In a video during NBC's upfront presentation Monday morning, The Blacklist star James Spader described how he killed some of the industry’s top media buyers.
Calling the crowd of agency execs at the Javits Center “a vile subset of humanity,” Spader crossed several of them off the list in the kind of dramatic way he does on the freshman drama.
Zenith’s John Nitti, dubbed the “Roman Candle,” was dispatched with an exploding hero; "The Analyst," also known as Initiative’s Kris Magel, was shot after taking too long to make a decision; PHD’s John Swift (“The Swiffer”) was tossed off a roof and Carat’s Andy Donchin, “The Amplifier,” took a poisoned dart in the neck.
Spader warned the surviving media buyers in the audience that NBC sales execs Linda Yaccarino and Jim Hoffman would be calling on them soon. “I suggest you respond immediately and generously,” he said threateningly.
NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said the video was Spader’s idea, and that he wasn’t necessarily kidding. “I would seriously think about coughing up the CPM increases he’s asking for,” Greenblatt said.
