The Inside Story of how two iconic organizations join forces to form a unique marketing alliance!
By Staff Writers
There has always been a facinating relationship between celebrities in Hollywood and the powerful in Washington, DC. Celebrities are drawn to power and the powerful are drawn to those who are famous. HMG President and Executive Producer Les Heintz understood that better than most because he had worked in both worlds for several years.
In 2013, Heintz had an idea to leverage that relationship to create a unique marketing campaign. He had just been elected as a National Trustee to The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences representing the Washington, DC region. The National Academy oversees the Emmy Awards for excellence in Television. The Board of Trustees that Heintz had just joined is The Academy's governing body.
The initial goal was simple: to promote the Daytime Emmy Awards by getting historical items related to Daytime Television into the collection of The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and therefore on display for viewing by the 2.1 million people who visit the museum each year.
On behalf of The Academy, Heintz developed a creative marketing alliance that promoted both organizations, gave The Smithsonian access to the stars in Hollywood and made the Daytime Emmys part of the cultural exhibits at The National Museum of American History.
Heintz proposed a series of "donation ceremonies" at the NMAH featuring high profile stars from daytime television. The stars would attract the national media which would create positive news coverage of both the museum and The Daytime Emmy Awards. NATAS would feature the alliance with the Smithsonian on the national broadcast of The Daytime Emmy Awards.
The campaign was an overwhelming success. It launched in May of that year with a donation ceremony featuring Susan Lucci of All My Children, Alex Trebek of Jeporady and Kathy Parker, the co-creator of Barney the Dinosaur. Top news organizations from across the country covered the event including the major networks, Entertainment Tonight, The Washington Post and the Associated Press.
NATAS Chairman Mal Wenges, praised Heintz and the campaign following the launch ceremony saying "the alliance between The Academy and The Smithsonian would not have been possible without Les's creative talent and his ability to bring the two organizations together."
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