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Matthew McConaughey hired as Creative Director for Wild Turkey whisky

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Until quite recently, Matthew McConaughey was seem as more of a punchline than a legitimate actor. A series of poor career decisions led to the formerly well-regarded actor being side-lined as a slack-jawed, indifferent rom-com schlub to act as the bland eye-candy alongside Kate Hudson and Jennifer Lopez. Then the double whammy of Dallas Buyers Club and True Detective happened, and we found ourselves in the midst of a full blown 'McConaughaissance' that appears to have peaked with the actors recent casting in the upcoming Dark Tower movie alongside Idris Elba. Now that the man is held in such high regard, of course, he's become catnip to agencies and brands everywhere, and he's certainly been no stranger in recent years as a result, but the Wild Turkey whisky brand have taken their relationship with the star a step further by actually making him a Creative Director of the company!

Wild Turkey has the history and qualities of a brand that depicts the dedication of someone to do something their own way, even if that way isn’t always the most popular”

The relationship actually began a few years ago, when Wild Turkey first approached McConaughey to be the celebrity spokesman for its new campaign. The Oscar-winning actor told the brand he wanted to be more than the face of the campaign. In fact, he rather brilliantly said: “I want to have my hands in the clay of how we tell the story, and I want to be part of the whole story, not just a character in it.” I honestly don't know whether that's pretentious twaddle or borderline poetry, but either way, he appears to have gotten his way, as this week, in a six-minute documentary directed by Robb Bindler from Lucky 21, the company announced that he will serve as Wild Turkey's creative director as part of a multiyear deal.

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A genuine Wild Turkey fan, McConaughey first visited the lauded distillery a couple of years ago, which is only about a 20-minute drive from the University of Kentucky, the place where his parents first met. It was there at the distillery, high above the Kentucky River, that he was introduced to Jimmy and Eddie Russell, the Bourbon Hall of Fame father and son Master Distiller team who have worked at the Wild Turkey Distillery for 97 years collectively. The actor was supposedly intrigued by the three-generation family behind the Bourbon and the untold story of a truly iconic American brand. McConaughey will first be seen today on the Wild Turkey YouTube channel in the short film, which chronicles a visit to the Wild Turkey Distillery, as he bonds with three generations of Russells and explores what has made Wild Turkey a legend in the Bourbon business. That will be followed by McConaughey demonstrating his creative vision in a series of advertising spots, directing and starring in a global campaign from J. Walter Thompson slated to begin running in September. He will also be featured in a print campaign.

When making a movie, you have two hours to tell a story. Here I have 30 seconds to reintroduce the world to an authentic brand that's helped shape an entire industry”

Could the appointment help revamp the perception of the celebrity creative director role? Over the past few years, brands like RadioShack, Bacardi, BlackBerry, Bud Light, Polaroid and more have appointed celebrities including Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga to serve in the role, and more often than not, the hire is perceived as a stunt. Melanie Batchelor, Senior Marketing Director of whiskey for Wild Turkey's parent company, Gruppo Campari, however, believed that isn't the case this time. Batchelor said: “I know that [celebrity creative director] can be a title that's talked about by a number of other companies, but our experience has been that Matthew has had an extremely high level of engagement. He's been involved in every single piece of the process, from writing the ads (he's obviously starring in the ads, and he's also directing the ads) so he's both in front of and behind the camera.”

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The ads mark the first time that McConaughey, who has also appeared in ads for brands like Lincoln, has served as a director. The man himself said of his latest role (try reading it in any other voice but his): “Wild Turkey has the history and qualities of a brand that depicts the dedication of someone to do something their own way, even if that way isn’t always the most popular. I want to help share their unique story, starting with a new ad campaign that I feel really captures the special essence of this brand while introducing itself like never before. When making a movie, you have two hours to tell a story. Here I have 30 seconds to reintroduce the world to this authentic American brand that has helped shape an entire US industry: bourbon.” Brilliant. Just. Brilliant.

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. His favourite McConaughey performance is still from the classic Dazed and Confused.

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