- Ford and Our Stories Films have formed an exclusive new marketing alliance that includes product placement, script integration, sponsorships, and promotions of featured film titles. - Our Stories Films is a film venture between Robert L. Johnson (Founder, Black Entertainment Television) and Hollywood super-producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Producer Tracey Edmonds will serve as OSF President and COO. - Our Stories Films' debut film "Who's Your Caddy?", starring actor/rapper Big Boi, is in theatres nationwide July 27.
DEARBORN, Mich., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company and pioneering business leader Robert L. Johnson announced today an exclusive, multifaceted, multi-year marketing and promotional alliance with Our Stories Films, Johnson's new film venture owned in partnership with veteran producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The first title under Our Stories Films - "Who's Your Caddy?" starring actor/rapper Big Boi - debuts nationwide July 27, and features the legendary Range Rover.
Our Stories Films was launched in 2006 to produce and distribute African American and urban family-themed comedies. The Ford-Our Stories Film partnership will involve all Ford Motor Company brands and allow for a powerful approach to reaching a coveted consumer segment - the African American and urban audience. The multi-year marketing and promotional alliance will include product placement and integration in feature films, sponsorships, consumer and dealer promotional opportunities, merchandising and other media options.
"Ford is very excited about this new multi-level partnership with Our Stories Films, says Alessandro Uzielli, senior advisor, Ford Motor Company, Global Brand Entertainment Group. "Engaging our consumers has for us been about creating new and innovative approaches to reaching our audience. This branded entertainment opportunity with Our Stories Films allows Ford to showcase the wide array of personalities of the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, and essentially tell 'our story' to a targeted audience."
"Our historic partnership with Ford represents a new day in the marketing of filmed entertainment to urban audiences," says Robert L. Johnson, Chairman and CEO, The RLJ Companies. "We look forward to featuring Ford brands in our films, and activating Ford's extensive marketing resources to reach urban movie goers throughout the country."
Cars as Stars
Ford Motor Company has had a long and unique history on the small screen and silver screen alike. In fact, Ford was the first automotive company to recognize the power of the filmed entertainment, placing its cars in films at the dawn of the motion picture industry. The famous Batmobile of the original Batman TV show is a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. James Bond drove a Lincoln Continental convertible in Thunderball, and the fraternity brothers in Animal House used a Lincoln Continental as their signature ride. In recent years, Snoop Doggy Dogg, as Huggy Bear in the 2005 Starsky & Hutch movie, drives a 1976 Lincoln Continental, rapper-actor Ice Cube drove a Lincoln Navigator in the movies Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet?; Cedric the Entertainer took his family on a cross-country misadventure in a Lincoln Navigator in the film Johnson Family Vacation, and of course there have been phenomenal placements in films like the Bond hit Casino Royale and the Academy Award film Crash.
Ford continues to be active in Hollywood's most talked about productions with multiple vehicles appearing in international smash hit, Oceans 13, as well as perennially Emmy nominated televisions shows such as "24" and "Entourage."
"The branded entertainment strategy at Ford has produced a robust series of hits for the Ford brands over the years" says Chuck Morrison, Executive Vice President, UniWorld Group, Ford's African American Agency of Record for Ford Division, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar and Land Rover brands. "Understanding its importance, we saw the benefit in brokering this relationship with OSF and our approach will be to find the right films and opportunities to best showcase the Ford brands' personalities by 'casting' vehicles that enhance the stories, and OSF provides the platform to achieve just that."
UniWorld Group Inc. worked with Ford and Our Stories Films in negotiating this exclusivity deal. UniWorld Group will collaborate with Ford and Our Stories Films to place the vehicles and develop the Ford marketing strategy around each featured film.
About "Who's Your Caddy?"
"Who's Your Caddy?" is a hilarious, fish-out-of-water comedy about superstar rap mogul, C-Note (Big Boi), who runs into fierce opposition when he tries to join the super stuffy Carolina Pines Golf & Country Club. Undeterred, C-Note gets the brilliant idea to buy the land adjacent to the golf club's 17th hole, which he cleverly leverages to gain membership. C- Note's crew wreaks havoc as they bring their larger-than-life style to the club. As the club's hoighty-toighty leadership desperately tries to revoke C- Note's membership, our hero realizes that his family's honor - and secret record-breaking golf history - is at stake. As he takes on the fight of his life, C-Note pulls out all the stops to bring down the club's backwards establishment and welcome them to the 21st century.
The iconic Range Rover is part of the "Who's Your Caddy?" all-star cast that features Antwan 'Big Boi' Patton (ATL, Idlewild, Outkast), Terry Crews ("Everybody Hates Chris," Norbit, White Chicks, former NFL player), Tamala Jones (Head of State. "One on One"), Andy Milonakis (MTV's The Andy Milonakis Show) and Lil Wayne (Grammy-nominated rapper). It was written by Don Michael Paul, Robert Henny and Bradley Adelstein.
Adds Morrison, "Although Ford, Lincoln and UniWorld Group did not participate in bringing the Range Rover to "Who's Your Caddy?", the script required a luxury vehicle with superior on and off-road capabilities, one that a rap superstar would ride, and the Range Rover certainly fit that role."
About Our Stories Films
Our Stories Films, created in 2006 by Robert L. Johnson in partnership with Bob and Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company, is focused on the development and production of comedies for African American and urban audiences. The studio's first release Who's Your Caddy?, will debut in theaters nationwide on Friday, July 27, 2007.
About The RLJ Companies
The RLJ Companies, founded by Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, is a diverse portfolio of companies in the financial services, asset management, real estate, hospitality, professional sports, film production, and gaming industries. An innovative business network, The RLJ Companies seeks to target undiscovered or underserved markets; then exercise solid management to achieve results. The RLJ Companies is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with operations in Charlotte, Los Angeles, Florida, New York and Puerto Rico.
Go to http://media.ford.com/ for news releases and high-resolution photographs.
Source: Ford Motor Company
CONTACT: Shelley O'Connor for Ford Motor Company, +1-212-219-7187,
Soconnor@uniworldgroup.com; or Jim Cain, +1-313-248-6288, jcain1@ford.com, of
Ford Motor Company
Web site: http://media.ford.com/
