Nerdist Industries And Lucasfilm's Course Of The Force Returns For An Epic Second Journey July 9-16

SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of last year's monumental, first-of-its-kind event, Course of the Force, the lightsaber run that captivated the attention of Star Wars^™ fans around the world, is returning July 9^th – 16^th, 2013.  Kicking off at the famed Skywalker Ranch, participants will continue the relay run down through San Francisco with several stops along the California coastline before reaching the finish line— arriving just in time for the start of the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con^® International convention. Nerdist Industries' founder Chris Hardwick will be back to host the event, with city-stops along the way featuring "Conivals" where fans can celebrate their love of the Saga with live entertainment, expo booths, giveaways and much more.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130327/PH84228LOGO)  

"Our plan to run at Comic-Con screaming with a lightsaber worked beyond our wildest dreams. People showed up! Lots of them! In cosplay! And we were able to grant more than 1000 wishes for Make-A-Wish!" said Chris Hardwick. "Last year we started in Santa Monica, this year, Marin, and hopefully next year Tatooine."

Course of the Force has reteamed with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® chapters of Greater Bay, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego with 100 percent of all runner registration proceeds benefiting the charity.  In 2012, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® had a strong presence during the inaugural event, with Make-A-Wish kids participating in the opening and closing ceremonies of Course of the Force and running in the event.

Given the overwhelming response to the 2012 relay, this year's event is expanding and will cover nearly 500 miles; at the end of the route, Course of the Force will be hosting activities at the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego during San Diego Comic-Con International from July 18^th - 20^th.

Highlights from last year's 136-mile Course of the Force lightsaber run featured a caravan of costumed runners, Jabba the Hutt's Sail Barge and two Yoda-fied RVs traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway. 

In addition to helping grant wishes, participants of Course of the Force will run quarter-mile segments down the California coast, passing off the official Course of the Force lightsaber. Registration is now open at http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce. Each relay spot is $150, which includes a customized Hasbro lightsaber, exclusive Course of the Force swag bag and the experience of a lifetime.  Runners are encouraged to be creative and wear their best Star Wars gear.  

All Course of the Force video content will be distributed via Starwars.com  at http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce and hosted on the Nerdist YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/Nerdist. 

For more information on Course of the Force, visit http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce. 

RESOURCES
Website – starwars.com/courseoftheforce
Facebook – facebook.com/courseoftheforce                       
Twitter – @CourseOtheForce
Google + – plus.google.com/103291298159790820268
Pinterest – pinterest.com/courseotheforce/
YouTube – youtube.com/nerdist & youtube.com/courseoftheforce
 

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

ABOUT NERDIST INDUSTRIES
Nerdist Industries is a multi-platform creator of genre and popular culture content. Its online presence includes a website at Nerdist.com, a premium YouTube channel (youtube.com/nerdist), Nerdist News daily e-newsletters, 1.8 million Twitter followers, and a Podcast Network including the flagship Nerdist Podcast, also produced as a TV show on BBC America.  Nerdist also hosts live events around the country such as The Nerdist Podcast Live! and Course of the Force, an annual lightsaber relay in partnership with Lucasfilm LTD and Octagon which leads up to San Diego Comic-Con International.

Nerdist Industries was founded in 2008 by comedian, author, podcaster and AMC's The Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick.  Hardwick serves as Founder & Chief Creative Officer and digital media entrepreneur Peter Levin serves as Chief Executive Officer.  In July 2012, Legendary Entertainment, the company behind such genre films as Inception, Watchmen, 300, Man Of Steel and The Dark Knight Trilogy, acquired Nerdist Industries.  Hardwick and Levin serve as Co-Presidents of Digital for Legendary, in dual roles with their Nerdist positions. Nerdist Industries is headquartered at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, CA.

ABOUT OCTAGON
Octagon, (IPG: NYSE) is the world's largest sponsorship consulting practice, managing and influencing some $3 billion in sponsorship-related spending annually.  Octagon also is a pioneer and leader in athlete & personality representation and management.  With more than 800+ employees worldwide, Octagon works with hundreds of blue-chip corporate clients and more than 800 athletes & personalities clients and manages more than 5,000 events per year.  Octagon's Events & Hospitality team operates four professional golf tournaments, a professional bass fishing tournament and numerous first-class corporate hospitality events. To learn more about Octagon, visit: http://www.octagon.com.

ABOUT LUCASFILM LTD.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production.  In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, Lucasfilm's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucasfilm Animation, which produces cutting-edge digital entertainment; and Lucas Licensing which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises.   Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

PRESS CONTACTS:
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(323) 822-4812
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(323) 822-4824
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SPONSORSHIP CONTACT:
Molly Schultz          
(323) 802-1562
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LUCASFILM LTD. CONTACT:
Chris Argyropoulos
(415) 623-1018
[email protected]

SOURCE Octagon