Inside BravoCon: NBCU Boss Frances Berwick on Big Ratings Gains, Bethenny Frankel and Having Enough ‘Housewives’
variety.comBravo president Frances Berwick noticed something unusual about the sponsors’ behavior. They “would go absolutely nuts” for the reality stars employed by the NBCUniversal cable channel. “They all wanted pictures, and it was this huge experience,” says Berwick, now chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment.
Witnessing that frenzy sparked an idea: What if there were a Comic- Con-like convention that brought together Bravo stars — from the women of “The Real Housewives” to “Below Deck” yachties — with their ardent fans?
But “we weren’t absolutely sure that we could sell tickets,” she says wryly. Four years later, on the final day of BravoCon at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Berwick smiles at the thought.
After all, she is surrounded by nearly 25,000 Bravoholics (to use the proper term of art), who’ve paid up to $1,200 (plus other costly add-ons) to engage with their idols for the weekend.
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