The most engaging publicity news release on the SHOOT Publicity Wire (SPW) in 2017 range from news about an advertiser’s induction into the AMP Hall of Fame to the field of nominees for the AICE Awards, the naming of the advertising and motion juries for the ADC 96th Annual Awards, the appointment of chief executives at music and investment companies, and the rollout of new technology.
Topping the SPW rundown this year was a story about Mars–parent for such brands as Milky Way, Snickers, Twix and M&M’s–being named an Association of Music Producers (AMP) Hall of Fame inductee, recognized for Outstanding Achievement in the Use of Music to Define the Brand. Mars joins Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Nike, Pepsi, Budweiser and McDonald’s among AMP’s roster of most honored advertisers.
Finishing second in number of views was the rollout of The Big Hundred, a social media project designed to inspire the country to perform 100 actions for good during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Actor/comedians June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie, Ass Backwards) and Paul Scheer (The League, Fresh Off The Boat) were on the ground floor of this movement, which was announced to the world on January 17 with a Funny Or Die video starring Scheer. Starting on January 21, @TheBigHundred released a unique piece of content from an artist, comedian, musician, designer or influencer every day on Instagram. Each artist’s post represents a cause near and dear to his or her heart, and tells people how they can take one simple, progressive action that inspire others to share, get involved and become engaged in the political process. People are invited to do something good themselves, post about it and hashtag #TheBig100. The Big Hundred is a non-partisan and non-profit campaign; the creators’ aim is to inspire everyone to become more active in their government and communities, by promoting actions that people on both sides can get behind. These actions range from putting the contact info of your elected official in your phone, to picking up trash, to volunteering. No more tears, America! It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Together, we can turn 100 little things into 100 big ones.
Taking third place in the SPW views tally was news that creative and business executive Seven Volpone had been appointed CEO of Big Block Capital Group and Big Block Media Holdings.
Finishing fourth in our rundown was A Different Way of Thinking, a film produced by Mode Project, which was honored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) with a gold award from its Circle of Excellence competition. A Different Way of Thinking, which was produced for the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, explores the school’s unique “whole-brain” approach to engineering.
Earning the #5 slot was the selection of 22 judges from 10 countries to serve on the full Advertising and Motion juries for the prestigious global ADC 96th Annual Awards, now part of The One Club for Creativity
Settling into sixth place was Black Magic Design’s announcement that DaVinci Resolve, its professional editing and color correction software, is now available on Red Hat and CentOS Linux. This allows customers with Red Hat or CentoOS 6.8 or 7.2 systems to download and use the free version of DaVinci Resolve or the full DaVinci Resolve Studio. Adding Linux support gives customers more choice in hardware, allowing them to build extremely high performance, low cost workstations for editing and color correction. Previously, DaVinci Resolve Studio was only available on a special build of Linux for customers using the high end DaVinci Resolve Advanced control panel for professional colorists.
Next up in the SPW views derby was the unveiling of 2017 AICE Award nominees, including artisans earning a leading three nods apiece such as colorist Tom Poole of Company 3, editors Ben Suenaga of Friendshop!, Jeff Jay of Hero Post, and Eric Zumbrunnen of Exile. Sadly, Zumbrunnen passed away just several months after the AICE Award nominations were announced. The co-founder of Exile, Zumbrunnen died on August 1 following a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was 52.
The eighth place entry recapped recent projects for bicoastal content company TheBridge.co heading into 2017. Led by production vets Mike Jurkovac, Igor Kovalik and Bill Boyd, TheBridge.co turned out work for RAM Trucks, G-Ro and UNICEF, and videos with artists will.i.am, Ty Dolla $ign and Black Eyed Peas.
Landing in the ninth slot was Union Editorial’s Daniel Luna who cut “Mama’s Got Bump,” the #loveyourbodyday video from Moms You’d Like to Friend (MYLF). The video hit the ground running, amassing 3.9 million views on Facebook alone in its first week. Directed by Cat Deakins and Masha Sapron, written by Sapron, and shot by Deakins, the video celebrates postpartum bodies as it parodies Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” (with vocal by Quin Walters).
And rounding out SPW’s top ten for 2017 was the naming of Mark Ross as a partner in Riptide Music Group, a synchronization and rights management company that provides music to advertising, movie trailers, TV programming and promos, major motion pictures, videogames, and multi-media productions. Concurrently, Riptide secured a $4 million dollar investment from Ross to finance the future growth of the business. Ross is the son of legendary music executive Steve Ross, founder and CEO of Warner Communications, and former CEO of Time Warner, Inc. Mark Ross has been active over the last three decades at the highest level of virtually every facet of the music and film business, including serving as executive director of Quincy Jones Productions.
Here’s a rundown of the year’s 35 most viewed news releases on the SHOOT Publicity Wire (click title to read release):
1. Mars Hears A Sweet Sound: Welcome To The AMP Hall Of Fame
3. Seven Volpone Appointed CEO of Big Block Capital Group and Big Block Media Holdings
4. Mode Project Produced Film Wins International Award for Higher Education Marketing
5. Advertising and Motion Juries Announced For Prestigious ADC 96th Annual Awards
6. Colorist Tom Poole of Company 3 Tops List of 2017 AICE Awards Finalists
7. TheBridge.co Moves into 2017 After Slate of Major Brand and Artist Collaborations
8. Union’s Daniel Luna Helps “Mama’s Got Bump” Hit 3.9M Facebook Views
10. Hung Le and Ricardo Roberts Launch Bicoastal U.S. Motion Design Studio BIEN
11. Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 12.5 for Linux Now Available
13. Sigma Announces 24-35mm T2.2 FF Zoom Cine Lens Pricing and Availability
14. Director Duncan Wolfe Returns To One at Optimus From President Obama’s White House
16. Twenty-Two Make Best of Show Shortlist at Mobius Awards
18. On Six Month Anniversary Of Her Passing, Industry Continues To Mourn Andrea Felicitas Leminske
19. Sigma Presents Its Latest Cine Lens Lineup at Cine Gear Expo 2017
20. Promoting Multiple Emmy-Winner Justin Grosjean Is Win-Win For Cutters Studios Detroit
22. Human Takes 2017 AMP Awards Best in Show for Adidas Originals Adaptation of “My Way”
23. charlieuniformtango chalkboard showcases BTW National Honor Arts Students Artwork for 4th Year
24. Optimus Teams With Solstice To Create Automated Driving Virtual Reality Experience for Bosch
26. 11 Dollar Bill, Chicago, Expands To Boulder, CO
27. NerdWallet’s First Ad Campaign Illustrates The Ease of Better Financial Decisions
28. Reel FX Investing In The Future of VR for Social Good at Sundance 2017
29. Motion Picture Sound Editors To Honor John Paul Fasal with Career Achievement Award
31. Technicolor PostWorks Prepares 10 Films For Sundance
32. UK Agencies Lead Mobius Awards’ Best of Show
