to Sponsorship information and highlights of BritWeek 2009

Celebrating British Contributions to California
BritWeek is a celebration of all things British in California. Founded in 2007,
it offers an extensive program every spring showcasing the many connections
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music, fashion and sport - Brits are active in every part of Californian life,
and British companies are the largest investors in the state.
Highlights of BritWeek2009 included:
• A Gala Dinner with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which raised
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• Four star-studded red carpet events
• BritNight with the LA Galaxy Celebrity Soccer Match at Home Depot Stadium
• BritWalks featuring over 60 stores & restaurants
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• Over There)LOPPDNHUV)RUXPZLWKÀOPJUHDWVLQFOXGLQJ.HQQHWK%UDQDJK,
Jim Sheridan & Michael Apted
• The second BritWeek BAFTA/LA Comedy Festival
• And many more...
• BritWeek achieved more than 300 million media impressions and was
covered by local, national and international press.
• BritWeek2009KDGPRUHWKDQÀIW\FRUSRUDWHVSRQVRUVLQFOXGLQJ
MINI USA, 19 Entertainment, Hilton Hotels, BP, BT, BBC, HBO, Visit Britain,
Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Megastore, the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, Variety, Screen
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Investment, British American Business Council Los Angeles, British American
Business Council Orange County, British Airways, The Rug Company, Four
Seasons Hotel, Diageo, Jo Malone, Four Boys Films, Liz Earle, Citation Shares,
Charleton Commerce, International ESQ, Strategic Artist Management,
International ESQ and Air New Zealand.
BritWeek2010 will take place between April 20th and May 9th, 2010 in Los
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BritWeek program in San Francisco.
Once more, BritWeek will feature a Gala Dinner to raise funds to eradicate
malaria, this year honoring Sir Richard Branson in Beverly Hills on April 22nd.
Again BritWeek will feature fashion awards and a fashion show, a comedy
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music, art exhibits, screenings and many other events.
New to BritWeek in 2010 will be a focus on British interior designers, a
forward-thinking conference featuring Young Entrepreneurs Who Are
Changing the Face of the WorldDQGWKHÀUVW%ULW:HHNFuture Now Awards
for Business Innovation.
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Mindy Gail
Executive Director
BritWeek
11766 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1230
Los Angeles, CA 90025
7HO
[email protected]
www.britweek.org
BritWeek is a 501(C)3 Organization
The British are Coming - and They Mean Business
By Matthew Garrahan • Published: April 30 2008 in the Financial Times
Film and TV stars were out in force at a mansion in the Hancock Park district of Los Angeles last
week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the house becoming the official residence of the British consul
general.
Dame Judi Dench and John Cleese were among the guests munching fish and chips with their
champagne, as were the five finalists from American Idol, the singing competition that is currently the
most watched programme on US television.
The party also marked the start of BritWeek, a series of concerts, film screenings and marketing
events designed to promote awareness of both the cultural and the financial impact of Britain on Los
Angeles and California.
While the aim of BritWeek is to showcase creative talent, the organisers also hope to change US
attitudes about British business. “Very few people [in California] are aware of the level of British engagement here,” says Bob Peirce, the British consul general.
The brainchild of Nigel Lythgoe, the British-born producer of American Idol and the former head of entertainment at London Weekend Television, BritWeek is in fact a fortnight. It aims to showcase the best of British creative talent. Zandra Rhodes, the British designer,
is putting on a fashion show at the Hancock Park mansion, while the Los Angeles wing of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
has created a new British comedy awards ceremony, which will be held in the city tomorrow night.
Duran Duran are playing a special concert at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and across town in Beverly Hills, British
brands such as Asprey, Dunhill and Burberry, are hosting a “retail walk” that will take in some of the city’s most exclusive streets. Special
screenings of Alfred Hitchcock films have been arranged, while BritWeek organisers are also planning to show films to mark David Lean’s
100th birthday.
Mr Lythgoe, once known by the UK press as “Nasty Nigel” for his biting put-downs during his stint as a judge on the British Pop Idol ,
the programme that preceded American Idol and The X-Factor , says he was struck by the creeping British influence on US TV schedules.
“We sort of run [US TV] now . . . all the top shows are UK formats or are run by Brits, from Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, So You
Think You Can Dance to Survivor. We have changed the face of TV in this country, so I thought it was time to wave the flag.”
A board member of Bafta LA, Mr Lythgoe hascarved out a career in front of camera in the US as a judge on So You Think You Can
Dance , a dancing show on the Fox network. “By having BritWeek it’s not like we’re coming over here and saying: ‘we’re the best.’ But no
one likes the word failure in this town . . . you have to ride the wave when you can. While we’re successful we should be proud of it.”
British influence is everywhere in Los Angeles, from the billboards featuring Gordon Ramsay’s scowling face on Sunset Boulevard
- his programme, Hell’s Kitchen, has become one of the big hits of Fox’s spring schedule - to the British comfort food served at the Four
Seasons Beverly Hills.
The hotel, a favourite haunt of visiting British actors, directors and producers, is hosting the Bafta LA comedy awards tomorrow
night and has worked hard to build links with Britain. The hotel has a British sous chef and executive chef, while the food and beverage
manager is also British.
“It’s not deliberate,” says Sarah Cairns,a hotel representative, who also happens to hail from Britain. “But because there are a few
of us here it means we put a lot of effort into anything British. Also, the UK is our biggest market outside North America.”
Mr Peirce says BritWeek is “all about creating awareness of the British connection. Britain is the largest investor in California . . .
most FTSE 100 companies are present here and, increasingly, British companies are choosing to establish US headquarters in California, such as BT, BP and Tesco.”
He admits that people may question the value of pointing out British links to retailers on Rodeo Drive. But he says it is important
“because it means we develop brand awareness and a sense of British businesses being important partners”.
One of his longer-term ambitions is to see Americans give more credit to Britain and Europe in terms of their stature as US trade
partners. “I’m constantly struck by students here in California thinking that Asia is their economic future, and thinking of Europe only in
historical terms, or as a tourist destination.
“We have to change that. We have to make them understand that Europe, led by Britain, is the biggest
investor in the US and is its biggest market,” he says.
He would also encourage chief executives of other companies thinking of US expansion to consider
California as their first stop. The state has a rapidly changing demographic mix - in the next 20 years more
than 40 per cent of the population will be of Hispanic origin.
Californians have backed radical legislative measures to fight climate change while the state is also
leading the way in energy-efficient clean technology research and investment.
“What’s happening here is what will happen to the rest of America in the future,” says Mr Peirce. “If I were
a chief executive and I wanted to be relevant in the US in the next 20 years, I’d better be in California.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. “FT” and “Financial Times” are trademarks of the Financial Times.
BritWeek was advertised on billboards and storefronts across Southern California
Neiman Marcus window display in Beverly Hills
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Celebrating British Contributions to California
www.britweek.org