The JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts brand is rolling out the “black carpet” for TWO BELLMEN, the first original short film produced in partnership with the Marriott Content Studio. The film is being distributed on multiple platforms, including digital – twobellmen.com – in limited theatrical release and in JW Marriott guest rooms.
Directed by Daniel “Malakai” Cabrera in collaboration with Substance Over Hype (SOH), TWO BELLMEN blends top talent from the hip-hop and B-boy dance world and stars Hollywood stuntmen William Spencer and Caine Sinclair.
“TWO BELLMEN combines music, movement, and talent from TV, film, and digital to tell an entertaining story where the brand simply plays a character,” said David Beebe, the film’s executive producer and vice president, Creative and Content Marketing at Marriott International. “Marketing as interruption is over, and TWO BELLMEN propels our strategy of providing entertaining and informative content that adds value and helps build a community of people passionate about travel who ultimately drive commerce for Marriott’s global brands, such as JW Marriott.”
TWO BELLMEN follows a competitive relationship between two exceptional bellmen that becomes a “crime fighters” friendship when the pair teams-up to thwart an attempted art heist. The bellmen and the JW Marriott’s legendary guest service emerge as the heroes.
Other standouts in the cast include: Henry Simmons (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.); Miles Brown aka Baby Boogaloo (ABC’s Black-ish); Sophina Brown (Shark; Numb3rs; The Good Wife); noted B-boy dancer Josue “Beastmode” Antonio (Southland; STEP UP REVOLUTION; The LXD); (Taryn Southern (The Single Life); and So You Think You Can Dance hip hop legend, Stephen “tWitch” Boss (STEP UP films; So You Think You Can Dance; MAGIC MIKE XXL), as well as other amazing talents from Substance Over Hype. AMP Live, Scarub, and Fingazz all contribute music. All the talent and other celebrity supporters will walk the black carpet in support of the film and ensuing performance by the Substance Over Hype crew of dancers, acrobats and musicians. An album of music from and inspired by the film—with several new and unreleased tracks—will drop March 31.
- Collaboration with producers Ian Sander and Kim Moses of Sander/Moses Productions/SLAM (Ghost Whisperer; Profiler; D.O.A.) to develop a branded digital project.
- The Navigator Live, a Renaissance Hotels TV series currently distributed on AXS TV, produced in partnership with AEG.
- Content and distribution collaboration, Gone (https://medium.com/gone), with Medium, the publishing platform launched by Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone.
- A partnership with Snapchat-focused agency Naritiv debuting Marriott as the first major hotel company on Snapchat. Contributors include Shaun McBride (@Shonduras); Brittany Furlan (@brittanyjfurlan); Casey Neistat (@caseyneistat), and Louis Cole (@funforlouis).
- Category-exclusive development deals with YouTube stars and content creators, including Louis Cole (@funforlouis), Taryn Southern, Sonia Gil, Vagabrothers; Jack Harries (jacksgap); and What’s Trending with Damon Berger and Shira Lazar.
