In 2020, Linkin Park wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hybrid Theory in a way that felt authentic to the album's era and honored one of the most engaged fan communities in rock. The idea evolved into an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) where we staged a fake crash of the band's website, revealing an early 2000s desktop UI. The computer was the actual machine Mike Shinoda used to mix the album back in 2000.
As Director of Digital Production, I oversaw the full campaign execution, managing concept development, UX design, technical coordination, daily content updates, and cross-functional approvals. I coordinated closely with designer Kristina Boudreau and Warner Music Group's internal WEA development team to create an interactive desktop experience where fans could click through folders, emails, trash bins, and applications to discover hidden clues and puzzles. Over seven days, we dropped password-protected content and Easter eggs that required fan collaboration to unlock. My responsibilities included planning the 7-day release schedule, managing daily site updates, coordinating cross-functional reviews, and linking the digital experience to physical box set pre-orders.
The Linkin Park community went into overdrive. Reddit threads, Twitter coordination, fans reverse engineering solutions and hunting down even the most obscure Easter eggs. The campaign secured press coverage in Rock Sound, Kerrang, iHeart, and Forbes, and earned recognition as a Webby Honoree in 2021. The key was understanding that Linkin Park fans are deeply engaged problem-solvers. They don't just want content, they want to participate. So we built an experience that rewarded their tenacity.
Credits:
Director Digital Production: Matt Graber
Design: Kristina Boudreau
Development: WEA