smart USA Joins Zest Media with customNATION Travel Series Using the "uncar" to Travel to "untourist" Hot Spots

MONTVALE, N.J., March 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- smart USA and Zest Media, announced today the launch of customNATION, a travel video series featuring the brand. customNATION follows hosts Camille Ford and Christian Finnegan as the duo road trips through great American cities in various smart models, exploring unique and under-the-radar destinations favored by locals. Over the course of the next few months, customNATION will release videos featuring Austin, San Francisco and New York City for the traveler looking for more than mere tourist attractions.

The series kicks off this week with ten brief segments featuring Austin hot spots, just as the nation's biggest tech, music and film enthusiasts roll into the Texan city for SXSW 2013. While in Austin, Camille and Christian visit several not-to-be-missed destinations including the grandiose, but haunted, Driskill Hotel. The duo also make a stop at Franklin BBQ, a trailer turned full service restaurant where locals wait in line for up to two hours to savor the venue's "life-changing" brisket, and visit Ginny's Longhorn Saloon, where they play a most unusual version of bingo.

"This is a unique opportunity to highlight the city-friendly features of our vehicles while also offering up the insiders' recommendations in some of the most exciting cities in the United States," said smart USA General Manager, Tracey Matura. "The featured places are not your usual stops and smart is not your typical car. We like the idea of having our 'uncar' being chosen to explain our country's metropolitan areas by 'untourists.'"

"We are thrilled to launch this series with smart on the customNATION premium channel," said Zest Media's Managing Partner, Sandi Isaacs. "The series offer viewers a unique and entertaining way to discover the city's hidden gems usually only known to locals."

customNATION content is available on the customNATION premium channel which can be viewed at http://www.customnationtv.com, and can also be watched from playlists on smart's channel. Visit the smart USA YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/smart.

About smart
smart, a Daimler AG brand, has its U.S. headquarters in Montvale, New Jersey. The smart model-line consists of five for two models: the pure coupe, passion coupe, passion cabriolet and all-electric drive versions of the coupe and cabriolet. The unique models which are classified as ultra-low emissions vehicles by the State of California Air Resources Board are just under nine feet long, 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Despite their microcar exterior dimensions, smart vehicles are surprisingly roomy inside and have a full array of technological features including the patented tridion safety cell which is designed to protect occupants in the event of a collision. All smart vehicles, designed to be 85% recyclable and over 95% reclaimable, are produced in the environmentally oriented "smartville" factory in Hambach, France. Over 48,000 smarts have been sold in the U.S. to date. Additional information on smart can be found at www.smartusa.com.

About Zest Media, LLC
Zest Media, LLC is a cross-platform entertainment company focused on the development and production of content for a broad viewing audience anywhere, anytime. The company's founders are comprised of entertainment industry and digital media veterans including Jennifer Eatz, the producer of major motion pictures such as The Holiday and Zookeeper as well as, Sandi Isaacs, former Senior Vice President of Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment. The company's premium YouTube channel is a premier destination for lifestyle content. Launching with the travel series, customNATION, the exciting programming offers viewers diverse experiences, locales and compelling hosts highlighting a slice of life ready to be discovered.
www.zestentertainment.com

SOURCE smart USA