When it comes to marketing to the multicultural consumer, Steve Stoute has been instrumental in marrying celebrities with corporate America. The former music executive launched Translation Consultation & Brand Imaging in 2004, and linked Justin Timberlake to McDonald's for the fast food chain's "I'm Loving It" campaign, helped seal LeBron James' partnership with State Farm Insurance, Gwen Stefani with Hewlett-Packard, Lady Gaga with MAC Comestics and Jay-Z's exclusive line with Reebok.
Stoute released his debut book, "The Tanning Of America: How the Culture of Hip-Hop Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy," on September 8, in which Stoute defines the "tanning" phenomenon as being led by the positive, powerful potential of urban culture as a mindset, not a race. "Tanning is the catalytic force majeure that went beyond musical boundaries and into the psyche of young America -- blurring cultural and demographic lines so permanently that it laid the foundation for a transformation."
To coincide with "Tanning," he is set to debut his video series, "The Tanning Effect," with AOL HuffPost Media Group on October 17. Check out the exclusive trailer above, featuring Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga and music industry impresario Jimmy Iovine.
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