The LoveSac Bus has been re-wrapped, re-pimped and re-deployed, this week to the world famous Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The Bus now boasts 24 Speakers (all by Kicker), 8 Sony Screens including one 40" HDTV, Live TV by AT&T Cruisecast, two mobile Wi-Fi routers, PS2, Guitar Hero, a bottomless fridge full of drinks and of course, all LoveSac furniture. Talk about a crazy weekend. But LoveSac was not just on the streets of Sundance, we were on the inside too.
Island/Def Jam, arguably the most successful record label of our age, was party-central on Main Street Park City, at the Phoenix Gallery, and ALL of the furniture in the building was by LoveSac. Sofas and cozy lounges for the gifting suites during the day were converted (by the legendary Sac'r, Charlie Tubb) to gigantic sectionals and VIP sections by night. Celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Young Jeezey, T.I., and many, many others were chillin' on LoveSac Sactionals and Sacs all through the night. [Celebrity photos yet to come.]
But, in all honesty, even with the celebrity guests the open bar (for those into that), and all of the "Movie Producers" to mingle with....the Party on Main Street Park City, inside of the LoveSac Bus, was more fun. All we did was roll up and down Main Street, watching movies, blasting the tunes, playin' a little Guitar Hero, and giving onlookers the occassional ride. People were swarming the bus, fighting to get on, get a piece of LoveSac Schwag, and just get in to the mobile party, on the LoveSac Bus.
One of the weirdest moments came after dropping off a couple of the Island/Def Jam Execs at their condo, a mile out of downtown Park City. There we were, on some dark suburban Park City Street, in the middle of nowhere, when I saw a couple of people huddled up on the corner, looking like they needed a cab to go to town. Good luck. So I got on the Bus PA (Fire-engine/cop siren) and told em to jump on board. We drove for 5 minutes, back to town, before someone in back, having chatted with them, shouted up to me "Hey, Shawny, you know who we picked up....PEDRO, from Napoleon Dynamite." That's right, LoveSac fan Effren Ramirez and his girl jumped on board and we rolled to his party. ACTOR EFFREN RAMIREZ ("PEDRO").
VOTE FOR PEDRO.
So the weekend just went on and on, and the celebs both on the bus and in the party just couldn't get enough of the Sac...but then, who can? I did get at least a half-day up on the slopes with a good friend of mine, Joe Loomis (white camo pants), including his buddies Rob and Benny. Joe is a fellow entrepreneur who just made an exit out of his first big company -- congratulations. Gotta love the risk-takers. They also make the best boarding buddies, and playing in general. It's always a party with weirdos like us around. Up at the Canyons we were on the slopes with Cameron Diaz and crew. We even ran into guitarist, Slash, at the restaurant on top of the Gondola. In true rockstar form, he was rockin' a black leather jacket, jeans, converse, and of course the hair. Let's just say I don't think he was there to ski.
At night, the festivities went on. LoveSac continued to own Main Street Park City. I don't think there was a soul at Sundance that didn't know LoveSac was there. But I am afraid we might have worn out our welcome, at least with the local authorities. Apparently we were breaking half-a-dozen laws, between our holding up traffic, stopping for pedestrians clamboring to get on in the middle of the street, calling thru the Federal (Police/Fire) P.A., and generally shaking the sidewalks with the alternator-melting sound system on the Bus. (From the outside it sounds as if the bus is going to fall apart). The Park City Chief of Police finally pulled us over and was fully ready to impound it (after our third warning), until Joe saved the day. We even got a bit of it on tape. Bad boys, bad boys, whatchya gonna do....
COPS STOP THE LOVE BUS.
We dodged that bullet with a little smooth talking, having agreed to NOT STOP anymore on Main Street. No holding up traffic, when 100 yards up the road, SkullCandy founder, Rick Alden (maker of THE sickest head-phones in the world) jumps in front of the bus like a bug on the windshield demanding a ride. We somehow pulled he and his wife on-board in time to avoid incarceration, and drove them back down to their parking spot at the High School, partying all the way. You see, Park City is a town of about 15,000 people, normally, and expands to, say, 500,000 for the week of Sundance. Parking is a disaster....even worse for a 40' Bus. Rick is a good friend and fellow Utah entrepreneur. It's good to see SkullCandy blowing up like it has. It seems like only months ago we were experimenting slinging SkullCandy headphones out of our Salt Lake City stores just to help a brotha out. Now he has the national distribution of Best Buy, Target, and nearly everywhere else. Rock on SkullCandy. Their the real deal.
(SKULLCANDY CEO RICK ALDEN AND ME, center, his wife and Joe Loomis on the ends).
All in all it was a very successful Sundance Film Festival for LoveSac. A special thanks goes out to Island/Def Jam Records for having us, House of Hype out of LA for promoting the party, and especially to Charlie, Jordan, Alex, Chris, Kat, Sky, Tiffany, Jesse, my own wife, Tiffany, Joe, Rob, Benny, and all of the Sac'rs who worked their butt off (but especially Charlie) for pulling it off. NOT an easy task for a little brand like LoveSac to hang with (and out-do) the big-boys at Sundance. Now, the Bus rolls to the Winter X-Games in Aspen Colorodo thru Sunday, and then on to the Superbowl!! Keep an eye out. Find the bus and tell the Driver to "Show me your Sac," and he'll show you some love (in a good way--in the form of some LoveSac swag)....what were you thinking?
I'll leave you with some more pics and vids from the festivities, below.
From Park City, Utah...
-- Shawny D.
EFFREN RAMIREZ & SHAWNY D. ON THE BUS. PEDRO & THE LS CREW, PARK CITY
MORE PARTYING ON THE BUS....BUT CHECK OUT THESE ONLOOKERS, GAWKING AT THE LOVESAC BUS THRU THE WIND SHIELD. THIS IS SUNDANCE, 2009, PARK CITY, UTAH...
Oh, the life of the LoveSac bus. Is there *anything* it hasn't seen?
If you need help getting that bad boy through the border patrol into Canada, you let me know, Shawn....(hint)
Posted by: Kevin King | January 23, 2009 at 08:34 PM
Wow. The bus looks so cool! I can't wait to see it next! I find the police thing kinda funny. :) The the police are no match for LoveSac! :]
Have fun Shawn!
Posted by: Tyler | January 21, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Didnt know you still had ties to lovesac Shawn. Interesting.... Rick has done a great job with Skullcandy but he doesn't like to return emails.
Posted by: Brandon Winnie | January 21, 2009 at 05:29 AM
YES !! sounds like a magical time.
i love loungin on the sac for hours !
weve been rockin skulls since 2006 for mr. alden ;) everywhere from stgeorge up to washington state!!
Posted by: Meagan Burton | January 20, 2009 at 03:04 PM