By Brendan Farrington
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) --Rapper Pitbull released his $1 million contract with Florida's tourism marketing agency via Twitter on Thursday, two days after the House speaker sued to find out details of the agreement that included the production of a video for the song "Sexy Beaches."
Pitbull tweeted "*FULL DISCLOSURE – FLORIDA*" with a link to the 11-page agreement to produce the "Sexy Beaches" video for Visit Florida and to promote the hashtag #LOVEFL on his social media sites and during concerts.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran filed a lawsuit Tuesday in an attempt to have details of the contract disclosed. Visit Florida refused to say how much it paid the rapper, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, or details of the arrangement, saying it was a trade secret.
Corcoran found that unacceptable, saying taxpayers should now how Visit Florida was spending its money.
"It is unfortunate that it took litigation to lift the veil of secrecy on this particular contract," Corcoran said in a statement released by his office. "This was a long unnecessary journey through claims of trade secrets, threats of prosecution, and corporate welfare paid for by taxpayers."
A lawyer for Pitbull let the tweet speak for itself.
"There will be no further comment from the Pitbull camp," Leslie Jose Zigel said in an email.
Visit Florida didn't immediately return an email and a phone call seeking comment.
The video features images of women frolicking in the surf and sand as well as pictures of iconic Florida hotels such as Miami Beach's Fontainebleau and the pink Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach. It ends with an image of #LOVEFL written in the sand.
The song includes lyrics like, "I want to go somewhere exotic/Let the sun massage my body/Meet a sexy stranger in the lobby."
The video has nearly 10.7 million views on YouTube.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
“I’ve... Read More