• by Fern Siegel , April 23, 2024

The NFL Draft takes place in Detroit April 25-27.

But before the pro football picks, thousands of fans are heading to the Motor City — and Detroit has shifted into high gear. A new campaign touts reasons to visit, presented by Emmy winner Sam Richardson ("Veep"), a Detroit native.

There's also a six-minute spot starring Richardson, where he introduces viewers to his favorite haunts, such as Planet Ant Theatre, record shop Paramita Sound and Hot Sam's, the oldest men's clothing store in the city.

The campaign was a collaboration between Pure Michigan, Michigan Economic Development Corp, Visit Detroit and their agency partners: MMGY Global, FINN Partners. Creative was produced by Hudson.

The integrated campaign has 15- and 30-second spots running across Amazon, ABC, Barstool Sports, ESPN, Meta, and TikTok through May 22.

The content is also being shared on the clients' social sites, as well Sam Richardson and former Detroit Lions' running back Barry Sanders' social channels, in addition to the Pure Michigan 2024 Draft landing page.

Claude Molinari, president-CEO at Visit Detroit, said: "From music and culture, to art and architecture, food and innovation, Detroit has a style that continues to influence the world. This campaign offers a glimpse of that through the eyes of iconic Detroiters."

Michigan wants to grow its population and has developed special task forces to fill jobs, attract talent and drive economic impact.