IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com and www.flickr.com/photos/fiestamovement.
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
After receiving an MBA from Fordham University, Hilary McHone decided, ironically, to get away from the corporate world and only take jobs that made her feel “warm and fuzzy.” True to her word, she now spends her time as a photographer and Fiesta Movement agent, traveling the country and documenting her adventures along the way. As part of an innovative social media initiative, 100 young trendsetters will test drive and live with a European-spec Fiesta for six months, traveling as agents on special missions, who then will relate their experiences through a variety of social media sites.
AGENT STATISTICS:
Name: Hilary McHone
Age: 35
Location: South Pasadena, Calif.
Occupation: Photographer
Current Car Owned: None – Fiesta is her first car
Flickr Views: 1.4 million
Twitter Followers: 886
Facebook Friends: 545
Blog Views: 80,000
YouTube Views: 84,000
DETAILS:
Hilary McHone received her first driver’s license this year when she moved from New York City to Los Angeles. She’s a photographer who loves to travel. Most importantly, she’s always looking for adventures that take her to unique places to meet new people. She was in the process of planning a cross-country trip (though she had no car and limited resources) when a friend told her about the Fiesta Movement. She knew it was the perfect way for her to continue to do the things she loves, but on a grander scale.
Social media became a part of Hilary’s life when she began posting photos to Flickr while in graduate school. She began by documenting Park Slope, Brooklyn, where she lived. She then took part in a group called 365 Days, for which she posted a self-portrait every day for an entire year. She once started something called “International Underwear Week” and even got hundreds of people to post photos of themselves in their skivvies.
Hilary learned about Twitter through her Flickr contacts more than two years ago. She joined as a way to communicate more with her photographer friends, as well as to meet people outside of that circle. Posting content on a daily basis is normal for her and adding Fiesta content to the mix is just an extension of what she already does.
The first thing Hilary did after picking up her Fiesta was drive to an event at her high school in New Hampshire. In 17 days, she drove from the West Coast to the East Coast and back, spending time with friends and family in New Hampshire, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Colorado. While in Michigan she visited Ford headquarters, met the Fiesta team and went on a Ford Rouge Factory Tour.
Hilary’s first mission was “It’s a Quest, A Quest for Fun,” where she was tasked to recreate a scene from “National Lampoon’s Vacation” inside her Fiesta. She rounded up three friends to re-enact the sequence where the whole family sings the Walley World National Anthem in the car. From there, she did a dream sequence guest-starring fellow Fiesta Movement agent Jill Hanner as actress Christie Brinkley. Crazy missions like this are up her alley, she says, and they fit in well with the fun-loving types of things she likes to do.
Hilary has big plans for her Fiesta over the next five months. Her first goal is to visit people all over the country – and sleep on their couch. Using her social media network, Hilary will find people to stay with, many of whom she’ll meet in person for the first time. She also has a love for adventure sports and is going to drive her Fiesta to West Virginia for a whitewater rafting trip – getting her one step closer to rafting all the best rivers in the world.
QUOTES:
“My two favorite things to do are photography and traveling, and the Fiesta Movement ties those things together. It’s like everything I do already. And I love to drive the car. It’s cute, fun and zippy.”
“I love having connections with people all over the place. Social media allows me to know people I wouldn’t have otherwise come in contact with.”
– Hilary,
Fiesta Movement agent
Follow Hilary:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrooklynHilary
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/hilabean
Blog: http://hilarymchone.blogspot.com
Web site: http://brooklynhilary.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Hilary-McHone/544798096
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hilabean
Missions completed: http://www.fiestamovement.com/missions/view/55
Application video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRRYKBkXzSU&feature=channel_page
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
