New film uses the universal language of music to welcome
Canadian travelers to iconic U.S. cities
TORONTO, June 18, 2018 /CNW/ -- Brand USA, the destination marketing organization
for the United States, and
MacGillivray Freeman Films, have rejoined forces, along with global
presenting sponsor Expedia Group, to introduce their second giant
screen film,"America's Musical Journey," to audiences in
Canada. Starring Grammy
Award®-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc, the film premieres
in Toronto on Monday, June 18, at the Ontario Science Centre
where attendees will also be treated to live performances. Vocal
artist Calma Carmona, as seen in Brand USA's new innovative Hear
the Music, Experience the USA campaign, will take center
stage to bring the cultural sounds of her city San Juan, Puerto Rico to life
through a musical performance. Musicians, filmmakers, influencers,
and government officials will also join the celebrations for the
film's official launch.
The Toronto premiere of
"America's Musical Journey" comes just four months after the film's
global release in February 2018 to a
warm reception from critics and audiences alike in the USA, Mexico,
and France. Uncovering
the United States' rich musical
heritage, the film follows Aloe Blacc as he traces the USA's unique musical roots, following the
footsteps of Louis Armstrong through
the colorful locales and cultures of the
United States' musical heritage. During the film, Blacc
visits iconic music cities in the USA including New
Orleans, La.; Chicago,
Ill.; New York City, N.Y.;
Nashville and Memphis, Tenn.; and Miami, Fla., exploring the collision of
cultures that gave birth to American music genres such as jazz,
blues, country, rock and roll, hip-hop, and more.
As audiences join Blacc on this joyful, tune-filled tour,
they'll experience adventures like paddle-wheel boating up the
Mississippi Delta, flash mob dancing in Chicago, and skydiving with Elvis Presley impersonators over Memphis in scenes shot exclusively for the
giant screen. Movie-goers will also meet other iconic artists,
musicians, and innovators who are currently shaping American
culture, including Jon Batiste,
bandleader and musical director of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert;" Latin music icons Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and many more.
Academy Award®-nominated director Greg
MacGillivray threads all these images together to create an
immersive experience of culture and creativity with a soundtrack
that showcases the United States'
passion for creative innovation at its purest. "America's music has
its roots in the diverse cultures that came together from different
parts of the world, culminating in a unique blend of sound,
culture, and innovation," said MacGillivray. "This creativity and
trailblazing spirit is what makes American music such a treasured
experience around the world. I hope people are inspired to explore
their own creativity after seeing the film."
"Music is an essential part of the human experience, and I look
forward to helping audiences discover the unique cultural
influences that gave rise to jazz, the blues, folk and other
musical genres in the United
States," says Blacc. "I love the freedom of expression in
this country, which is a source of creativity and innovation unlike
anywhere else."
Ranked first in international visitation to the United States, Canada remains one of the most important
inbound markets for the United
States. While the most popular itineraries include the
New York, Florida, Washington, California, Nevada and Michigan, Canadian travelers are increasingly
looking for opportunities to explore new people, places, and
experiences beyond the major gateways. Being a bordering neighbor
to the U.S., Canada also benefits
from direct and frequent airline routes. According to the most
recent forecast from National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) at
the U.S. Department of Commerce, the
United States is expected to see a 22 percent increase in
visitor volume over the next five years from Canada—from an 19.3
million visitors in 2016 to an estimated 23.5 million visitors in
2022.
"Canada is priority for Brand
USA, and we are excited to bring
this film to this important market where we can reach Canadian
travelers on a deep level through the emotional power of music," said Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of
Brand USA. "This film provides a
unique opportunity for us to showcase the diverse destinations,
people, and experiences available in the
United States to Canadian travelers through the captivating
experience of the giant-screen and the universal language of
music."
"Music has the power to bring people together, especially here
in the United States where
diversity and creative freedom are such an important part of the
culture," says Shaun MacGillivray,
producer of "America's Musical Journey" and president of
MacGillivray Freeman Films. "We're using the immersive, visual
giant-screen experience to tell the story of America's musical and
cultural heritage in a new and powerful way."
