NERDIST INDUSTRIES AND LUCASFILM’S

COURSE OF THE FORCE RETURNS FOR

AN EPIC SECOND JOURNEY

JULY 9-16

Lightsaber Relay Strikes the California Coast

From Skywalker Ranch To San Diego Comic-Con International

SAN FRANCISCO (MARCH 27, 2013) – On the heels of last year’s monumental, first-of-its-kind event, Course of the Force, the lightsaber run that captivated the attention of Star Wars^™ fans around the world, is returning July 9^th – 16^th, 2013.  Kicking off at the famed Skywalker Ranch, participants will continue the relay run down through San Francisco with several stops along the California coastline before reaching the finish line— arriving just in time for the start of the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con^® International convention. Nerdist Industries’ founder Chris Hardwick will be back to host the event, with city-stops along the way featuring “Conivals” where fans can celebrate their love of the Saga with live entertainment, expo booths, giveaways and much more.

"Our plan to run at Comic-con screaming with a lightsaber worked beyond our wildest dreams. People showed up! Lots of them! In cosplay! And we were able to grant more than 1000 wishes for Make-A-Wish!" said Chris Hardwick. "Last year we started in Santa Monica, this year, Marin, and hopefully next year Tatooine.”

 Course of the Force has reteamed with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® chapters of Greater Bay, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego with 100 percent of all runner registration proceeds benefiting the charity.  In 2012, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® had a strong presence during the inaugural event, with Make-A-Wish kids participating in the opening and closing ceremonies of Course of the Force and running in the event.

Given the overwhelming response to the 2012 relay, this year’s event is expanding and will cover nearly 500 miles; at the end of the route, Course of the Force will be hosting activities at the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego during San Diego Comic-Con International from July 18^th - 20th.

Highlights from last year’s 136-mile Course of the Force lightsaber run featured a caravan of costumed runners, Jabba the Hutt’s Sail Barge and two Yoda-fied RVs traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway. 

In addition to helping grant wishes, participants of Course of the Force will run quarter-mile segments down the California coast, passing off the official Course of the Force lightsaber. Registration is now open at http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce. Each relay spot is $150, which includes a customized Hasbro lightsaber, exclusive Course of the Force swag bag and the experience of a lifetime.  Runners are encouraged to be creative and wear their best Star Wars gear.  

All Course of the Force video content will be distributed via Starwars.com  at http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce and hosted on the Nerdist YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/Nerdist. 

For more information on Course of the Force, visit http://www.starwars.com/courseoftheforce. 

RESOURCES

Website – starwars.com/courseoftheforce

Facebook – facebook.com/courseoftheforce                       

Twitter – @CourseOtheForce

Google + – plus.google.com/103291298159790820268

Pinterest – pinterest.com/courseotheforce/

YouTube – youtube.com/nerdist & youtube.com/courseoftheforce

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

ABOUT NERDIST INDUSTRIES

Nerdist Industries is a multi-platform creator of genre and popular culture content. Its online presence includes a website at Nerdist.com, a premium YouTube channel (youtube.com/nerdist), Nerdist News daily e-newsletters, 1.8 million Twitter followers, and a Podcast Network including the flagship Nerdist Podcast, also produced as a TV show on BBC America.  Nerdist also hosts live events around the country such as The Nerdist Podcast Live! and Course of the Force, an annual lightsaber relay in partnership with Lucasfilm LTD and Octagon which leads up to San Diego Comic-Con International.

Nerdist Industries was founded in 2008 by comedian, author, podcaster and AMC's The Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick.  Hardwick serves as Founder & Chief Creative Officer and digital media entrepreneur Peter Levin serves as Chief Executive Officer.  In July 2012, Legendary Entertainment, the company behind such genre films as Inception, Watchmen, 300, Man Of Steel and The Dark Knight Trilogy, acquired Nerdist Industries.  Hardwick and Levin serve as Co-Presidents of Digital for Legendary, in dual roles with their Nerdist positions. Nerdist Industries is headquartered at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, CA.

ABOUT OCTAGON

Octagon, (IPG: NYSE) is the world’s largest sponsorship consulting practice, managing and influencing some $3 billion in sponsorship-related spending annually.  Octagon also is a pioneer and leader in athlete & personality representation and management.  With more than 800+ employees worldwide, Octagon works with hundreds of blue-chip corporate clients and more than 800 athletes & personalities clients and manages more than 5,000 events per year.  Octagon’s Events & Hospitality team operates four professional golf tournaments, a professional bass fishing tournament and numerous first-class corporate hospitality events. To learn more about Octagon, visit: http://www.octagon.com.

ABOUT LUCASFILM LTD.

Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production.  In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, Lucasfilm's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucasfilm Animation, which produces cutting-edge digital entertainment; and Lucas Licensing which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises.   Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

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Course of the Force Partners with SHOEBACCA.com PETER MAYHEW (“CHEWBACCA” from STAR WARS^TM) TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS

SANTA MONICA, CA (July 3rd, 2012) – Course of the Force is excited to announce a partnership with SHOEBACCA.com, a leading online retailer focused on “active lifestyle” footwear, for its inaugural five-day lightsaber relay which begins at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, July 7^th. Participants in Course of the Force will come dressed in their favorite Star Wars^TM or popular culture-themed costumes and hand off a custom Hasbro Ultimate FX Lightsaber at quarter-mile markers to the next runner. The relay finishes in downtown San Diego, home of the San Diego Comic-Con International®.

The partnership with SHOEBACCA.com specifically includes an opportunity for fans to meet Peter Mayhew (“Chewbacca” from Star Wars) in the SHOEBACCA.com hospitality area. Mayhew will greet Star Wars and SHOEBACCA.com fans alike and autograph pictures.  Donations for Peter’s autographed picture will benefit Make-A-Wish®. On a recent visit to SHOEBACCA.com’s warehouse and corporate offices, Peter remarked, “You know…when I first heard of Shoebacca, I couldn’t help but bring a smile to my face.”

The Course of the Force/SHOEBACCA.com partnership will also include the debut of SHOEBACCA.com’s newly refurbished 20-foot long, 11-foot tall “Big Shoe” at hospitality areas. The “Big Shoe” had once been used as a prop in the Walt Disney Pictures film series Honey I Shrunk the Kids. The “Big Shoe” will be on display during each of the Course of the Force conival exhibits. “It should come as no surprise that Guinness World Records is now involved,” says Tim Siemers, Marketing Director, SHOEBACCA.com.

Peter Mayhew will autograph pictures of himself beside the “Big Shoe” at the SHOEBACCA.com hospitality areas at the following times and locations:

·       Saturday, July 7th 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Santa Monica Pier

·       Sunday, July 8th 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Huntington Beach Pier

“SHOEBACCA.com wanted to partner with Course of the Force because this fun event highlights the cool nature of the Shoebacca name, the company’s active lifestyle product assortment, and its long-standing commitment to giving back to community,” says Clarence Schwab, Board Member at SHOEBACCA.com and Managing Partner of Schwab Capital Management, an independent sponsor and advisory firm.

All fans are invited to enter to win the SHOEBACCA.com GALACTIC GIVEAWAY Sweepstakes, accessible at www.shoebacca.com, beginning Saturday, July 7^th through August 31^st, 2012. The Grand Prize winner will enjoy a full year’s supply of shoes from SHOEBACCA.com, a framed and autographed print of Peter Mayhew and a complete set of Shoebacca branded merchandise to share with his or her family. Other prizes include $100 SHOEBACCA.com gift vouchers and SHOEBACCA.com T-shirts, hats and accessories.

Gary Spitalnik, Founder of Cabana Five LLC, is helping activate this event for SHOEBACCA.com.

The Course of the Force is for Star Wars enthusiasts to celebrate their love of the Saga and is held in partnership with Lucasfilm, Ltd., Nerdist Industries and Octagon to raise proceeds for the Make-A-Wish®.

On July 7, Course of the Force will kick off with an event at the Santa Monica Pier at 10:00 a.m. The relay will start later at 1:00 p.m. and end that night at the Redondo Beach Pier (Daily Schedule per chart below). Other planned stops include Huntington Beach Pier, Oceanside and Crystal Pier at Pacific Beach. Fans have the opportunity to participate in the historic lightsaber relay by registering online now at CourseoftheForce.com.

Giving Course of the Force a true fan’s touch, Nerdist Industries’ founder Chris Hardwick will be joined by co-hosts Ashley Eckstein of Her Universe and Alex Albrecht and Alison Haislip of Nerdist. They will follow the action from the Course of the Force lead vehicle, a replica of Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge, and broadcast to fans across the world on StarWars.com  and the Nerdist YouTube channel (youtube.com/HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com/nerdist"nerdist). They will be joined by special guests from the Saga and pop-culture to put on an epic celebration for both the fans in attendance and watching online.

DAILY RELAY SCHEDULE

Day	Start Time	Start Location	End Time	End Location
Saturday, July 7	1:00 p.m.	Santa Monica Pier	7:00 p.m.	Redondo Beach Pier
Sunday, July 8	7:00 a.m.	Redondo Beach Pier	4:30 p.m.	Huntington Beach Pier
Tuesday, July 10	7:00 a.m.	Oceanside Pier	5:30 p.m.	Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach
Wednesday, July 11	9:00 a.m.	Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach	12:30 p.m.	San Diego

*All times approximate and subject to change. The concluding event at the Balboa Theatre is a ticketed event. All other events mentioned in schedule are free to the public.

RESOURCES

Website:
CourseoftheForce.com
www.shoebacca.com

Facebook:
facebook.com/courseoftheforce
http://www.facebook.com/shoebacca

Twitter:
@CourseOtheForce
@SHOEBACCA

Google +
plus.google.com/103291298159790820268
https://plus.google.com/115453549641613644557/posts

Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/courseotheforce/
http://pinterest.com/shoebacca/

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/nerdist
http://www.youtube.com/shoebaccatv

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Course of the Force Partners with Otter Pops