Canon U.S.A. Partners With Legendary Filmmaker Ron Howard For Year Two Of The "Long Live Imagination" Campaign
The Multi-Platform Campaign Launches May 7, 2012, as an Extension of "Project Imagin8ion," The First User-Generated Photo Contest in History to Inspire a Hollywood Film

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 7, 2012 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has created a new partnership with two-time Academy Award® winner Ron Howard for year two of the brand campaign, "Long Live Imagination." The partnership, launching May 7, 2012 with a digital campaign, comes on the heels of Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A.'s highly successful "Project Imagin8ion," the first user-generated photo contest in history to ultimately inspire a Hollywood short film.

For year two of "Long Live Imagination," a new television commercial will debut on May 14, 2012 and will showcase the eight winning photographs of "Project Imagin8ion," teasing "Ron's Next Project." Viewers will also be encouraged to visit www.youtube.com/imagination, the updated online hub featuring a personal message from Ron Howard taken from the set of his current film project, Rush. The print campaign will launch on May 28, 2012 and details of the new consumer contest will be revealed in summer 2012.

In May of 2011, Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A. invited photographers of all levels to submit their most imaginative photographs based on a series of movie themes for an unprecedented user-generated contest, "Project Imagin8ion." The contest entry categories represented eight distinct story-telling elements - like setting, character and goal - that would ultimately shape the film.

After receiving nearly 100,000 submissions, Ron Howard selected eight winning photographs to inspire his next production which was directed by his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard. "When you find me," was shot using Canon cameras including the new Cinema EOS System and DSLR cameras and lenses. After the world premiere in November 2011, the film screened at Sundance, South by Southwest and Tribeca film festivals. It was also shown in theaters across the country including the hometowns of the eight local winners. The 30-minute film will make its exclusive television debut - commercial free - on IFC on Monday, May 21 at 8PM, ET/PT.

"I loved the concept behind 'Project Imagin8ion,' a very pure experiment that showcased the power of still images on narrative story-telling," said Ron Howard. "I'm excited about what's on the horizon as I partner with Canon for year two of this fantastic creative adventure."

"The success of the 'Project Imagin8ion' campaign was unprecedented and we are thrilled to align once again with Ron Howard for the next iteration of this journey," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.

Grey New York, Canon's agency partner for over thirty years, is developing the creative and digital elements of the multi-phase campaign. Alliance, the activation and public relations division of Grey, is managing the partnership with Ron Howard as well as the promotional, event and public relations efforts.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $45.6 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2011† and is one of Fortune Magazines Worlds Most Admired Companies in 2012. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Companys RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

Ronald William "Ron" Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American actor, director and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later as the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom "Happy Days" for six years. He made film appearances such as in "American Graffiti" in 1973 and while starring in "Happy Days" he also made "The Shootist" in 1976, as well as making his directorial debut with the 1977 comedy film "Grand Theft Auto." He left "Happy Days" in 1980 to focus on directing, and has since gone on to direct several films, including the Oscar winning "Cocoon," "Apollo 13," "Frost/Nixon," and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Ron won the Academy Award for "A Beautiful Mind" as the Director and also producer of the film. In 2003, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.