USA Water Polo Unveils Second Campaign Images To Raise Water Polo Awareness
USA Water Polo Unveils Second Round Of Cap Campaign Images To Raise Water Polo Awareness
Good Morning America's Josh Elliott Headlines Talented Line-Up
Huntington Beach, Calif. - August 13, 2013 -- Fresh off the largest water polo Junior Olympics in history, featuring nearly 10,000 athletes, USA Water Polo continues the drive to raise awareness about water polo with the latest updates to its "Cap Campaign." Launched in September of 2011, the initial campaign highlighted a variety of high profile water poloists including Grammy winner Sean Paul, WNBA All-Star Jayne Appel, actor Ted McGinley, and astronaut Steve Smith, among others. This public awareness campaign is unique in that each participant has played the game of water polo, some at the highest levels both domestically and internationally. A new group of icons has been called upon to once again to wear a water polo cap - a defining symbol of the sport - while showcasing their chosen fields in images that are sure to inspire.
"I Am Water Polo" is the headline that anchors the campaign, featuring a versatile lineup who volunteered their time to support the game of water polo. The group includes Good Morning America's Josh Elliott, NBC's Biggest Loser Season 14 champion Danni Allen, doctor and Sublime with Rome touring member Todd Forman, veteran actor Ryan Bittle, Olympic water polo silver medalist and Olympic tri-athlete Julie Swail Ertel, award winning photographer Peter "Poby" Pobyjpicz, Sea World aquatic mammal trainer Erin Bakey Brown, winemaker Ned Morris, and Southern California firefighters Tony Crenshaw and Ryan Penrod.
"The feedback we received on the first iteration of the campaign was amazing," said USA Water Polo Chief Marketing Officer Jen Rottenberg. "It has generated significant attention over the past two years both within and outside of the water polo community, with our iconic images appearing in SELFmagazine, on NBC and FOX websites, and in various other media. We decided that it was time to add to the campaign with some more outstanding personalities and we are very excited to unveil phase two of the campaign!"
The initial campaign debuted with an interactive element for water polo fans worldwide in connection with the official Facebook page of USA Water Polo (facebook.com/usawp) that will continue with these campaign updates. Water Polo fans are encouraged to "join" the campaign by submitting images of themselves in their water polo cap away from the pool. Since 2011 fans have shown their passions outside of the pool while wearing a water polo cap. From newborns to prom dates there has been no shortage of excitement. Each image is open to voting among the USA Water Polo Facebook community and monthly winners are selected and profiled on Facebook, Twitter, and among the pages of SkipShot magazine.
The timeless images of "Cap Campaign" participants will be distributed via print advertisements for magazines nationwide and online public service announcements later this year. An official website, featuring the tagline of the campaign, www.IamWaterPolo.org, houses larger galleries from the "Cap Campaign" photo shoots, interviews, and behind the scenes footage.
The campaign was photographed once again by notable celebrity photographer Michael Larsen, one half of the dynamic team of Larsen & Talbert, known for images appearing in publications ranging from USA Weekend to SELF Magazine.
2013 Cap Campaign Line-up
Physician and Musician Todd Forman is a renaissance man. Forman attended Long Beach Wilson High School where he was an All-American water polo player and the CIF Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He then went on to play water polo for Harvard, got his MD at UCLA, and a Master’s in Medical Education at USC. He has a family medical practice in Newport Beach, but he moonlights as a professional saxophone player, most recently touring with the band Sublime with Rome.
Julie Swail Ertel was a member of the first US Women’s Olympic Water Polo Team, competing in Sydney in 2000 and earning a silver medal. Swail returned to the Olympics 8 years later to compete in the Triathlon in Beijing. Julie played water polo for Valencia High School in Placentia, California and in college at UC San Diego. She continues to compete in triathlons, while juggling life as a teacher, sports broadcasting color commentator, mom, and Masters water polo player for Sunset Beach Water Polo Club.
Josh Elliott is the news anchor on top-rated morning show, ABC’s Good Morning, America. Elliott moved to ABC from a successful career at ESPN that included hostingSportsCenter and Cold Pizza. He’s had a distinguished career as a journalist, beginning his career as a writer for Sports Illustrated and earning a local Emmy in 2005. Elliott played water polo at Loyola High School in Los Angeles and is a proud Californian living in New York!
