Award-winning film's first international digital expansion captivates new online audiences, extending reach and success of Great Outdoors campaign

WASHINGTON, DC – October 20th, 2017 – This week, Brand USA's action-packed adventure film “America Wild: National Parks Adventure,” marked a significant milestone by surpassing one million views on Youku, China's top online streaming service – just four months after becoming available digitally for the first time ever outside of theaters in an international market. The film, which explores America's cherished national parks, was released internationally in giant-screen theatres beginning in February 2016 and soon became the highest-grossing documentary film of 2016 worldwide. A cornerstone of the Great Outdoors campaign, the film was designed to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service (NPS) by showcasing the breadth of public land and water experiences available to international visitors within a few short hours from the traditional gateway cities and it continues to captivate audiences across the globe. 

The digital success of “America Wild: National Parks Adventure” on Youku since its June 2017 Youku launch, adds another million viewers to the film's growing audience, which is now estimated at more than 2.5 million people internationally (5.5 million including the USA). This milestone paves the way for the February 2018 worldwide release of Brand USA's second giant-screen film titled, “America's Musical Journey,” starring famed singer-songwriter, Aloe Blacc.

“We are particularly excited to reach our first digital milestone with Youku for the National Parks film, which showcases the beautiful rural destinations that travelers can access just beyond our traditional gateway destinations – demonstrating the tremendous value in a single trip to the United States,” said Tom Garzilli, chief marketing officer for Brand USA. “America Wild: National Parks Adventure, as well as our next film, America's Musical Journey, are a key part of our international marketing strategy and we anticipate that both films will continue to play a large role in driving intent to visit the USA in the years to come.”

According to surveys conducted by the film's producer, MacGillivray Freeman, “America Wild: National Parks Adventure,” 81 percent of international audiences who viewed the film indicated they were much more likely or somewhat more likely to visit the USA as a result of watching the film. In addition, 62 percent of audiences said they were more likely to visit the USA instead of another destination as a result of watching the film.

Based on the continued success of the first film, Brand USA decided to join forces with MacGillivray Freeman Films for a second time, along with the global presenting sponsor, Expedia, Inc. to launch the giant-screen film “America's Musical Journey.” Currently in the final stages of production, this film follows Blacc as he takes audiences on a tour of some of the most iconic urban cities across the United States – exploring the diversity of experiences and destinations in America and telling its unique history through music, which has always been one of the most important assets that the United States has to offer (view the trailer here: http://americasmusicaljourney.com/).

About “America Wild: National Parks Adventure”

“America Wild: National Parks Adventure” was filmed in more than 30 national parks across the United States with the highest-quality IMAX® 3D cameras. The thrilling, feature-length film follows world-class rock, ice, and mountain climber Conrad Anker, adventurer and photographer, Max Lowe, and artist and adventurer, Rachel Pohl, as they hike, climb, and explore their way across U.S. national parks, such as Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, Grand Tetons, and Arches -- revealing a tapestry of natural wonders. The film experience allows audiences to soar over red rock canyons, hurtle down steep mountain peaks, and explore other-worldly realms found within the United States' most legendary outdoor places. Following its theatrical release, the film won five distinguished Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA), including the 2016 Awards for Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design, Best Original Score, and Best Marketing Campaign. In addition, the film's release was the industry's fastest giant-screen film roll-out in five years having been exhibited in 16 countries and 119 theatres worldwide within the first 12 months of its release.

The “America Wild: National Parks Adventure” film was originally launched as part of Brand USA's 2015 multifaceted “Great Outdoors” campaign, which both celebrated the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and inspired international tourism beyond traditional gateway cities (e.g., New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California). The campaign was extremely successful and received a number of awards, including the Travel Weekly Awards 2016 Gold Magellan Award for Best Advertising/Marketing Campaign, three Gold Awards at the 2016 Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards for Best Global Campaign, Advertising Innovation, and PR Special Events, and an Advertising Platinum Award. 

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About Brand USA

Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation's first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organization's mission is to increase international visitation to the USA in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past four years Brand USA's marketing initiatives have helped welcome 4.3 million incremental visitors to the USA, benefiting the U.S. economy with nearly $30 billion in total economic impact, which has supported, on average, 51,000 incremental jobs a year.

For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com. For information about exceptional and unexpected travel experiences in the United States, please visit Brand USA's consumer website VisitTheUSA.com (global).

To learn more about the film, visit NationalParksAdventure.com.