DNC exec co-producer: 'Can't think of a better city' than Philly
Now that GOP has rolled up its convention in Cleveland, the nation's eyes are on Philly, host of the Democratic National Convention which kicks off Monday.
Now that the GOP has rolled up its convention in Cleveland, the nation's eyes are on Philly, host of the Democratic National Convention, which kicks off Monday.
It's been decades since the two national party conventions had anything to do with the actual selection of a presidential candidate. The expected nomination of Hillary Clinton this week will be but a formality, just as Donald Trump's was last week.
So what's the purpose of a convention? What will the 50,000 assembled delegates staffers and volunteers be doing all this week at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly?
They gather to express their commitment to a set of values, said Vicangelo "Vic" Bulluck, one of the two executive producers, along with Ricky Kirshner, who have worked for the past seven months to put the convention together.
The event will celebrate the party's multicultural makeup, said Bulluck, 60, who produced the NAACP Image Awards every year between 1998 and 2012.
"We want to reflect the party's multiculturalism," said Bulluck.
Delegates, he said, "understand that America has issues and problems and that working to overcome those problems is only possible through the strength of the country's multicultural makeup."
For that reason, Bulluck said, Philly is the ideal host city.
"I can't think of a better city on the face of the earth that represents the country - here we have the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights," he said. "That's what America is. It's a city with such a hallowed history, and this will be reflected in a lot of the programming."
Bulluck admitted he wasn't familiar with Philly before he began working on the convention. "I have personally fallen in love with the city," he said. "The people have been great. It really is a great city, and I feel kind of guilty saying that, as if I'm surprised."
Bulluck said diversity also will be the hallmark of the entertainers and celebrities who will appear on stage. While the DNC is keeping mum on much of the entertainment, it has released a partial list of confirmed guests, including NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; actor-singer Demi Lovato, who was thrilled -
Also scheduled are Cosby Show alumna Erika Alexander; Ugly Betty and Special Correspondents star America Ferrera; Lena Dunham, the creator, writer and star of HBO's Girls; and actor-producer Tony Goldwyn, who plays the president in Scandal.
A good time will be had by all, said Bulluck. But unlike media kudosfests such as the Oscars or the Emmys, the biggest difference at a convention "is the messaging. We want to show how the Democratic party reflects the range of different ideas and commitments of the nation itself."
The biggest difference from past conventions, Bulluck said, will be the dominant role of social media in getting out the message. "A lot of my focus has been on developing a streaming component," he said. "That side of the programming will appeal to a younger audience and will let us engage with millennials and we're really excited about that."
Bullock said he's not in the least concerned that the GOP convention took place first this time around. "Actually, I think this only creates more curiosity about what we'll be up to," he said. He also feels confident that the DNC will avoid some of the mishaps that happened last week at the RNC.
Bulluck said the Democratic convention will distinguish itself from the GOP event most of all by showing that politics doesn't have to be bombastic, a reference to the large, loud personality of GOP candidate Trump. The GOP candidate has a background in TV entertainment, a world where bombast is the order of the day.
Entertainers often rely on the big and brash and brassy to keep people's attention, Bulluck said. "You want them to tune in, hoping to see or hear something they have never seen or heard before," he said. "Sometimes that can be the bombastic, like special effects in a movie.
"But sometimes it can also be the ideas that keep people interested," he continued. "And I think what you are going to see at the Democratic convention that you didn't at the RNC are ideas as opposed to bombast. . . . I hope that people will find it much more engaging than verbal fireworks."
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