Biggest Loser? Biggest Winner! Danni Allen competed on the 14th Season of NBC’s The Biggest Loser – and won, having lost 121 pounds! The advertising executive from Chicago played water polo at Clemson, where she was a walk-on goalkeeper after having been recruited to play soccer. Danni is now her company’s “Fitness Ambassador” and competes in half marathons!
Peter “Poby” Pobyjpicz is an award-winning photographer and director whose work focuses on sports, people and underwater. Poby has photographed Olympic Games and World Championships, and athlete profiles, and shot ad campaigns (print and video) for VISA, Nike, adidas, and many others. Poby is a true artist, also skilled at painting, drawing and piano playing. Growing up in Europe, Poby competed for the German National Team. Here in the US, he plays masters water polo for Asphalt Green and the New York Athletic Club.
Tony Crenshaw and Ryan Penrod are true heroes. Firefighters in Southern California, they both protect and save lives and property – at risk of their own lives – every day. Tony’s water polo career began at Costa Mesa High School and Costa Mesa Aquatic Club, and continued to California State University Long Beach, where he received a water polo scholarship. Ryan’s water polo career began at La Serna High School and continued at the University of La Verne where he was a member of their Division III NCAA Water Polo Championship Team.
Talk about loving to be in the water! Erin Bakey Brown is an aquatic mammal trainer at Sea World in San Diego, California where she spends her days teaching them new tricks and entertaining guests. Erin was not introduced to water polo until college. She was a swimmer and then played water polo for her last two years at the University of California, San Diego. She loved it so much she continues to play as a Masters athlete for Sunset Water Polo Club.
Washington State native Ned Morris had to travel all the way to Australia (to play water polo!) to decide he wanted to be a winemaker, before circling back to Basel Cellars Winery in Walla Walla. He’s got a Masters degree in Food Chemistry and a knack for growing great grapes! Ned started playing water polo as a 10 and under in Willamette Valley, where he also played in High School. Ned swam and played water polo on a combined scholarship at Iona College in New York and after receiving his degree, headed to Australia to play semi-professional water polo. Deciding then to pursue a career in winemaking he studied at Penfold's McGill Estate in Adelaide. Besides making wine, Ned now coaches and plays with the club water polo team in Walla Walla.
Ryan Bittle’s big break came in 1994 when he was cast in the tv series “Sweet Valley High.” For two decades now, Ryan’s had a successful career in a tough business,
appearing on dozens of tv series including “7th Heaven,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “Shameless,” “The Closer,” and two separate stints on long-running soap “All My Children.” Ryan played water polo at Crescenta Valley High School. He had wanted to play at UCLA, but went into acting instead. He’s played Masters Water Polo for Rose Bowl Aquatics and currently coaches kids ages 5-18 in the San Gabriel Valley.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport throughout the US. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
Official USA Water Polo Sponsors & Suppliers
24 Hour Fitness, Active Media, American Pistachios, Athleta, Bare Fruit Snacks, Beachside Produce, Big Fish Payroll Services, Capital One, Colorado Time Systems, Crown Awards, Deckside Pool Services, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Jamba Juice, Justin's, Katin USA, KT Tape, Liberty Mutual, Malibu Wellness, Mikasa, Napa Smith Brewery, Nestlé Nesquik, Ospraie Management, PowerBar, Pro-form Mouthguards, REUSE Jeans, S & R Sport, Sea Air Federal Credit Union, Special Event Contractors, TicketPrinting.com, TYR, United, Waiākea, Water Marque, & ZOLL AED.
About Larsen & Talbert
Larsen&Talbert is the husband and wife photographic team of Michael Larsen and Tracy Talbert. They met in high school where Michael was the yearbook photographer and Tracy shot for the school newspaper. In 1997, they married and launched Larsen&Talbert Photography. They have been specializing in their unique brand of celebrity portraiture and lifestyle photography for magazine and advertising clients for over 13 years. Their fun, colorful, flattering portraits have appeared worldwide and have been featured in magazines such as SELF, Esquire, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Playboy, USA Weekend, Good Housekeeping, Guideposts, People, US, and First for Women. Commercial celebrity and lifestyle clients include Fox Broadcasting, Disney, Turner Broadcasting, The Game Show Network, Warner Brothers Television, Babies R Us, and JBrand Jeans.
Greg Mescall
Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
714-500-5455
[email protected]
2124 Main Street, Ste. 240 Huntington Beach, CA 92648
www.youtube.com/usawp
Polo In Every Pool!
