With the success of IFC's comedy series, Portlandia, came a tremendous response to its second-season premiere January 5 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Our screening was originally slated for the Kaufman Theater in the museum, which has 280 seats," said Lauren Burack, vice president of marketing for IFC. "As the R.S.V.P.s came pouring in, it became obvious we needed to move into the larger LeFrak Theater to accommodate all of our guests." With a final guest count of more than 500, the move was justified.
Guest stars Jeff Goldblum, Kristin Wiig, and Amber Tamblyn, walked a 45-foot-long orange-colored arrivals carpet—a play on the Portlandia logo that bedecked the step-and-repeat. Inside the theater, IFC presented two new episodes before a brief discussion with the show's creators and cast members, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, as well as producer Jonathan Krisel.
The ensuing party upstairs in the Powerhouse, produced by Jason Wanderer of Precision Event Group, drew inspiration directly from the series, with build-outs like a bike check-in at the entrance, a "Women & Women First Bookstore" with feminist literature and a chalkboard calendar, and the "We Can Pickle That!" bar with shelving filled with pickled objects inside jars.
"Portlandia isn't just a show about Portland; it's a state of mind," Burack said. Rentals like sofas, high-top tables, and randomly placed folding chairs as a nod to Portlandia sketch "Cool Wedding" were provided by Luxe Event Rentals & Decor, Party Rental Ltd., and Main Attractions. The room's color palette included blue, orange, and green to match that of the hues found in the program.
As it did last year, IFC partnered with Rogue Beer, an Oregon-based brewery, to create custom bottles of Portlandia-branded beer as takeaways for guests.
