Peloton Goes Hollywood: How the Fitness Giant is Changing the Game

Peloton’s instructors have risen to stardom on social media in the past year due to the long-term closure of gyms. This has resulted in Peloton becoming a popular choice for at-home training. The Hollywood Reporter gives a detailed overview of how Peloton creates its classes and transforms its instructors into celebrities on social media.

The company wanted to create a TV commercial that would discredit the notion that the internet-connected bike it made was just a mom thing in the spring of 2018.

John Foley, CEO and now billionaire, was inspired by the idea of licensing songs from bands he loved. Why not? According to an ex-employee, the music budget was three times what it would normally be.

Peloton’s music use is a big advantage over brands like and iFit. Peloton is known for creating music classes and selling music-themed merchandise.

2018 was also a year of transformation for the brand. It went from being known for its bikes, to being known as a company known for its content. Peloton’s digital app was launched in that summer. It allowed people who couldn’t afford expensive Peloton bikes and treadmills to join the cult of instructors such as Robin Arzon (770,000 followers) or Cody Rigsby (730,000). Peloton also announced that it had closed a $550million round of fundraising to create “a media company similar to Netflix,” Foley stated at the time.

Although 2020 was the year Peloton reached new heights in terms stock price and popularity, it was two years before the foundation was laid with the Peloton app.

Also during the pandemic,_People_magazine began covering instructors such as Rigsby and Arzon like celebrities (which they sort of are – some of Arzon’s rides can attract 20,000-plus riders, or roughly the capacity of Madison Square Garden). Talent agencies also signed up instructors such as Emma Lovewell (UTA), Tunde Ohneyin (ICM), Rigsby (A3) and Ben Alldis(A3).

Peloton has been greatly helped by social media, as its instructors are now as well-known as the brand. Peloton allows its instructors to sign influencer agreements to continue to monetize the popularity of their brand, which in turn benefits Peloton.

Peloton offers 19 classes per day in four countries: the U.K. Germany U.S. Canada. Contrary to some instructors’ freewheeling comments, Rigsby wrote in an email to TR about the “nervous pee”, he does before class. However, Peloton’s classes are more scripted than the users might imagine.

The team behind them has produced these films in tight time. According to the company, they have won more than 19 Emmys. Producers needed to know Arzon’s plans to announce her pregnancy in September during a ride, so they could get the best shot.

Written classes should be completed 36 hours in advance. This can vary depending on the instructor and class type. Sometimes bullet points are used, while other times it is a complete script. Rigsby explains that Artists Series classes, which have featured Prince, Lizzo, and The Beatles, tend to be more scripted, as they are meant to honor the artist or band.

Although it might seem odd to create a fitness class, it became more understandable the more I thought about it. Peloton is creating a large library of classes so it makes sense that they won’t be assembled randomly. It is important to have a well-planned script so that style, music, callouts, and other elements will be preserved for many years.

You should read the rest of the article, which includes the section on signing talent to multiyear contracts and finding leaks. The entire article is available here .