TORONTO — Visit California and Brand USA rolled out the red carpet and celebrated this year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in grand style.
The two destination marketing organizations, who are in the first year of a two-year partnership, teamed up on a series of activations to put the spotlight on the vast and exciting offerings for travellers in the Golden State.
Travelweek joined the celebration last night at the TIFF Red Carpet Suite as some 40 industry partners were hosted to walk the red carpet followed by a screening of ‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.’
Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt at last night’s TIFF event for ‘Road Diary – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’
Known to legions of fans as The Boss, Springsteen was on hand at last night’s premiere – along with the E Street Band’s colourful guitar player Steven Van Zandt – to partake in the screening and answer questions afterward too.
MORE TIFF ACTIVATIONS
From Sept 5-8, Visit California had a Festival Street Activation on what’s known as TIFF’s Festival Street, which runs from King Street to Peter Street in Toronto’s downtown entertainment district. This fun activation displayed
backdrops from Tinseltown, epic beach scenery (complete with surfboard, of course) and, for interaction, a Volkswagen van where guests could climb inside and take some photos. Onsite there was a QR code to scan for a chance to win a trip to Cali.
Brand USA is sponsoring TIFF’s second annual Black Excellence Brunch, highlighting the achievements of Black leaders in the Canadian and international film industries. The brunch will take place today, Sept. 9, at Soluna on Queen St. West. This year’s edition will explore the ‘The Rise of the Multi-Hyphenate,’ focusing on the growing trend of actors who are expanding their roles to become writers / directors / producers as the need for diverse storytelling increases. Producer Steve Harris is one of the five confirmed speakers for the panel discussion.
“It was important to be a part of TIFF and create visibility as Canada is USA’s number one source of international visitation,” explained Casey Canevari, Senior Manager, Global Trade Development (Canada) for Brand USA.
To learn more, go to VisitCalifornia.com and VisitTheUSA.com.
