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Jun 5 2009

GPTMC Launches PHILLY 360°™, The Book, During The Roots Picnic

The Limited-edition Book Features The Roots, King Britt, Ethel Cee And Others

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) will debut PHILLY 360°™, The Book—the newest component of its African-American tourism marketing campaign—at The Roots Picnic on June 6, 2009. The limited-edition, hard-bound book features interviews with some of Philadelphia’s most prominent African-American tastemakers and trendsetters, including The Roots, King Britt and Ethel Cee, and details what these creative ambassadors love most about the city. All of the people featured in the book are part of GPTMC’s Philly 360°™ Coalition, a group of 50 of the city’s African-American thought leaders, cultural entrepreneurs, marketers and other stakeholders committed to promoting a 360° view of Philadelphia’s abundant cultural offerings.

GPTMC continues to focus on expanding the destination’s current visitor base by attracting a new group of African-American travelers who are younger, technologically savvy and driven to an urban destination based on its contemporary cultural offerings, vibrant nightlife scene and overall buzz factor. PHILLY 360°™, The Book promotes a progressive image of Philadelphia and gives readers a glimpse of the city’s creative scene.

“The nine creative ambassadors showcased in the book represent the people who are energizing Philadelphia’s creative scene,” says Patricia Washington, vice president of cultural tourism, GPTMC. “We choose to feature people who are inspired by Philadelphia, who are known nationally and internationally and who spread the word about their city as a great place to live, work and play.”

Here’s a look at who appears in PHILLY 360°™, The Book:

  • The Roots (Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter, Kirk “Captain Kirk” Douglas, Frank “Knuckles” Walker, Owen Biddle, Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson, James Kamal Gray and James Poyser) – Grammy® Award-winning hip-hop group, house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Philadelphia’s honorary creative ambassadors for 2009
  • King Britt – International producer and CEO of Five Six Media
  • Ethel Cee – Hip-hop artist
  • Rah Crawford – Visual artist and founder of NPIC-Art™
  • Maori Karmael Holmes – Filmmaker and founder of Black Lily Film & Music Festival
  • Rich Medina – World-renowned DJ, poet and producer
  • Syreeta Scott – Owner and celebrity stylist at Duafe Holistic Hair Care
  • Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson – Event producer/promoter, artist and graphic designer
  • Khari Mateen – Producer, composer and band leader of Elevator Fight

GPTMC produced PHILLY 360°™, The Book in partnership with Little Giant Media, Inc. and documented the entire process on video, available at gophila.com/philly360. Profiles of each of the creative ambassadors and behind-the-scenes photos are also available online. The book will be distributed for free at special Philly 360°™ Coalition events.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to Hear Philly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

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