Taryn Southern, Yulin Kuang and Clara Chung Will Create Content Highlighting Female Empowerment With #ShesGotDrive Campaign
LOS ANGELES, January 31, 2017 – Ford Motor Company announced today that they will be working with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University to create a YouTube campaign aimed at raising awareness about the need to improve gender equality both in front of, and behind, the camera. The campaign will include Academy Award®-winning actor Geena Davis and leading YouTube content creators Taryn Southern, Yulin Kuang and Clara Chung. Driven by these strong female entrepreneurs, the campaign will reinforce the Institute’s mission and the feeling Ford SUV’s provide, to “Be Unstoppable.” Using the message #ShesGotDrive, the women will utilize their YouTube channels to share their stories of success, empowerment and ambition.
Each content creator brings a unique sensibility to the #ShesGotDrive campaign. Southern, one of the early pioneers of digital media, is a musical comedian, actor, video blogger, and passionate satirist known for parody music videos, candid interviews and woman-on-the-street segments through her successful YouTube page. Filmmaker Kuang is a Los Angeles-based writer and director whose storytelling sensibilities veer towards coming-of-age and romantic comedies. Her films have been screened at Sundance and The Palm Springs Short Fest and can be seen on her YouTube channel Yulin is Working. Singer/songwriter Chung is an indie pop artist whose songs about life and love helped her rise to fame when she won numerous talent contests, while simultaneously posting her original content on YouTube. She is a one-woman band, playing several instruments and producing, writing and directing her own content.
“Ford has a strong history of supporting programs that seek out solutions, so I’m thrilled to have Ford support my institute’s mission to dramatically improve gender representation in media. It’s wonderful to partner with them on this content campaign that will showcase inspiring women who are taking control of their destinies,” says Davis.
“This collaboration with Geena Davis and her incredible organization is an opportunity for Ford to help drive the conversation on gender equality and the importance of female empowerment, not only in entertainment, but in our everyday lives,” says Al Uzielli, head of Ford Global Brand Entertainment.
Chantel Lenard, Executive Director, US Marketing at Ford Motor Company, states, “Supporting women’s initiatives has long been a major focus at Ford. From over two decades of work in breast cancer research through Warriors in Pink, to a slate of progressive programs such as aligning with the Geena Davis Institute, Ford is committed to advancing important human causes.”
The content and campaign will be launched during a special event on February 6th at YouTube Space LA. The event will include a panel discussion featuring Davis and Lenard, as well as Southern, Kuang and Chung. The panel will be moderated by Alex Cohen, host of KPPC’s “Morning Edition.”
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About Ford Motor Company: Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products and services, please visit www.corporate.ford.com
About the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media: Founded by Academy Award®-winning actor Geena Davis, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University is the only research-based organization working directly media and entertainment companies with cutting-edge research, education and advocacy programs to dramatically improve how girls and women are reflected in media targeting children 11 and under.
