Marriott International's Content Studio Rapidly Expands Presence With Additional Content Development, Production And Distribution Deals

BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc.'s industry-leading Content Studio has announced a third round of industry-first content development, production, and distribution deals.  These new production and development deals continue to fuel Marriott International's content marketing strategy of creating content that informs, entertains, and adds value to travel lifestyle consumers. 

The latest deals include:

• The casting and start of production of the TWO BELLMEN at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE produced in collaboration with Substance Over Hype and directed by Daniel "Malakai" Cabrera.
• The launch of the hotel industry's first-ever branded Snapchat programming with leading content creators on December 18 in collaboration with Naritiv and on behalf of the company's flagship Marriott Hotels brand.
• The December 16 launch of Gone, a new travel lifestyle vertical in collaboration with  Medium.com, the blog publishing platform founded by Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone, with an initial focus on Haiti and the soon-to-open Marriott Port-au-Prince.
• Two development deals with YouTube stars and adventure travelers Louis Cole https://www.youtube.com/user/FunForLouis and the Vagabrothers https://www.youtube.com/user/vagabrothers

Marriott's Content Studio is dedicated to publishing, distributing and sharing digital content across multiple platforms and on all screens. To further the company's focus on next-generation travelers and drive new business, the studio aims to own original content marketing and produce engaging content that builds worldwide communities of people passionate about travel that will drive commerce to the company's hotels.

"We're moving rapidly to continue to engage development and production partners get into physical production and to deliver content to travel consumers. These programs significantly expand both the breadth and depth of our content initiatives by reaching into new content areas where few brands—and even fewer other hospitality brands—have ventured before," says David Beebe, Vice President, Creative and Content Marketing at Marriott International.  "We aim to activate and leverage global reach and distribution to become the leading publisher of travel lifestyle content that engages next-generation travelers and build Marriott's reputation as the world's favorite travel company."

Snapchat
Marriott Hotels is partnering with Snapchat-focused marketing and analytics agency Naritiv to become the first major hotel company on Snapchat, launching their @MarriottHotels channel December 18 through a creative three-month program with the most creative storytellers on the social media platform. The first month of the campaign will feature @Shonduras (Shaun McBride), one of the first Snapchat-born influencers, and the hilarious Brittany Furlan (@brittanyjfurlan) who built a huge following on Vine before jumping on Snapchat to tell stories in her own unique and hilarious way. Storytellers will travel to key Marriott Hotels properties around the globe, co-creating their trip itineraries with their followers and documenting their journeys through their own Snapchat stories, as well as through the @MarriottHotels Snapchat channel.  Other contributors include YouTube, commercial director and TV show creator Casey Neistat (@caseyneistat), and Louis Cole (@funforlouis), a British filmmaker and YouTube personality. 

Gone on Medium.com
Marriott is collaborating with Medium.com to launch Gone, a new travel lifestyle brand on Medium.com which will feature over sixty pieces of original story-driven content presented by the Marriott International portfolio of brands. Medium is the blog publishing platform launched two years ago by Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone.  Marriott  is both the presenting sponsor of the publication and a content contributor and periodic editorial subject. Not only does Gone pioneer a new model in travel journalism, it also drives Marriott's mission to create content to create community to create commerce.  GONE's debut story, running December 16, is about Haiti—where the Marriott Port-au-Prince is under construction—and recounts the country's social and business revival through the compelling personal experiences of four people, and subsequently the wonder and beauty of Haiti as a destination.

Two Bellmen
Marriott has announced casting and start of production on its first short film, TWO BELLMEN, a collaboration between Marriott and renowned dance, parkour, extreme sports, martial arts, and music collective Substance Over Hype. To be directed by Daniel "Malakai" Cabrera, TWO BELLMEN features the landmark JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE as a "character" in the film. The short film, which starts production January 5, 2015, stars William Spencer (SPIDER-MAN; SPIDER-MAN 2) and Caine Sinclair (NBC's Grimm; How I Met Your Mother) as The Bellmen.  The cast also includes Henry Simmons (Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.); Miles Brown aka Baby Boogaloo (ABC's Black-ish; Sophina Brown (Shark; Numb3rs; The Good Wife); noted B-boy dancer Josue "Beastmode" Figueroa (Southland, STEP UP REVOLUTION); Josue Antonio (STEP UP series; The LXD); Taryn Southern (The Single Life); and So You Think You Can Dance hip hop legend, Stephen "tWitch" Boss (STEP UP films; So You Think You Can Dance; MAGIC MIKE XXL), as well as other amazing talents from Substance Over Hype. TWO BELLMEN will also feature cameos by AMP Live, Scarub, and Fingazz.

Louis Cole
Marriott has signed an exclusive development deal with Louis Cole (@funforlouis), a British filmmaker and YouTube personality from Surrey. He is best known for posting a daily video blog about his life and travels on the channel "FunForLouis." With more than 750,000 Instagram followers and 500,000 on Twitter, his recap of his 2013 travels garnered nearly 1.8 million views. He is currently acting as one of the judges for Marriott's TravelBrilliantly.com.  https://www.youtube.com/user/FunForLouis

Vagabrothers
Marriott has signed a development deal with Vagabrothers https://www.youtube.com/user/vagabrothers. Originally from San Diego, Marko and Alex Ayling are backpackers and bloggers on a mission to discover the world through its people. They are globally engaged storytellers and winners of the international video contest, the Biggest, Baddest, Bucket List which enabled them to travel the world for six months checking off their travel bucket list and documenting the experience through YouTube videos, articles, and photos.

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.

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SOURCE Marriott Hotels

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