NYC & COMPANY UNVEILS NEW FANTASTIC NYC CAMPAIGN

11/9/16


NYC & COMPANY UNVEILS NEW ‘FANTASTIC NYC’ CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHTING THE CITY’S STARRING ROLE IN WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW FILM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM



NYC & Company Encourages Visitors to Explore Fantastic NYC



Fantastic NYC to Highlight ‘Magic NYC’, ‘Hidden NYC’ and ‘Beastly NYC’ Experiences



London, United Kingdom (7th November 2016) – NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organisation, has collaborated with Warner Bros. Pictures to create Fantastic NYC, a campaign inspired by the upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (UK release date: 18th November 2016). The new marketing and communications initiative will spotlight the 1920s New York City, which plays a starring role in one of the most hotly anticipated film releases of the year. For more information on Fantastic NYC, visit nycgo.com/fantasticnyc.



“There is a powerful link between film and tourism and the launch of Fantastic NYC is a wonderful opportunity to promote the modern-day magic of New York City to a global audience,” said Fred Dixon, CEO and president of NYC & Company. “By inspiring visitors to come and experience the enchanting locations seen on screen, we can drive growth from tourism and its economic benefits across the City’s five boroughs.”



Fantastic NYC inspires visitors to explore New York City through curated editorial content, social media utilising #fantasticnyc, and more. Now available on nycgo.com/fantasticnyc, the campaign features tips designed to help visitors create their own magical NYC moments. Tips from NYCGo will include experiences from the following categories: Magic NYC; Hidden NYC and Beastly NYC. The promotion also has a strong London presence, including 26 examples of out-of-home media in the shape of outdoor billboards and digital screens. The creative has been produced in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and features a Fantastic NYC package from Virgin Holidays. The package offers New York holidays from £475 per person for travel this January, flying Virgin Atlantic with a three-night stay at the Row NYC. For more information and to view the full terms and conditions, visit virginholidays.com/fantasticnyc.



Fans can also now explore the world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with Google Street View, visiting 1926 New York as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Sites include MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, who complete the film’s quartet of unlikely heroes. For more information, visit g.co/fantasticbeasts.



The adventures in the movie are set in 1920s New York and many landmarks of the era still stand today, enabling us to see the City through the film’s fantastical lens. Sample highlights of Fantastic NYC include:



·         Bergdorf Goodman: The 1928 Bergdorf still stands, and now features eight floors of women’s clothes and an on-site restaurant. There’s also a men’s store across the street.



·         Central Park Zoo: After extensive renovations, the zoo is very different from its 1920s incarnation, before the menagerie of animals maintained near the armory formally opened as a zoo, but the sea lion pool remains a focal point. Today, Central Park Zoo is a pioneer in re-creating natural habitats in urban environments.



·         Lower East Side: While new buildings and chic nightlife have moved in, you can still recognise some of the architecture and visit surviving businesses from the 1920s, like Russ & Daughters (an appetizing shop) and Yonah Schimmel (which serves knishes). The Tenement Museum, a National Historic Site, offers tenement and neighbourhood walking tours along with other educational programming.



·         Statue of Liberty: Ellis Island has long since transitioned into a second life as a museum, but the island and the Statue of Liberty remain powerful symbols of America’s history as a nation of immigrants who came to these shores looking for a better life.



·         Times Square: Still the site of the New Year’s Eve ball drop, the iconic square features adjoining buildings that are adorned with video billboards and even brighter lights.



Starting 17th November 2016, visitors can join a new Fantastic NYC Tour to visit landmark locations across the City that inspired the magnificent 1920s New York brought to life in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. For more information about On Location Tours, visit onlocationtours.com.                                                              



About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official destination marketing organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximising travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For more information on visiting NYC, visit www.nycgo.com.



About Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them takes us to a new era of J.K. Rowling’s Wizaqrding World, decades before Harry Potter and half a world away.  The film opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident… were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be released in 2D and in select 3D and IMAX cinemas worldwide beginning November 18, 2016, by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.  For more information, visit www.fantasticbeasts.net.  



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Contact: NYC & Company / Chris Heywood 917-459-8844
 NYC & Company / Mark McCulloch +44 (0)207 593 1715