Partnership with Raindance invites British filmmakers to reinterpret The Big Lunch TV ad

Wednesday 3 June 2009, London, UK - MasterCard has joined forces with Raindance, the UK’s largest independent film organisation, in a ground-breaking creative venture designed to promote The Big Lunch and showcase new British filmmaking talent. In a media first, MasterCard is inviting Raindance’s extensive network of filmmakers to produce their own interpretations of MasterCard’s new Priceless® campaign leveraging The Big Lunch, which launched on 11 May.

Entrants can register at www.raindance.tv from 3 June until 29 June and all short films must communicate that The Big Lunch takes place on 19 July and include the Priceless insight: ‘Turning our streets into neighbourhoods - Priceless’. The entries will be judged by a panel from MasterCard, Raindance, The Big Lunch and McCann Erickson, with £1,000 prizes awarded for best film and the film with the most hits on the Raindance YouTube page.

Rita Broe, Head of Marketing, MasterCard UK & Ireland, commented:
"This is a unique activity in the user-generated content space, which goes beyond simple ad amplification. Our partnership with Raindance is born of the insight that consumers increasingly want to express themselves via social networking sites and the role of our brand in this campaign is to help facilitate that. The Big Lunch is also a grassroots movement driven by social media networks, so we hope this type of engagement marketing will encourage even more people to host their own Big Lunch on 19 July.”

Andre Burgess, CEO of Raindance.tv, commented:
‘Our Partnership with MasterCard in this unique opportunity reinforces Raindance’s underlying ethos of helping our grassroots community to flourish and be discovered. We are looking forward to seeing entries from across the country and getting a snap shot of how people and their communities express themselves through the medium of online video. ‘

The Big Lunch in partnership with MasterCard is a national initiative designed to bring the country together, by asking 61 million Britons to simultaneously sit down to have lunch with their neighbours, in their street, in a simple act of community on Sunday 19 July. The brainchild of Tim Smit, founder and CEO of The Eden Project, and Paul Twivy, CEO of The Big Lunch, it aims to begin the process of positive social change by reconnecting people, as Eden has always believed that stronger communities are vital to a happier and more sustainable life.

MasterCard is supporting The Big Lunch through a major advertising campaign in the run-up to 19 July and by mobilising its extensive network of employees, customers and partners to support the initiative.

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For further information, please contact:

Doyel Maitra, MasterCard Europe
Tel: +44 (0)207 557 5033, doyel_maitra@mastercard.com

MasterCard UK Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)870 990 5403, mastercardpressoffice@webershandwick.com

About MasterCard Worldwide

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com.

About The Eden Project

The Eden Project is an attitude to life, the first expression of which was the creation of the greatest conservatories in the world in a crater in Cornwall. Its mission is to point out our total dependence on the natural world in ways which don't feel preachy and to demonstrate aspects of behaviour and thinking that encourage us all to explore the boundaries of what is presently called Sustainable Living.

The Eden Trust, which runs The Eden Project, is an educational charity with projects both at home and abroad that develops educational programmes and events based on the philosophy that the challenges that are facing us should be viewed as opportunities that make us give of our best. The Big Lunch is one of the most important of these projects.

About Raindance.tv
Tied in to two of the autumn season’s most popular and well-established fixtures (The Raindance Film Festival in October, and the British Independent Film Awards in November), raindance.tv plc brings together several key online offerings under one roof: video sharing, networking and resources.

Raindance.tv offers a blend of high-quality, independently-produced, feature and short films via its website http://raindance.tv and via other IPTV and mobile networks, enabling users everywhere to watch films from around the world.
For more information visit http://www.raindance..tv

About Raindance Film Festival
Launched by Elliot Grove in 1993, Raindance is the UK’s largest truly independent film festival, showcasing shorts and features from around the world, and specialising in directorial debuts. Distinguishing itself from other festivals with its rock and roll attitude, Raindance runs riot in the West End of London for 10 days every October. Over the years Raindance has showcased such films as Pulp Fiction, Blair Witch Project, and Memento. The hugely popular event has grown steadily over the years. Last year, in 2008, the festival screened over 90 features and 160 shorts from all over the world, and attracted an audience of over 12,000 people.

As well as showing independent films from around the world, the festival hosts special events, including its renowned pitching event, Live!Ammunition!, where filmmakers can end up selling their ideas to the industry.