| Q & A 04.30.09 12:41 PM |
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Joel Hock Takes Celebrity Car Rally to L.A., Miami to Raise Funds for Kids With Cancer
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 | Solutions With Impact's Joel Hock
Photo: Charlie Gallay/Getty Images |
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Last fall, Joel Hock, founder and president of the Toronto-based event management firm Solutions With Impact, produced an event to benefit the Hospital for Sick Children. Called the Car Rally for Kids With Cancer, the two-day event, held during the Toronto International Film Festival, paired luxury-car owners with celebrity navigators for an interactive scavenger hunt across the city. Drivers had to raise $25,000 to enter the contest, and the event raised more than $1.2 million for the hospital.
This weekend, Hock hopes to duplicate that success in Los Angeles, where Eva Longoria Parker is the event chair for the city's first Car Rally. The benefit—in support of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Padres Contra El Cáncer, a nonprofit organization that supports families of Latino children with cancer—kicks off with a launch party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Friday and concludes with a gala dinner Saturday night at a $30 million private home in Beverly Hills (owned by Bill Phillips of Transformation.com). With another Car Rally slated to run in Toronto this September, and Las Vegas and Miami incarnations in the works, we spoke with Hock about expanding the event.
Why did you decide to take the event national this year?
I think the event itself works from a fund-raising standpoint. People, once they understand it, want to get involved. And kids with cancer is a cause that hits home whether it’s in L.A., Vegas, Miami, or Toronto. In my opinion, the cure is just around the corner and all it takes is money. This event is driven by the participants.
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RELATED TOPICS
Hospital for Sick Children, Eva Longoria Parker, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Wonderwall, MSN, E! Entertainment, Access Hollywood, L.A. Confidential Magazine |
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| NEWS 09.19.08 5:05 PM |
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KITT Car Theft Revealed as Publicity Stunt
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A car theft at a promotional event for the television series Knight Rider last Friday was a publicity stunt, according to a press release issued today. The staged theft of the KITT car—appropriately dubbed "KITTnapping" by the show's network, E!—was caught on video and posted on YouTube, causing a flurry of online speculation. (We got in on it, too.)
The stunt kicked off a contest on E! in which people can post their photos and videos of the car's whereabouts in the city and win prizes such as GPS units. —Erin Letson
RELATED TOPICS
E! Entertainment, Canwest Broadcasting, Knight Rider |
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| NEWS 09.12.08 3:15 PM |
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KITT Car Stolen During Knight Rider Fan Event
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A KITT car—the vehicle originally made popular during the 1980s television series Knight Rider—was stolen during a free public event outside Union Station today. A video posted on YouTube this afternoon shows footage of a man running towards the car after a driver positioned it for a stunt performance. The man jumped into the driver's seat and sped off, heading east along Front Street.
A Canwest employee confirmed the auto theft in an email. The car made several appearances—sponsored by E! and Canwest Broadcasting—around town this week to promote the new Knight Rider series that debuts later this month.
The theft could, of course, be part of the stunt; when we called the Toronto police, the officer we spoke to could not confirm that the car had been stolen. —Susan O'Neill
RELATED TOPICS
E! Entertainment, Canwest Broadcasting, Knight Rider |
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| ASK BIZBASH 09.08.08 9:00 AM |
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Who Can Produce a Cool Tribute Video?
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 | Stills from a variety of tribute videos.
Photo: Courtesy of Lifefilm (top), Courtesy of Madprops (middle), Courtesy of Raw Films (bottom) |
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Honoring a retiring exec or an award winner with a video about their life’s work is a great idea, but only if the piece doesn’t move guests to check their BlackBerries or sneak off to the restroom. Here are three companies that specialize in these types of films and, if asked, will travel to make it happen.
With more than 20 years of combined film and television industry experience, Lifefilm Productions co-founders Peilin Chou and John Brancaccio use the same production professionals they worked with at companies such as Walt Disney Studios, MTV Networks, ESPN, and Bravo to craft their celebratory docs. The firm prides itself on delivering broadcast-quality, story-driven films that are truly entertaining. Past clients include C-level execs from Hasbro and real estate developer S.R. Weiner. Rates start at $5,000, with longer and more intensive projects ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.
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RELATED TOPICS
Walt Disney Company, MTV, ESPN, Bravo, Academy Awards, Saturday Night Live, VH1, A&E, E! Entertainment, NBC, Clinton Global Initiative, Miramax, Hasbro |
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| NEWS 08.14.08 2:22 PM |
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Gemini Awards Returning to Toronto This Fall
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The Gemini Awards are returning to Toronto this fall, with the 2008 broadcast gala set to take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's John Bassett Theatre November 28. "Toronto is a vibrant city and a key production centre, home to many of Canada's finest television programs," said Sara Morton, C.E.O. of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. "We're thrilled to be partnering with E! Entertainment and Showcase to bring the Gemini Awards back to Toronto this year."
The nominations for the awards, which honour achievement in the Canadian television industry, will be announced August 26. Three industry award evenings—including the News, Sports and Documenatary Gala; the Lifestyle, Children's and Youth Gala; and the Drama, Variety and Comedy Gala—will take place at the Liberty Grand on October 20 to 22. CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos hosted the 2007 gala at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. This year's host has not yet been announced. —Susan O'Neill
RELATED TOPICS
Gemini Awards, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, E! Entertainment, Showcase |
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| EVENT REPORT 06.16.08 2:59 PM |
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Gift Suites Fill the Gladstone for Rockstar Hotel Promotion
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Artists in town for the 19th annual MuchMusic Video Awards filled gift bags with products from brands like Puma, Fido, and Zune on Saturday at the fourth installment of Rockstar Hotel, produced by District Lifestyle Marketing. The event—launched at the Juno Awards in Saskatoon in 2007 and held at Calgary's Junos again this year—made its second MMVA appearance at the Gladstone Hotel on the eve of the award show.
"It's a total takeover. We've got it top to bottom this year," John Price, director of brand partnerships for Y Syndicate (DLM's parent company), said of the hotel. "Last year we got around to securing the venue a little bit late, so there were some folks who had booked rooms. There was one couple on their honeymoon. To their surprise, they found themselves partying with Maroon 5." This year, the Gladstone's main floor housed performance spaces, the second-floor rooms held the gift suites, and the third floor included a number of artist rooms where visiting celebrities could go to get away from the 700 invited guests. "It's very much that type of person who lives, works, and plays downtown," Price said of the guest list. "It is a closed list, so you do have to be in the know to receive an invite."
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RELATED TOPICS
MuchMusic Video Awards, Puma, Fido, Zune, Fuze Beverages, Heineken, Xbox 360, Dose.ca, E! Entertainment, Exclaim!, Resource Integrated |
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