Sebastian Haritcalde chats to Dare! about Play x Chile, a virtual festival produced by Havas Village Chile in collaboration with Universal Music Group.
The festival, which broadcast and streamed on February 13, brought together artists from around the world to raise vital funds to help narrow the digital divide and provide millions of children with access to virtual education.
Here, Sebastian, Head of Commercial Development at Havas Village Chile tells us about the event, which is a showcase of the collaborative power of our parent Group, Vivendi.
How did the idea for Play x Chile come about?
It began with a chance to truly make a difference! The pandemic has revealed the depth of the socioeconomic divide across the globe and the same can be said for in Chile. We were approached by a very respected foundation here, Desafío Levantemos Chile, that was keen to raise funds to support the education of children across the country. Connectivity is one of their three pillars of focus. Although Chile is one of the countries in Latin America that uses technology the most, there is also a gaping socioeconomic digital divide which has only become more apparent throughout this crisis. Inequality surrounding children’s access to education in Chile throughout the pandemic has widened, with many children unable to take part in remote learning because of a lack of internet access or the appropriate technology and resources.
“It was a real celebration of connectivity that in turn, will support connectivity! We are counting it as a big success.”
We are more than a year into this pandemic, and that means that for many children, education hasn’t been accessible in a meaningful or effective way for a long time. We have a very close relationship with Universal Music Group Chile and the pandemic pushed us all into finding new ways to generate content, build entertainment and create new synergies. We came up the idea for Play x Chile, a virtual festival, which would draw together the capabilities of both UMG and Havas Chile. The festival, which was broadcast on Chilean television on February 13 and also streamed on Youtube, raised funds through a telethon-type format. This format is quite popular in Latin America, more so than other regions!
Raphael performing at Play x Chile 
David Bisbal performing at Play x Chile 
Red Bull Batalla de Gallos
Tell us about artists who were involved in the festival and how did it all go?
The festival featured many of UMG’s amazing artists and beyond (including Sebastián Yatra, Denise Rosenthal, Raphael, David Bisbal, Cami, Danna Paola and Cali) who all performed from their living rooms, in studios, and many various locations around the world. We prerecorded everything to make sure it would all go smoothly and the reaction we’ve received has been wonderful. The event was supported by three main sponsors, Papa Johns (our own Havas client), Samsung and WOM Chile. Red Bull were also an important sponsor, providing sponsorship but also talent and content to the festival’s line up.
Denise Rosenthal at Play x Chile 
Cami performs at the virtual festival 
Hosts
Karen Doggenweiler and Gino Costa
The wonderful thing about this event is that the audience not only donated money, but they also generously contributed in ways of content, including videos, messages, and TikToks, and they shared their own experiences. It was a real celebration of connectivity that in turn, will support connectivity! We are counting it as a big success, which will help more than 1.5million children across the country! And money is still coming in!
“It opens doors and gives us opportunities to do so much more. I am very optimistic and excited about everything we can achieve in the future through collaboration.”
This project is an amazing example of the power of Vivendi! How do you think collaboration elevates us?
This project and collaboration between Havas Chile and UMG was about generating meaningful content that would make a difference. Everyone involved in the project was so passionate about the real purpose of this event, and the children it would impact. Being a part of Vivendi absolutely elevates all of us. Joining forces with UMG on this project made this festival more successful. It opens doors and gives us opportunities to do so much more. I am very optimistic and excited about everything we can achieve in the future through collaboration. Not only for Chile, but for the rest of the region, events like this are a great opportunity to leverage on what we have as a Vivendi family. Under the leadership of Esteban Calvo, CEO of Havas Group Chile, we are working with other entities of Vivendi, including UMG, Gameloft and Dailymotion, because we all believe it is a wonderful opportunity to make an even bigger difference through our work. I think Play x Chile is a successful example and an inspiration for the rest of the region and the rest of the Group to do the same. This project is just one of many other initiatives that we are promoting in Havas Chile, in our strategy to collaborate much more with other Vivendi entities. We are developing a strong and ambitious plan. We are exploring other projects with UMG, Gameloft, Canal +, Studio Canal, Dailymotion, which will be announced soon!
