Archive for category Celebrities
Sitting with the Geeks at The Hunger Games World Premiere
Posted by Kelly Jo Horton in Adventures, Celebrities, Social Marketing on March 20, 2012
I am one of the few people on the planet who has already seen the Hunger Games movie. I have never had more people–men, women and children–ask to be my date until the day I found out I would be getting a ticket to the premiere. The key word in that sentence is “a” ticket. I got one.
It all started back in August of 2011 when I accepted a job at Crowd Factory, which is a company whose product is social media widgets. My boss is the one who divvies up the accounts, and I was privileged enough to end up with Lionsgate FIlms. So far I’ve been part of the social media teams for Abduction, One for the Money, Good Deeds, and now Hunger Games.
I spent most of last year eating, breathing and dreaming up ways to make the Hunger Games fans engage online. I worked diligently with some very creative people at Lionsgate and two external digital agencies. My tiny piece of the pie in all of the Hunger Games digital magic was the “Race for Mayor” campaign on the 13 District Pages (12 Districts and The Capitol) on Facebook.
At 4:30 am on Monday November 14, 2011, there was an open conference line for the incredible group of people with whom I had spent so much time building this amazing immersive experience with. When the trailer went live at 5am we simultaneously pushed 13 new Facebook tabs to the District pages on Facebook and held our breath, waiting to see if the fans would respond. The CTA (Call to Action) was simple: I Want to Run for Mayor!
Within a week there were thousands of fans running for mayor. They had created video campaigns on YouTube, and Facebook pages to get people to endorse them, because you see there was a hook. The fan who got the most endorsements would be elected mayor of their District on Facebook, and at the time what they didn’t know is that they would also be invited to attend the world premiere in Los Angeles.
On Monday March 12, 2012, I proudly sat in Row A of the Loge section at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles with a group of geeks I had spent countless hours on the phone with, but had never met in person. I was grinning from ear to ear when Joe Drake, the President of Lionsgate, came out on stage to introduce the movie and commented on how wildly successful the marketing effort had been for the film so far. According to Fandango, Hunger Games has outsold Twilight Eclipse in pre-sales, making it the most successful pre-sales movie on record.
Then the lights dimmed and adrenalin took over as some of us saw the film for the first time. After the credits rolled we all made our way to the after party. I watched the newly minted stars enjoy their exploding celebrity status, and the veterans like Donald Sutherland graciously pose for photos with everyone who asked, including me.
There were so many moments that evening that were once-in-a-lifetime type moments. The palpable anticipation in the theater before the first frame of the film appeared on screen, and the excitement when the final credits rolled and we all realized we helped create this phenomenon. But the moment that I will never forget was when someone who I really respect at Lionsgate introduced me to someone as a “social media genius.” That made the journey all worthwhile.
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Recent articles:
How ‘Hunger Games’ Built up Must-See Fever. - New York Times
‘Hunger Games’ Dominates Facebook, Online Ticket Sales – Mashable
Storm Large Puts Exclamation Point on Portland Run
Posted by Kelly Jo Horton in Celebrities, Music, People, Uncategorized on February 13, 2012
I originally published this article in The Portlander on August 20, 2009. Since then, Storm Large has published a gripping memoir that is a great ride and a great read. If you did not get to see her one-woman show, go buy the book and imagine her performing it for you right there in your living room.
This is my nod to Storm. You go girl!
It’s Sunday at 2pm, and the Ellen Bye Studio at the Portland Armory is sold out for the last performance of Crazy Enough, the one-woman show that is Storm Large’s life story. The sign at the door warns of explicit language and adult subject matter, so you wouldn’t expect to see your mother or your grandfather there in the audience, but they are.
On the small stage: three male musicians and one very tall microphone stand, which has everyone whispering, “Is she really that tall?” The lights go out, the music comes up, and when the lights slowly return there she is: all six feet of her, wearing sneakers, loose black pants, and a fitted tank top that leaves nothing to the imagination.
There is some small talk, and then the tall confident woman on stage quickly transforms into a vulnerable young girl who is desperately trying to find some stability in a home that has none. And thus the gritty ride begins.
The audience is rapt as they watch Large try to navigate the completely unpredictable nature of her schizophrenic mother, who is there one day and institutionalized the next. Large painfully relives the moment when a doctor tells her that insanity is in her genes, and she too will be fighting the same demons some day. She soothes herself with promiscuity, alcohol and a heroin addiction.
The audience is stunned to silence, brought to laughter, and tempted to tears, watching her gripping life story unfold at their feet. She has their hearts in the palm of her hand as she takes them willingly on a journey of wanting, desperation, hope and finally love.
By the end of the performance there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Storm Large is not just another voice talent, but a formidable actress and incredibly engaging performer. She reminds the audience that, “Life isn’t safe. It isn’t always quiet. And it certainly isn’t small.” The lights dim, and she exits the stage one last time. It is clear that although her run with Portland Center Stage has ended, this show will live on if Large is willing to revive it in another venue.
Storm Large is in fact crazy enough and her life is indeed one big exclamation point.
Dear Jesse James
Posted by Kelly Jo Horton in Celebrities on March 19, 2010
Dear Jesse James,
Let me just start by saying “Fuck you!” There, now that we have that out of the way, we can continue.
Your wife Sandra Bullock stood up on that Golden Globes stage a few weeks back and thanked you for having her back. Well apparently you also had Michelle McGee’s back, and front too I imagine, while your wife was off creating an Oscar-winning performance for The Blind Side.
There is nothing more humiliating than taking a woman’s trust and trashing it by having an affair. I know, because I’ve been there.
My Facebook status once said, “I want what Sandra Bullock has, a man who has her back.” Today my status says, “I do NOT want what Sandra Bullock has after all.”‘
You may not have Sandra’s back but I do.
Sincerely,
Single mom, actress, geek
Honoring George Carlin, and Swearing My Ass Off
Posted by Kelly Jo Horton in Celebrities on June 23, 2008
Today I’m using cuss words. How can I not? Class Clown was the first album I ever bought with my own money. I was eight or nine, and my mom let me buy it! I could repeat it word for word. I wore that album out.
So, in honor of George… the seven words you can’t say on television: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cock sucker mother fucker and tits.
George Carlin 1937-2008
R.I.P.R.O.T.F.L.O.L.
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