Grey Partners With Stevie Van Zandt in Music Seminar at Cannes

Founding Member of Springsteen’s E-Street Band Talks About His Underground Garage Sirius Radio Show and the State of Music Today

NEW YORK, June 11 /PRNewswire/ — Grey New York announced today that its third annual Music Seminar with Living Legends will feature Stevie Van Zandt, founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, on Wednesday, June 24 at the Debussy. The 2009 Cannes event follows two years of high popularity for the Grey music seminar with legends Tony Bennett in 2008 and John Legend and Donavan in 2007.

In Grey’s annual seminar on music and its place in marketing communications, Van Zandt will discuss today’s music scene and the impact on brands and bands, his Wicked Cool record label, his underground garage radio show on Sirius satellite radio and his feature role as Silvio Dante in the global television hit “The Sopranos” in what should be one of the most fascinating and informative hours in the whole Cannes week.

Leading the panel from Grey will be moderator Tim Mellors, Worldwide Creative Director & Vice Chairman of Grey Group, and Josh Rabinowitz, SVP/Director of Music, Grey New York, who also is a columnist for Billboard magazine’s “With the Brand” and an adjunct professor at The New School in New York City.

“Stevie is truly a one-off,” said Mellors, multiple Cannes Lion winner over the last 20 years. “Just to be a founding member of “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band is enough to place him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But now, he’s world famous once again in his role as sidekick to a completely different kind of boss, Tony Soprano, as Silvio in “The Sopranos.” In both lives, Van Zandt’s trademark modesty hides his huge talent. Typically he always claims of his Silvio role, ‘It’s the wig that does the acting.’”

About the music’s relevance to advertising, Josh Rabinowitz said, “Advertising is becoming a new form of the music label. Any day now, we will see the most popular song in America, as well as around the world, come out of a brand’s advertising, as opposed to radio or a ‘record’ release.”

Stevie Van Zandt said, “The music business is going through some of the biggest changes in its history. In this transitional period, the advertising agencies have stepped in to keep Rock and Roll consistently accessible to an International culture that continues to be inspired, motivated and entertained by it.”

About Grey

Grey Group, famously effective since 1917, ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY). Grey Group’s total offering includes Grey, one of the largest global advertising agency networks; G2, its global activation marketing network; healthcare communications; media planning and buying and public relations. Grey New York’s client roster includes many of the world’s best known companies; Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, BAT, Diageo, Darden Restaurants, Wyeth, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, Dairy Queen and ETrade. Grey New York is the flagship and largest office of Grey.

About the 56th International Advertising Festival 21-27 June 2009 in Cannes, France.

The International Advertising Festival – Cannes Lions – is the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals and advertisers as well as the most prestigious annual advertising awards. More than 10,000 registered delegates from 94 countries and around 12,000 total visitors from the advertising and allied industries attend this event to celebrate the best of creativity across all media mix, discuss industry issues and network with one another. Over 28,000 ads from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, honoring the most creative film, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, design, sales promotion, integrated and Titanium advertising, as well as the best media and direct marketing solutions. The PR category launches in 2009. A unique programme of high-profile seminars, workshops and keynote speakers are also presented by some of the biggest names in the industry.

For further information, please visit www.canneslions.com.

SOURCE Grey