digital Josh] Cogswell.

“Demand [from advertisers] for experiential offerings is very, very high, and we’re proud to have a reputation in the industry as a team that can activate unique and immersive expressions for brands interested in reaching young audiences,” Cogswell added.

While Vice is using the NewFronts to pitch advertisers on custom branded events (its ad agency, Virtue, will also be able to enlist Villain’s services), the company is also planning to use Villain for editorial-related events. Existing Vice editorial events include a concert series called Noisey Nights, Munchies Fest and a women’s leadership event from Broadly.

“We also know that eight out of 10 young people would rather spend their hard-earned money on an experience rather than a physical purchase,” said Cogswell. “So a natural extension for us is to build even more opportunities to reach our audiences directly and help them experience something new.”

At the moment, the only show on Villain’s event schedule is “Regular Comedy @ Villain” on May 25 with Sasheer Zamata, Jo Firestone, Kenny DeForest, Saurin Choksi and special guests, which happens in the venue’s new 100-capacity room (tickets). There is also the Villain Record Fair on June 16. Stay tuned for more.