TNT, MasterCard and GSD&M Know Dramatic Branded Entertainment

    AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Turner Network Television (TNT)
 and MasterCard Worldwide are engaging viewers this August with Late: A
 MasterCard Mini-Drama, a TNT original production that promises to take
 viewers on a 2- minute high speed adventure. Late premieres within the film
 Runaway Jury on TNT Aug. 19 at 8 p.m., and again at 10:15 p.m. within the
 film's encore presentation. After the premiere presentation, Late will air
 again on TNT the following four weekends, during the TNT Drama Lounge
 featured film. The piece will also run across multiple digital extensions
 including TNT on Demand, TNT.tv, MasterCard's Priceless.com and TNT on AOL.
 The partnership was created by MasterCard's media agency GSD&M.
     "We are always looking for new and innovative ways for MasterCard to
 engage with consumers," said Betty Pat McCoy, SVP/Director of National
 Broadcast for GSD&M. "By partnering them with TNT to create this
 mini-movie, viewers will be rewarded with a unique entertainment experience
 that also delivers a relevant MasterCard message."
     Late opens with a professional 20-something male driving along a busy
 street with a pile of cash on his passenger seat. The story unfolds when he
 has a leading phone conversation with someone who is anticipating the cash
 drop-off and provides specific instructions on how that cash is to be
 provided. Through a series of suspenseful scenes that feature the nervous
 driver stopping to make a briefcase purchase using his MasterCard and an
 intense briefcase exchange amongst a crowd of people, the viewer is caught
 up in the events unfolding within this dramatic adventure. At the closing
 of the piece, the camera pans out to show the director and TNT production
 crew who have been filming the mini-drama. The final image in the sequence
 features the TNT and MasterCard logos, alongside the closing message,
 "Saving the Drama."
     TNT will drive tune-in for Late, and each weekend's featured TNT Drama
 Lounge film on-air, leading up to the presentation, starting with the first
 one on Aug. 19.
     Late will also receive extended play time through digital extensions
 including TNT on Demand, where it will be available to viewers starting in
 October as a standalone offering and embedded in two of the featured TNT
 films. Viewers may also download the video starting Aug. 19 through TNT.tv,
 MasterCard's Priceless.com and TNT on AOL.
     "It's a great mini-movie which also seamlessly integrates the
 MasterCard brand into the storyline, demonstrating how consumers can use
 our products in everyday life," added Michael Lao, VP/Global Media, at
 MasterCard Worldwide.
     About MasterCard Worldwide
     MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical
 economic link between financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and
 merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard
 develops and markets payment solutions, processes more than 14 billion
 payments each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting
 services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its
 family of brands, including MasterCard(R), Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R),
 MasterCard Worldwide serves consumers and businesses in more than 210
 countries and territories. For more information go to
 http://www.mastercardworldwide.com .
     About GSD&M
     Started as an advertising agency in 1971 by six entrepreneurial college
 graduates, GSD&M has become a destination for companies seeking visionary
 ideas that solve their significant marketing problems. Believing that
 collaboration leads to innovation, GSD&M partners with creative thinkers
 across a wide and diverse range of disciplines. Their unique style has
 helped build some of the country's most respected brands, including BMW,
 Wal-Mart, the new AT&T, MasterCard, Chili's, DreamWorks SKG and the U.S.
 Air Force.
 
 

SOURCE GSD&M