feel of the show right, Xfinity has tapped not only its ad agency, Carmichael Lynch, but Rock Studios, part of NBCUniversal's ad-sales division. Over years of airing programs such as  Traitors,   Love Island  and  The Voice,  NBCU knows the ins and outs of the format, says Karen Kovacs, president of ad sales and partnerships. And more advertisers are seeking to create content that matches what people look for in entertainment. Marketers  are asking us to build content that pulls in the culture,  she says.

Others have tested similar ground. AT T launched in 2013 a  mobile series  called  @SummerBreak  that followed nine teens fresh out of high school for one last, memorable summer together. To see the  show,  as it were, viewers had to follow the  @SummerBreak  feed on what was then known as Twitter, as well as feeds belonging to the teens. By doing so, they could access links to videos, posts, Tumblrs and more.

That foray was seen as an experiment to determine whether young people would follow storytelling that played out across social-media platforms. More than a decade later, the research is in: They will. Behind the scenes,  Best in Class  producers are making sure Feeney and her charges are set up to look good in both vertical and horizontal video.

Xfinity's new series launches as Comcast is working to generate new activity around its connectivity business, one of the largest pieces of its portfolio. The company has suffered defections from its traditional cable and broadband businesses as younger consumers find different services to connect them to digital realms. Comcast has made  significant changes in pricing and packaging to make our value proposition clearer and more predictable, continued investment in a simpler, more seamless customer experience and a more aggressive push into wireless,  said Mike Cavanagh, co-CEO of the company, during a recent call with investors.

Meanwhile, projections for the health of the so-called  creator economy  are robust. The global creator economy market was valued at $252.3 billion in 2025 and is expected to surpass $310 billion by 2026, according to estimates from Grand View Research.

Key to new types of promotion like  Best in Class  is that they not seem like pieces of hard sell. Still, the show may hinge on certain points that burnish Xfinity.  What we set out to do, is make something that's interesting and entertaining that people want to be part of,  says Scelzo,  and showing that Xfinity is an integral part of what creators do on the daily. 

On set, the group of young would-be influencers seemed to focus more closely on the contest than on the flurry of activity around them. That's the way it should be, says Feeney.  When you are in your 20s and you're trying to figure out what you want to do, there's so many outside voices. I think the best thing you can do is just stay true to yourself and stick with what you're passionate about, and turn off the noise around you,  she says, adding:  It's good to not care what anyone thinks. And that's the advice I really give to anyone.