Mountain Dew® Names Nathan Balli First Green Label Studios: Open Call Winner

Balli Receives $250,000 Production Grant and Mentorship with Acclaimed Filmmakers, Robert Rodriguez and Roberto Orci

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Jul 31, 2014, 09:30 ET

PURCHASE, N.Y., July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountain Dew today announced that Salt Lake City resident Nathan Balli was selected as the first Green Label Studios: Open Call winner.

Nathan Balli from Salt Lake City, Utah poses after being named the first Green Label Studios: Open Call winner at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City. Balli received a $250,000 production grant to create content for Green-Label.com and will also receive a mentorship with acclaimed filmmaker and founder of El Rey Network, Robert Rodriguez, and Roberto Orci, co-creator and executive producer of "Matador," a new original action series currently airing on Rodriguez's new English-language cable channel. (Photo by Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Green Label Studios: Open Call) (PRNewsFoto/PepsiCo)

Green Label Open Call. (PRNewsFoto/PepsiCo)

Open Call is a first-of-its-kind project for content creators of all genres – including music, art, style and action sports. Balli's project "Authenticity is Everything," earned the grand prize of a $250,000 production grant and mentorship with Robert Rodriguez, acclaimed filmmaker and founder of El Rey Network, and Roberto Orci, co-creator and executive producer of "Matador," a new original action series currently airing on Rodriguez's new English-language cable channel.

VIDEO LINK: http://youtu.be/MKV7sFITiKk?list=PLmIWdXrnBIarkdvTHgVvCTPo54CErBYmY

IMAGE LINK: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140730/131082

Hundreds of video submissions from across the country were received from March 12 to April 25 and were narrowed down to nine finalists, all of whom received $10,000 production grants to create content for Mountain Dew. The finalists presented their work at an exclusive screening event where Balli's submission was chosen by panelists including Simon Lowden, chief marketing officer, PepsiCo Americas Beverages, Barry Rosen, creative director, Direct Focus, and Steve Berra, co-founder and co-owner of The Berrics.

"I am so grateful to have been selected as the first ever, Green Label Studios: Open Call winner," said Balli. "To be recognized by such a prestigious panel of judges and to get the opportunity to be mentored by Robert Rodriguez and Roberto Orci is a dream come true – this whole experience has fueled my passion for content creation and I can't wait to get back at it."

Balli will use his grant money to create content for Green-Label.com, a digital hub created by Mountain Dew and Complex Media, and the brand will continue to maintain relationships with each of the finalists for potential Mountain Dew and Green-Label.com content in the future. The hub covers the voices and stories of today's youth culture, providing an outlet for young people to showcase their creativity.

"We saw a tremendous amount of passion and some incredible content from all of the finalists, but Nathan's project really stood out," said Greg Lyons, vice president of marketing, Mountain Dew. "We're very excited to work with a game-changing content creator like Nathan and can't wait to see what he'll produce next."

For more information on the Green Label Studios: Open Call program, visit www.Green-Label.com and join the conversation on Twitter using #OpenCall.

About Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew, a product of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, Mountain Dew exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to original Mountain Dew® and Diet Mountain Dew®, the permanent DEW product line includes Mountain Dew Code Red®, Mountain Dew LiveWire®, Mountain Dew Throwback®, Mountain Dew Voltage® and Mountain Dew White Out®. For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com, www.facebook.com/mountaindew or follow on twitter @mtn_dew.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

Media Contact
Jennifer Ryan
O: 914.253.2308
E: [email protected]

Lindsey Auslander
Golin, on behalf of Mountain Dew
O: 312.729.4366
E: [email protected]

IMAGE LINK: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140730/131081

SOURCE PepsiCo