What do you do when cultural icon, Steven Colbert, comes knocking on your door – in search of a story for the satirical late night show, the Colbert Report?
“I knew when we were contacted by the Colbert Report this was not going to be a documentary segment,” said Mark Schilling, Director, Corn Palace. “The Mayor of Mitchell, the Corn Palace Committee and my staff all felt the exposure for the Corn Palace far exceeded any concerns about how the piece might be played on the Colbert Report.”
Surviving a Colbert interview is no easy feat. But the Corn Palace immediately saw the impact of their 6 minute segment, which aired on Thursday, Oct. 18, “The number of e-mails inquiring about visiting or telling about their visit of years ago far exceeds any other type of marketing or announcement we have ever had. An estimated 1.2 million viewers will see this segment.”