HOT ROCKETS IN HOLLYWOOD

The RRL Teams Up With the William Morris Agency


Rockets have been in the movies since the silent, black-and-white French science fiction film Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Voyage to the Moon) in 1902. Since then, rockets have played a starring role in top-grossing movies and become a part of pop culture through hit TV shows.

In recent years, entertainment industry figures including "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett, 'N Sync pop star Lance Bass and producer Ron Howard have been trying to bring rockets into prime time through various – as yet unrealized – reality TV projects.

No one seems to have gotten the rockets/Hollywood formula just right so far, but the just-announced deal between the Rocket Racing League® and the William Morris Agency, the world’s leading talent and literary agency, is generating that all-important ‘buzz.’

“Drawing from the model of the Indy Racing League, Formula One, and NASCAR, the Rocket Racing League®’s unique rocket powered Grand Prix-style racing is ideally suited for family entertainment,” said Mark Itkin, Executive Vice President and Worldwide Co-Head of Television for the William Morris Agency. “I think the Rocket Racing League® is the real deal and fans will see the first seeds being planted this year. By next year, the RRL™ will start to appear on the media and corporate radar screen in multiple platforms.”

WMA, which currently represents the NFL, the NHL, General Motors and Starbucks, among many others, will create revenue and branding opportunities for the RRL by working to incorporate the League into various sports and family entertainment platforms including cable and network television, video-on-demand, internet and video games.

WMA will also assist with the branding of the League through the creation of attractions, along with licensing and merchandising deals. The Agency plans to increase revenue through the marketing of upcoming RRL events and sponsorship programs.

“We are thrilled to be working with the William Morris Agency,” said Granger Whitelaw, CEO of the Rocket Racing League®. “This relationship will help the league garner the recognition it needs to reach a wider market. It's a very, very significant announcement, because it's the first representation of an aerospace company, not only for William Morris, but for any Hollywood agency, period. This is a milestone in the growth of the commercial space industry."

About WMA

Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the leading talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai. The Agency represents clients in all segments of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Commercials, Sports Marketing, and Corporate Consulting. The William Morris Agency can be found at http://www.wma.com.