Westbrook Studios and Apollo World Touring will collaborate with Formula 1 on a new broadcast initiative to launch next year that will bring A-list celebrity guests – led by Will Smith – pre-filmed stunts and challenges and live performances set around F1 Grand Prix weekends.
This creative partnership allows F1 to pull a new audience into its fan base, on multiple digital formats. It will also present commercial partners with an opportunity to collaborate on an annual global destination entertainment format.
The deal is an outgrowth of an episode of Will Smith’s The Bucket List, which premiered on Facebook Watch. The episode saw Smith and his son Trey attend the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where they engaged in an intense exercise of father/son bonding, competing in a winner takes all, one on one race on the F1 Yas Marina circuit with the help from five time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Said Sean Bratches, F1’s Managing Director of Commercial Operations: “As we continue to build F1’s entertainment and content offering, partnering with Will and Westbrook and the team at Apollo is an amazing opportunity to attract even more star power to F1 and the Grands Prix around the world, engaging with an even wider audience.”
Smith will be the new project’s exec producer through Westbook, which he founded last year along with by Jada Pinkett Smith, Miguel Melendez, and Kosaku Yada.
“I’ve always been a massive fan of the Formula 1 world and fell even more in love with the sport while shooting an episode of Will Smith’s The Bucket List with Lewis Hamilton at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. F1’s commitment to creating engaging and inspiring content for its fans mirrors our mission at Westbrook Studios. The synergy of our storytelling is undeniable, and I’m excited for fans to join us on this wild ride.”
The series is Executive Produced by Westbrook Studios, in association with Apollo World Touring, under license from Formula 1 Apollo World Touring is a subsidiary of Apollo BC, which creates, licenses and commercializes intellectual property in A-List talent entertainment and content platforms.
“When pulling together this collaboration, we wanted to create the annual soundtrack to the ultimate superstar and supercar road trip at all the distinct global F1 Grand Prix locations, providing unique backdrops for our A List celebrity guests and road-blistering live music performances, delivering amazing content from the biggest artists in the world,” said Apollo World Touring chairman Paul Morrison.
