THE MARRIOTT CONTENT STUDIO AND MARRIOTT HOTELS PREMIERE ORIGINAL SHORT FILM “FRENCH KISS” – PRODUCED BY IAN SANDER AND KIM MOSES – WORLDWIDE ON MULTIPLE PLATFORMS

Celebrities Gather for World Premiere Event at Marina del Rey Marriott in Los Angeles 

Today, the Marriott Content Studio - in partnership with Marriott Hotels, the company’s flagship brand - premieres its second original short film, French Kiss, with a global YouTube launch followed by a gala screening and party at the Marina del Rey Marriott in Los Angeles this evening. The multi-platform, all-screens distribution strategy, includes digital – frenchkissfilm.com – limited theatrical release, Marriott Hotels’ guest rooms, as well as on Marriott.com and to the 50 million Marriott Rewards members.

Starring Tyler Ritter (The McCarthy’s) and Margot Luciarte (French Model and Actress), French Kiss was directed by John Gray (Ghost Whisperer; Profiler; D.O.A.) and produced by Ian Sander and Kim Moses of Sander/Moses Productions/SLAM (Ghost Whisperer; Profiler; D.O.A.).

The 23-minute film follows Ethan (Tyler Ritter), an international business traveler on a trip to Paris that is all work, no inspiration. In town to speak at an innovation and technology conference at the Paris Marriott Champs Elysees, Ethan has spent his time in the city of lights preparing for his speech – until his laptop goes missing. Margaux (Margot Luciarte), a beautiful young Parisian woman, wants to pull Ethan out of his work-only mindset and into her brilliant world of wonder and adventure. Through magical realism that can only happen in Paris, Margaux captures Ethan’s imagination with a string of clues, showing him the beauty of the city and its iconic locations through her eyes. The audience follows Ethan on his magical journey of exploration, falling under Margaux’s spell. When the two finally meet in front of the Eiffel Tower, Ethan sees with his own eyes that the choice has always been up to him, and the audience is reminded how travel should inspire and delight.

“On the surface, French Kiss is a story about a business traveler set in Paris,” said David Beebe, vice president, Creative and Content Marketing at Marriott International. “When you delve deeper into the film, you discover the characters are taking you through a brilliant travel story as they navigate through the streets of the city through magical realism that can only happen in Paris. French Kiss was developed to entertain audiences through original storytelling where the brand and hotel play a character - ultimately inspiring viewers to travel. Short films are just one part of our content mix and overall ‘3C’ content marketing strategy of producing engaging content that builds communities that drive commerce.”

Said Kim Moses, Executive Producer of French Kiss, “Our experience working with Marriott was a creative dream. Working with Marriott Hotels and the Marriott Content Studio, the only parameters that were given to us were to make it to appeal to Millennials, shoot in Paris and subtly tell the story of what it means to travel brilliantly.  We were then given the creative license to thread that needle with global appeal.  Having this support and creative freedom allowed us, along with writer/director John Gray, to produce a pure vision that allows the audience to laugh and be emotionally, romantically and magically touched in a universal way.”

Said Tyler Ritter, “To work on French Kiss was an adventure in and of itself, being set in the beautiful city of Paris.  Playing Ethan Holloway was an incredible learning experience as the character's beliefs are constantly challenged by his surroundings, and I believe his journey to be particularly inspiring.” 

To celebrate the premiere, Paris Marriott Champs Elysees has created a special French Kiss experience that retraces the footsteps of Margaux and Ethan through the city, inviting guests to recreate the romance and intrigue of the film for themselves.  Guests will be encouraged to leave their mobile devices behind and discover Paris for themselves. The hotel will provide a printed map to guide guests, tickets to attractions, such as the Eifel Tower and The Louvre and a Polaroid camera to capture picture perfect moments they can share on social media. For more information, go to: (insert URL)

For a behind-the-scenes look and more information about the film, visit: http://frenchkissfilm.marriott.com/.

Since its launch in September 2014, the Marriott Content Studio has announced a string of talent partnerships to feed its global content pipeline.  A summary of deals includes:

·         The Navigator Live, a Renaissance Hotels TV series currently distributed on AXS TV, produced in partnership with AEG.

·         Marriott Traveler – a new travel and lifestyle publication featuring destination content at Traveler.Marriott.com – that produces valuable destination and travel content that is unexpected, informative, and definitely not found in tourist guides.

·         Category-exclusive development deals with YouTube stars and content creators, including Louis Cole (@funforlouis), Taryn Southern, Sonia Gil, Vagabrothers; Jack Harries (jacksgap); and What's Trending with Damon Berger and Shira Lazar.

·         The TWO BELLMAN short film series in collaboration with Substance Over Hype and directed by Daniel “Malakai” Cabrera for the company’s JW Marriott brand.

In recognition of Marriott's innovative and game changing marketing, MIP TV  awarded the company its prestigious 2015 Brand of the Year. The MIP TV award is world renowned for recognizing the best in video marketing and branded entertainment and how original content has become a high-impact strategy to connect with consumers and create new partnerships in the entertainment industry.

About Marriott’s Content Studio 
Launched in September 2014, Marriott’s Content Studio is dedicated to publishing, distributing and sharing digital content across multiple platforms and on all screens. To further the company’s focus on next-generation travelers and to drive new business, the studio aims to own original content marketing and produce engaging content that builds worldwide communities of people passionate about travel that will drive commerce to the company’s hotels.

Sander/Moses Productions & SLAM 
Producers Ian Sander and Kim Moses of Sander/Moses Productions/SLAM have inked a deal with MCS to develop a branded digital project together (http://www.sandermoses.com/whoweare).  "In an ever-changing world of content creation and 21st century global interconnection it is really exciting to be teaming up with a premium travel brand like Marriott in the digital content space" said Ian Sander of Sander/Moses Productions/SLAM.  Sander/Moses have an astonishing eleven TV series (including Ghost Whisperer and Profiler) four feature films (including D.O.A.), and dozens of digital projects to their credit.

About Marriott Hotels 
With 500 hotels and resorts in nearly 60 countries around the world, Marriott Hotels is evolving travel through every aspect of the guest’s stay, enabling the next generation to Travel Brilliantly. Boldly transforming itself for mobile and global travelers who blend work and play, Marriott leads the industry with innovations, including the Greatroom, Future of Meetings and Mobile Guest Services that elevates style & design and technology. All Marriott hotels participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit www.MarriottHotels.com.

ABOUT MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL:
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a leading lodging company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with properties in 79 countries and territories and reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014.  The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit http://news.marriott.com.