"America's Musical Journey" is a cornerstone of Brand
USA's marketing strategy to
promote the United States as a
world-class travel destination. Bringing a taste of local beats to
the streets of Canada, Brand
USA will work with Expedia Group
to celebrate the musical heritage of iconic cities in the United States with surprise pop-up
performances in high-traffic locations across the city. In
addition, Brand USA will launch
Interactive Billboards powered by Shazam at select locations,
transporting consumers to the "America's Musical Journey" website
to find screenings, purchase tickets, and register for a chance to
win a trip the United States.
"As a longtime online travel
partner of Brand USA, we are
honored to lend support and raise awareness as a global sponsor and
exclusive online travel activation partner of this film," said
Wendy Olson Killion, global vice
president of Expedia Group Media Solutions. "We believe music has
the ability to inspire travelers from all over the world to explore
new places and cultures."
Leveraging the experiential nature of the giant screen to show
travelers the nearly limitless experiences that the United States has to offer remains an
integral part of Brand USA's
marketing strategies to drive international tourism to communities
in all 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia. Brand USA's first giant screen film, "National Parks
Adventure," now available on Netflix, was voted Best Film of the
Year by the Giant Screen Cinema Association and became the highest
grossing documentary film of 2016. The film is having a material
impact on incremental visitation, per a March 2018 in-theatre study conducted by Brand
USA, capturing insights from
audiences in Toronto, Mexico City, Mumbai and Paris. The study found 57 percent of film
viewers expressed a strong positive impact on their opinion of the
USA as a travel destination and 20
percent now plan to visit the USA
as a result of watching the film.
"America's Musical Journey" will play in select IMAX® and giant
screen theaters across Canada. For
a current list of theaters showing "America's Musical
Journey" in Canada, please
click here. To discover more about the USA's rich musical culture and the diversity
of experiences the country has to offer, please visit Brand
USA's consumer website
VisitTheUSA.ca and follow Visit The USA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About MacGillivray Freeman Films
MacGillivray Freeman
Films is the world's foremost independent producer and distributor
of giant-screen 70mm films with 40 films for IMAX® and
giant-screen theatres to its credit. Throughout the company's
50-year history, its films have won numerous international awards
including two Academy Award® nominations and three films
inducted into the IMAX Hall of Fame. MacGillivray Freeman's films
are known for their artistry and celebration of science and the
natural world. It is the first documentary film company to reach
the one-billion-dollar benchmark for
worldwide box office. For more information about the company, visit
MacGillivrayFreemanFilms.com.
About Brand USA
Brand USA, the destination
marketing organization for the United States, was established
by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation's first public-private
partnership to promote the United
States as a premier travel destination and to communicate
U.S. travel policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The
organization's mission is to increase international visitation to
the USA in order to fuel the U.S.
economy and enhance the image of the
United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for
Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began
operations in May 2011 and does
business as Brand USA. According
to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past five years Brand
USA's marketing initiatives have
helped welcome 5.4 million incremental visitors to the USA, benefiting the U.S. economy with more
than $38 billion in total economic
impact and supporting, on average, more than 51,000 incremental
jobs a year.
For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com. To discover more
about the USA and the boundless
diversity of American travel experiences and authentic, rich
culture, please visit Brand USA's
consumer website VisitTheUSA.ca and follow Visit The USA on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is
one of the world's largest travel platforms. We help knock down the
barriers to travel, making it easier, more enjoyable, more
attainable and more accessible. We are here to bring the world
within reach for customers and partners around the globe. We
leverage our platform and technology capabilities across an
extensive portfolio of businesses and brands to orchestrate the
movement of people and the delivery of travel experiences on a both
local and global scale. Our family of travel brands includes:
Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Egencia®,
trivago®, HomeAway®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Wotif®,
lastminute.com.au®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Hotwire®, Classic
Vacations®, Expedia® Group Media Solutions, CarRentals.com™,
Expedia Local Expert®, Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, SilverRail
Technologies, Inc., ALICE and Traveldoo®. For more information,
visit www.expediagroup.com.
© 2018 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are
the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Brand USA
Camila Clark
+1 443.280.1794
CClark@TheBrandUSA.com
Monica Ceballos
+1 202.650.7706
MCeballos@TheBrandUSA.com
MacGillivray Freeman Films
Lori Rick
+1
949.494.1055
LRick@MacFreeFilms.com
SOURCE Brand USA