Blackstone attempts to appeal to the masses with holiday humor

What they're saying: "The initial goal was to create something fun for employees and highlight our culture, and it's kind of taken on a life of its own," says Blackstone's global head of corporate affairs Christine Anderson — who also makes a hilarious cameo in the video.

• It's now released publicly to investors, financial advisers, portfolio companies and the media as a way to highlight its annual accomplishments.

State of play: Blackstone has been creating these videos since 2018, but this year, following creative direction from president and COO Jon Gray, the team took it up a notch and channeled its inner Taylor Swift.

• On Blackstone's "Alternative Eras Tour," you can catch dancing analysts and CEO Stephen Schwarzman decked out in sequins alongside strategically placed nods to Blackstone's portfolio companies and record-breaking $1 trillion in assets.

Zoom in: The project, which typically begins during the summer, was handled by Blackstone's in-house video production team, led by Jay Gillespie.

• Of note, Blackstone isn't the only firm to attempt to spread holiday cheer. Apollo also joined in on the … err … fun.

The bottom line: "It's just humanizing to see your leaders making fun of themselves and share a few laughs with the team. Finance sometimes has a more serious exterior, and so I think showing external audiences that we're human and can laugh at ourselves is a good thing," said Anderson.

🍿 Go deeper: Watch the video