- Blackstone has released a comedic holiday video for the last seven years.
- Last year’s Taylor Swift-theme video attracted eight million viewers.
- Business Insider has watched and ranked them all so you don’t have to.
Blackstone released its first satirical holiday video in 2018 as a way to liven up employees’ spirits in lieu of the company-wide holiday party, a tradition that was canceled because the firm had grown too large.
Now, it’s a viral sensation. Eight million people have viewed last year’s video featuring Blackstone executives doing their best to match the success of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour with a pop song about alternative investments. It made headlines, with the Daily Mail questioning whether it was “the most cringeworthy corporate video ever.”
This year, the company doubled down on the singing (and introduced line-dancing) in its most ambitious (and outlandish) holiday video yet. It also featured 200 employees, up from just 20 in 2018, a testiment to the video’s popularity within the firm.
Jay Gillespie, Blackstone’s head of video, joked that his role in producing the video has made him a hot commodity at 345 Park Avenue.
“People come up to me throughout the year, and they’re like, ‘My daughter is helping me rehearse so I might get a line next year,'” Gillespie told Business Insider. “People are really into lobbying to be in it.”
If you don’t get it, don’t worry. We decided to help readers save time by watching and reviewing all of the firm’s videos going back to 2018.
