Los Angeles Team Wins $24K and Guest Blogging Gig with Samsung.com
Based on Best Balance of Communication and Social Media Networking Skills, Personality, Creativity, Originality and Online Fan Votes
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., March 1, 2010 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc., the official wireless sponsor of Vancouver 2010, and Olympic ladies’ halfpipe silver medalist Hannah Teter today named Los Angeles-based Team Cool Kids: Ethan Newberry and Lindsay Harbert Samsung’s Ultimate USA Mobile Explorers. The winning team was selected from among the five Samsung Mobile Explorer teams representing the U.S. at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, who competed for online fan votes and the favor of a panel of Samsung judges by blogging, vlogging and tweeting their Olympic experiences. The Mobile Explorers quality videos can be seen at: http://www.facebook.com/samsungusa.
Along with the title of Ultimate Samsung Mobile Explorer, Team Cool Kids earns a guest blogging gig with Samsung.com and a $24,000 Samsung cash prize package.
“The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games were a great moment for Samsung, allowing our 10 USA Mobile Explorers to share their experiences with people across the world and to extend Samsung’s commitment to supporting the Olympic Movement,” said David Steel, executive vice president of strategic marketing for Samsung Electronics America, Inc. “Now, we are pleased to connect with Ethan and Lindsay to share more of their ultimate mobile experiences at Samsung.com”
During an awards event in Vancouver on Sunday night, Team Cool Kids shared their appreciation: “We are completely honored and humbled to be picked out of a group of such amazing people. Thank you to Samsung and the fans for such an amazing adventure. And thank you to our fellow Mobile Explorers this wouldn’t be the same without all of you.”
To earn their title as Samsung’s Ultimate Mobile Explorers, Team Cool Kids competed in seven challenges—visiting Vancouver sites, tracing the history of ice dancing and scripting a sustainability PSA. They showcased their creativity and editing skills in their Challenge 6 Freestyle video, incorporating animated versions of the Vancouver 2010 mascots: Quatchi, Miga and Sumi. And the love song they wrote for Challenge 2 became a facebook fan and Mobile Explorer favorite—“S-A-M, S-U-N, Gee I love my Samsung!”
Snowboarder and Samsung Olympic Ambassador Hannah Teter was also on hand to share her experience with the Mobile Explorers and challenge them with her own Olympic-related tasks, including a head-to-head contest to raise awareness for her charity Hannah’s Gold, which uses the proceeds from sales of Hannah’s Gold Maple Syrup to aide children in crisis and curb the effects of poverty in Africa. Samsung pledged $30,000 to Teter during a celebration event in Vancouver on February 20, following her second career Olympic medal win.
“I have been honored to serve as the ambassador for Samsung’s Mobile Explorers program,” Teter said. “Not only have I been able to bring the Olympic Winter Games to so many people and experiment with some of the most current social networking technology, I also have the opportunity to raise awareness for Hannah’s Gold – a cause that is important to me.”
The 10 USA Mobile Explorers were selected after a month-long competition, during which consumers submitted video applications showcasing their creativity, personalities, social media and communication skills and excitement for the Olympic Winter Games.
Other finalist Mobile Explorer teams for the U.S., included:
· Team David and Freddie!, two college buddies who first connected in film school in Los Angeles. Making movies, gaming and one-upping each other in social network followers keeps their friendship strong.
· Team Kinetic: Karl and Jeremiah, a pair of creative professionals from Sacramento, Calif. They are experiential by nature, hardwired for fun, omnivorous with media and ambidextrous with their noggins.
· Team NYC: DeStorm and Jessica, a New York City couple built to compete and to travel. Both were college athletes and performers, and one of them calls YouTube for a paycheck, thanks to the three million video views.
· Team S.K.A.R. Vlog: Amy and Samia, friends from Los Angeles who seek to be the source of entertainment, whether it is impersonating a celebrity, singing really bad karaoke songs or just goofing around. The team is part journalism, part improv comedy.
Samsung USA Mobile Explorers were joined in Vancouver by more than 40 other Mobile Explorers from Canada, Russia, China and South Korea.
For a behind the scenes glimpse at one of the most exciting challenges where Samsung's USA and Canada Mobile Explorers joined forces to explore Vancouver please visit: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SamsungUSATube#p/u/36/K0GIAEGfrm8.
Samsung Electronics has been a top sponsor in the wireless communications equipment category since 1998. At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Samsung utilized its wireless technology for seamless communication among Olympic VIPs, delegates and staff.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung’s North American operations including Samsung Telecommunications America, LP, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Mexico, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, the Samsung organization is one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com. You can also Fan Samsung on www.Facebook.com/SamsungUSA or Follow Samsung via Twitter @SamsungTweets
About Hannah’s Gold
Professional snowboarder Hannah Teter created Hannah’s Gold, a Grade A medium amber pure Vermont maple syrup tapped from the trees near the Teter family house, following her gold medal performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in an effort to raise money for underprivileged children around the world. All proceeds from the sales of Hannah’s Gold benefit World Vision (www.worldvision.com), a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to tackling the causes of poverty. Through Hannah’s Gold and her personal commitment to donate all contest prize money, Teter and World Vision have combined efforts to raise money for the village of Kirindon, Kenya and help provide improvements for clean water access, sustainable infrastructure, school buildings and AIDS treatment among others. Hannah’s Gold is also supported by Teter’s sponsors: Burton, Okemo and Samsung. For more information or to order a bottle of Hannah’s Gold, please visit www.hannahsgold.com.
About the U.S. Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. Follow us on Twitter (@USOlympic) and to learn more about the USOC go to Teamusa.org.
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