Timothy Communications Inc.
Public Relations & Video Marketing Established 1985 Chicago/Palos Hills, Illinois 708-974-3152
Jordan Rush Branding
Hollywood's 'branding & sampling' specialist
Jordan Rush has been working the hallways and back lots of Hollywood as a respected writer and producer for more than a quarter century, fascinated as much by the challenge of fund-raising for filmmaking as by the story-telling, so it was only a matter of time before he developed a specialty for bridging the business and creative sides of his industry.
Jordan is a "brand placement" specialist in Los Angeles, working as an independent contractor to weave name-brand products into stories as they are being written and filmed. He also specializes in teaming familiar names in Hollywood movies and television with reputable companies seeking familiar faces to endorse and speak on behalf of proven brands. It's a competitive business that requires
familiarity with the landscape, perseverance in the face of obstacles, and the special edge that only those who have spent plenty of time in Hollywood can attain: friends on the inside. "The challenge of raising brand awareness through film and television is always there," Rush explains, "but the incentive to succeed comes from knowing that any one of my clients' products could become an integral element of a good story or the focal point of a widely viewed scene, and that can greatly enhance a brand's image overnight. Creating the opportunity to catch that kind of lightning in a bottle for a solid brand name is a powerful motivator."
While product placement is at the core of Rush's freelance business, he recently developed a knack for sampling new products nationwide that enables him to feed his love of sports. What started out as a favor for a friend became a new business that requires a skill for pitching a different kind of story: persuading key decision-makers inside the corridors of major college and professional sports to accept samples of new products for trial with their high-profile athletes.
"You might be inclined to believe that giving away thousands of dollars worth of snack foods and energy drinks to college and pro teams is as easy as making a phone call, until you realize that there are a hundred other people making the same call to the same people at every one of those teams," Rush explains. "It's as challenging as anything I've ever done, but over time I've been able to develop some trusting relationships, just as I have in Hollywood. And when I have truly great product to share with teams, they're appreciative and they often reciprocate."
So how does someone who has worked for decades in the movie industry find himself branding products and sampling sports teams?
"Making movies, developing brands and creating awareness for new products through mass sampling all require relationship-building," Rush says. "In the final analysis, business is all about relationships. And for me, it's actually a welcome relief to shift away from the isolation of screen writing to work the phones and walk the hallways engaging new people. Every day brings new challenges. And every now and then I get the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of my labor pay off in a big way. That's the kind of charge that attracted many of us to Hollywood in the first place.
As a producer, Jordan currently has a feature film with Walden Media that he will exec produce with producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Grey. He executive produced the remake of the classic film "Day of the Dead" starring Ving Rhyames and Mena Suvari, and he produced the feature film "Jocking Around." Jordan also produced the feature film "American Reel" starring Mariel Hemmingway and David Carradine, which was directed by Mark Archer, who won the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival. As a writer, Jordan has had numerous studio deals based on his original ideas. He has written a wide range of films including the psychological thriller "Never Talk to Strangers" (Columbia) starring Rebecca De Mornay and Antonio Banderas, and the broad comedy "Club Fed," which was distributed by MGM. Earlier in his career, Jordan wrote for the television series "Coach" on ABC.
Something as elementary as a promotional flyer requires
business owners to distill their story into just a few paragraphs.
