Tommy Bahama Rumologist Search!

UPDATE:

Applicants from across the U.S. vie for the title and are one step closer to becoming the first-ever
Tommy Bahama Rumologist.

Since Tommy Bahama’s announcement of the first-ever Tommy Bahama Rumologist™ Search, the Tommy Bahama Rumologist application page ( www.facebook.com/tommybahama) has been flooded with thousands of fans and would-be Rumologists seeking to learn more about the contest, with many hoping to someday hold this coveted title! Today, Tommy Bahama is excited to announce the Top 20 contestants from across the country, each of whom is now one step closer to becoming the First Ever Tommy Bahama Rumologist!

The Top 20 Tommy Bahama Rumologist Contestants are as follows (in no particular order).

1. Matthew Robold	Orange, CA
2. Carlton Grooms	Osprey, FL
3. Luis Ayala	Round Rock, TX
4. Brice Ginardi	Kailua Kona, HI
5. Phil Thompson	Los Angeles, CA
6. Robert Rimavicus	Pompano Beach, FL
7. Scott Siegel	Ormond Beach, FL
8. Kathy Casey	Seattle, WA
9. J.R. Starkus	Las Vegas, NV
10. Jack Terry	Key West, FL
11. Gene Thompson	Albuquerque, NM
12. Jeremy Votava	Chico, CA
13. David “Rum Numb Davey” Johnson	Tempe, AZ
14. Nicholas Pilavakis	Colonia, NJ
15. Adam Kanter	Sicklerville, NJ
16. Adam Stone	Sparks, NV
17. David Phillips	Tempe, AZ
18. Doug Smith	Chuluota, FL
19. Joshua Hein	Corona Del Mar, CA
20. Jessica Fesler	Las Vegas, NV

Links to the submission videos can be found at: www.facebook.com/tommybahama

Although the contestants’ styles range from island cool to professorial to master mixologist, every contestant has proven that they deserve a spot on this prestigious Top 20 list! From August 30, 2011 through September 8, 2011, the public will have an opportunity to help in choosing the first Tommy Bahama Rumologist by voting for their favorite Rumologist contestant online at www.facebook.com/tommybahama .

After tabulating the votes and the combined scores from the judging panel, the Top 10 Finalists will be announced on or around September 12, 2011. Each of the contestants will then be invited to participate in the next round, which will involve submitting both a new video and a new personal statement. The judging panel will narrow the field to the Top 5 and the public will once again vote for their favorite Rumologist with the winner being announced on or around October 6, 2011.

“We are so excited by all of the applications and enthusiasm …they are original and distinctive, and the applicants are all extremely talented,” explains Rob Goldberg, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Restaurants for Tommy Bahama. “This search has proved that there are many people who share our passion for rum and the island lifestyle. We are excited now to share these submissions with the public and engage in the social media component of the search.”

In addition to complete contest rules, updates and postings on Facebook, Tommy Bahama has created a MultiVu/Arc media center that will contain promotion updates, videos, press releases and applicant information. To view the multimedia assets associated with this story, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/50564-tommy-bahama-rumologist/

Do you know the difference between a swizzle and a shrubb? Do you dream of Mojitos? If so, Tommy Bahama has an opportunity for you! Tommy Bahama is excited to announce the search for the first-ever Tommy Bahama Rumologist™. The search will launch on July 28, 2011. Tommy Bahama is scouring the country via a distinctive social media campaign seeking to find the person most worthy of this new title. “A Rumologist is a person with a vast knowledge of all things related to rum – one that can pour, educate, mix and create island-inspired cocktails for Tommy Bahama,” explains Rob Goldberg, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Restaurants for Tommy Bahama. “The person we are looking for must embody everything that a Tommy Bahama Rumologist should be about,” adds Goldberg. “They must not only love to create cocktails and put new twists on old recipes, but he or she must be so passionate about rum, that this person alone could claim this new title.” Let’s put a So Bikini twist on the mojito!

As with most titles, this one comes with some great perks: A $50,000 Grand Prize; life-long bragging rights for being the first person to be proclaimed the Tommy Bahama Rumologist; a Tommy Bahama wardrobe and the Rumologist will become Tommy Bahama’s chief rum consultant and rum ambassador for the next year. Additionally, the Rumologist will help to create tantalizing new cocktails and rum-inspired menus for the world to enjoy at each Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar location.

When chosen, the Rumologist may travel to locations in Southern California, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Florida, New York and beyond. He or she will work closely with the Tommy Bahama culinary team to develop the most distinctive, handcrafted rum drinks to pair with Tommy Bahama’s island-inspired culinary creations. The Rumologist will help to launch new rum programs in each of the Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar locations (currently at 13, including the Las Vegas location, which boasts the largest rum collection in Las Vegas with over 185 different varieties). Additionally, the newly anointed Rumologist, as a Tommy Bahama consultant, will make media appearances, host events for Tommy Bahama and share his or her adventures and knowledge with the world via an informative and compelling Rumologist blog. In essence, the new Rumologist for Tommy Bahama will get $50,000 for being the world’s top authority on rum (and get to travel to some amazing locations in the process).

To enter the search, Tommy Bahama is looking for established bartenders, mixologists and anyone that believes they have what it takes to hold and honor the title. All participants will be asked to create a short video (45-60 seconds max) declaring their candidacy and explain why they should be chosen to be the Rumologist. The expert team on-hand at Tommy Bahama will view all applications and announce a winner on/or around October 6, 2011. The search will take place on the Tommy Bahama Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tommybahama – Additional details of the search as follows:

July 28, 2011: Search launches – applications available on the Tommy Bahama Facebook page. Deadline for submissions: August 22, 2011.
August 29, 2011: Judges select Top 20 based on their scoring.
August 30, 2011: Top 20 announced.
August 30 – September 8, 2011: Top 20 will be posted for public voting based on first video submission.
September 12, 2011: The Top 10 who received the most votes will be asked to submit a new video.o Video can be up to two minutes in length and must be posted no later than September 22, 2011 at 11:59PM.ET.o Applicants will be encouraged to be as creative as they would like to showcase why they should be the Rumologist.

September 26, 2011: Top 5 is announced and voting commences.
October 3, 2011: Voting period for Top 5 ends.
October 6, 2011: Winner Announced (on or around October 6, 2011).

“This is an amazing opportunity for someone to not only take their career to the next level, but to experience the Tommy Bahama way-of-life,” explains Goldberg. “Our goal with this search is to not only find the world’s first Tommy Bahama Rumologist; it is to also introduce thousands of people to the Tommy Bahama island-inspired lifestyle. Career-building opportunities are tough to come by these days, and we believe we’ve created the most exciting consultant position in the world. We can’t wait to discover our first Rumologist.”

In addition to complete contest rules, updates and postings on Facebook, Tommy Bahama has created a MultiVu/Arc media center which will contain promotion updates, videos, press releases and applicant information. The site will go live on July 28, 2011.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this story, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/50564-tommy-bahama-rumologist/