Mitchum Announces Top Ten Finalists in Mitchum's Hardest Working Person in America Campaign

NEW YORK, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitchum, the hardest working antiperspirant/deodorant, today announced the top ten finalists for Mitchum's "Hardest Working Person in America" (HWPIA) campaign. Mitchum's "Hardest Working" campaign, created by director Brett Ratner, founder of the creative content company Brett Ratner Brands (BRB), launched in May 2010 and was designed to find, highlight and reward the hardest working man or woman in the country.  

"I spent the last week watching videos of extremely hard working Americans. I'm overwhelmed by the dedication and drive of the people who created their own creative and inspiring films and participated in the contest," said Brett Ratner. "Albert Maysles' portrayal of earnest people at the start of the contest inspired hundreds of submissions from across the country. So much hard work went into each video and we had a difficult time narrowing the field down to ten compelling finalists."

The finalists selected include a man who is cleaning up the nation's rivers; a U.S. Air Force Fighter pilot; an 88-year-old working mom; an elementary school custodial worker; the founder of First Response Team of America; a man helping young campers build character, respect and leadership; a blacksmith; an actor, trash-hauler, artist, silkscreener and landscaper; a construction worker and dad who moonlights as a college student; and an Army drill sergeant. 

"Mitchum challenged regular people to create reality films telling their true stories of hard work, and the public responded in a strong way," said Alan T. Ennis, CEO of Revlon, Mitchum's parent company.  "Mitchum is a brand that prides itself on working hard and these finalists has proven they do just that. Not only are they finalists, they are true Mitchum brand ambassadors. Through this contest, Mitchum and the public have the power to make a difference in someone's life."

Beginning today, the public can log on to mitchumhardestworking.com and vote for the “Hardest Working Person in America.” The grand prize winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 cash prize and be the subject of a short film by legendary documentarian Albert Maysles and co-filmmaker Bradley Kaplan, with a first-place winner also receiving a $20,000 cash prize.  In addition, Mitchum will also present an “Audience Award” winner with a $5,000 prize and a “golden” Mitchum trophy for the video which received the most votes in the first round of the contest. Voting will close on August 15, 2010 and all three winners will be announced between August 16-23, 2010.

The Top 10 Finalists in Mitchum's "Hardest Working Person in America" campaign are:

Tad Agoglia, Knoxville, TN. Tad is the founder of First Response Team of America, a not-for-profit which provides immediate and emergency assistance to communities nationwide after a natural disaster occurs.

James Allred, Henryetta, OK. James is a husband, father of three children and works in construction.  He is also working towards is bachelor degree in Civil Engineering.  

Steven Cox, Niceville, FL.  Steven is a fighter pilot and Major in the U.S. Air Force and father of two.  

Kelvin D. France, Fort Knox KY. Kelvin is a Drill Sergeant for the U.S. Army, husband and father.

Jason Perlak, Ravenswood, WV.  Jason is the founder of Wilderness Christian camp, which provides a variety of programs to youth campers to build character, respect and leadership.

Thomas Beaumont, North Bergen, NJ.  Tommy is a 64-year-old custodial worker at Robert Fulton school.  

Chad Pregracke, East Moline IL. Chad is the founder of Living Lands & Waters, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to cleaning up and preserving the nation's rivers.  

Doug Roberts, Livermore, CA.  Doug is the owner of Roberts Farrier Service and has been a working blacksmith for more than 37 years.  

Roly Rolon, Austin, TX. Roly works five different jobs, seven days a week. He is a trash hauler with Big Time Trash Hauling, creates art from the trash he finds, a silkscreener, an actor and owns a lawn maintenance business.

Madeline Wall, Merced, CA.  Madeline is 88-years-old and still a working mom.  She's worked at the same Volkswagen dealership for the past 50 years.  

This "Hardest Working Person in America" campaign is Mitchum's first major campaign since 2005 and features TV, print and digital media, as well as social networking platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. For contest rules or to view the hardest working films, television spots and finalist videos visit mitchumhardestworking.com, www.facebook.com/mitchum, or follow the campaign on Twitter at @MitchumTM (twitter.com/mitchumtm).

Brett Ratner Brands worked in conjunction with CAA Marketing, a division of Creative Artists Agency, on the marketing aspects of this campaign. 

About Revlon

Revlon is a global color cosmetics, hair color, beauty tools, fragrances, skincare, anti-perspirant / deodorants and beauty care products company whose vision is Glamour, Excitement and Innovation through High-quality Products at Affordable Prices.  Revlon® is one of the strongest consumer brand franchises in the world.  Revlon's global brand portfolio includes Revlon® color cosmetics, Almay® color cosmetics, Revlon Colorsilk® hair color, Revlon® beauty tools, Charlie® fragrances, Mitchum® anti-perspirant / deodorants, and Ultima II® and Gatineau® skincare.  Websites featuring current product and promotional information can be reached at www.revlon.com, www.almay.com and www.mitchumman.com.  

About Brett Ratner Brands

Brett Ratner Brands is a creative consulting company that provides brands with new ways to market their products and services in entertaining ways. Based in Los Angeles, it is the brainchild of acclaimed director and producer Brett Ratner and CAA Marketing, a division of Creative Artists Agency.

SOURCE Mitchum