Genesis Launches Film Fellowship As Part Of Expanded Origins Partnership With Great Big Story
Media Release

Genesis Launches Film Fellowship As Part Of Expanded Origins Partnership With Great Big Story

Luxury automotive brand Genesis is expanding its long-standing partnership with CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) and Great Big Story by renewing its exclusive sponsorship of the Origins channel. In addition, the student fellowship program returns for its second year, offering four college students the opportunity to produce their own micro-documentaries for release on Great Big Story this November.

The partnership began in 2016 with Genesis serving as the launch partner of Great Big Story’s Origins channel of micro-documentary films, exploring the unexpected history of things from design, to food, to pop culture. Since the channel’s launch the Genesis brand has been associated with over 100 Origins videos from Great Big Story delving into topics from a sensory tour of Korea’s oldest street food market to the last known seamstress spinning silk from the Sardinian coast as well as branded content about Genesis’ own origin story and how it draws inspiration from Korea’s legacy and heritage.

The expanded partnership created by CNNIC sees the Genesis brand integrated into Origins, featuring as a sponsor on all Origins editorial films, including 10 ‘Chapters’ episodes, five of which will be shot in New York, USA and five in Seoul, South Korea. Each 60 second ‘Chapters’ episode will explore a different iconic landmark that contributes to the cultural fabric of these cities. In addition, Great Big Story will provide a mentoring opportunity to local students as they shadow producers on location in their cities. The student participation will be documented in an Instagram behind-the-scenes series called Field Notes. Additionally, a branded content film produced by CNNIC’s global brand studio Create will delve into Genesis and what it stands for.  All content will run across Great Big Story’s platforms and social accounts reaching over 12 million fans around the world and targeted to Genesis’ key audiences.

The expansion of this year’s ‘Genesis Student Film Fellowship’ involves four college students, each receiving US$15,000 grants to fund the production of their very own micro-documentaries, which will premiere this November. The fellows were selected by faculty heads from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and Korea’s National University for the Arts (K’ARTS) Department of Broadcasting. All will receive close mentorship from dedicated Great Big Story producers as they prepare their passion projects for release later this year.

“I am pleased to see the Genesis and CNN partnership go from strength to strength while keeping original storytelling at the very core of this journey. The power of this campaign lies in Origins’ rich storytelling, passion projects delivered through the Film Fellowship and the engagement that Great Big Story has with its audience. Our collaboration is further powered by in-depth audience insight along with a smart combination of branded content across Great Big Story platforms,” said Sunita Rajan, Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales, Asia Pacific, CNN International Commercial.

“It has always been a big pleasure to make great things together with partners that share the same values and beliefs. In particular, we are truly happy to expand ‘Genesis Student Film Fellowship’ this year, as the program is part of our effort to give back to the society and contribute to the creative world. We cannot wait to see the young filmmakers’ inspiring work as well as new Origins stories discovered around the world,” said Manfred Fitzgerald, Head of Genesis Brand.

“Our fans around the world continue to show a tremendous appetite for Origins stories,” said Courtney Coupe, Head of Great Big Story. “The uniqueness of what our producers uncover really resonates with viewers across every platform and we’re equally excited to extend this storytelling through the second group of student film fellows.”

The U.S. screening of the fellowship projects will take place in New York, followed by a filmmaker Q&A to discuss the fellowship projects with attendees. Additionally, a special screening for the fellowship projects will take place in Seoul, South Korea at the end of the year. 

CNN Media Contact

Penelope Heath / Tracy Yiu

Tel: +852 3128 3538 / +852 3128 3567

Email: penelope.heath@cnn.com / tracy.yiu@turner.com

About CNN International Commercial

CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) is responsible for the business operations of CNN’s properties outside of the United States. All commercial activities for brands such as CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Arabic, CNN Style, CNN Business and Great Big Story are aligned within the division. This encompasses the advertising sales, sponsorship partnerships, commercial content development, content sales, brand licensing, distribution and out-of-home operations, business development and marketing for the world’s leading international news provider. CNNIC is a recognised industry leader in international advertising sales and its use of award-winning commercial content, produced through its Create unit and driven by its advanced data usage and digital capabilities, has resulted in strong and enduring partnerships with many of the world’s most recognised brands. Its Content Sales and Licensing unit has relationships with more than 1,000 affiliates ranging from licensing the CNN brand through to content supply contracts as well as offering consultancy services. CNNIC has offices across the world, with key hubs in London, Hong Kong and Miami. For more information visit http://commercial.cnn.com.

About Great Big Story

Great Big Story is a global media company devoted to cinematic storytelling. Headquartered in New York, with a bureau in London, our studios create and distribute micro docs and short films, as well as series for digital, social, TV and theatrical release. Since our launch in late 2015, our producers have traveled to 100 countries to discover the untold, the overlooked and the flat-out amazing. Our stories engage and inspire tens of millions daily. For more information, visit www.greatbigstory.com.

About Genesis

As a design-focused brand, Genesis has introduced fascinating models that embody athletic elegance, including the G80 and G80 Sport midsize luxury sedans and the flagship G90 luxury sedan. The brand’s G70 sport sedan made its world debut in September 2017, completing the brand’s sedan lineup and named as 2019 North American Car of the Year (NACOTY). In 2018,  Genesis has won highest-ranked brand in the automotive industry awards for quality and owner satisfaction from highly-respected, third-party experts Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and AutoPacific. For more information on Genesis and its new definition of luxury, please visit  https://www.genesis.com.