Want an autograph with that?
TheBuzz
KAPAA High School senior Nick Mortell's 15 minutes of fame will be extended for 18 months, now that McDonald's 32-ounce cups featuring his image have hit restaurants around the world.
Poster-sized Nick-pix also will be placed in 75 McDonald's statewide late this month or early next.
Bags starring Mortell and other bags showing the other 23 winners of McDonald's Global Casting Call last year, will debut this summer and, as with the cups, will be seen chainwide.
"Nick will be rotated ... more frequently in his market," said Joanne Jacobs, a McDonald's spokeswoman based in Chicago.
COURTESY MCDONALD'S
THE ENTRY PHOTO: Kapaa High School senior Nick Mortell submitted this photo with his entry. CLICK FOR LARGE
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The Global Casting Call promotion, in which people entered pictures of themselves and stories about what they love, is an extension of McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign.
Mortell's photo and profession of love for football, football and football, won him a spot and a trip to England where the packaging photos were shot.
He first spoke to TheBuzz in August, between school and football practice. This time your columnist caught up with him between school and track practice.
He received about 30 sample bags a month ago and "I've been showing them around to some people and sent a few to family," he said.
He has been asked to autograph some of them.
"Yeah, I've done that for a few of my teachers and my parents' workplaces," he said shyly.
COURTESY MCDONALD'S
THE STUDIO SHOT: McDonald's took photos of Mortell in England for the food packaging. CLICK FOR LARGE
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The initial fuss over his selection died down after his England trip, when life and his weekend job at Beezers ice cream shop got back to normal, but he realizes it'll start picking up again.
Mortell has another photo and video shoot scheduled for next week, when McDonald's Restaurants of Hawaii public relations firm Communications Pacific Inc. will prepare local publicity items.
He's unsure whether the cups-and-bags-and-posters celebrity spotlight will make him a girlfriend magnet.
"I suppose it's possible, but I really haven't tested it out yet," he said.
A quiet sort, he thinks others are more excited about it than he is, but "it's still a pretty cool feeling," knowing his picture will be seen all around the world.
MORE MICKEY D NEWS
McDonald's of Enchanted Lake manager Charlene Lin Oi Nash won a Ray Kroc award Tuesday as one of the top one percent of the company's managers nationwide.
From some 13,700 stores, only 133 managers were honored.
Enchanted Lake store owner Victor Lim and Veronica Kaneko, McDonald's of Hawaii president and managing director, attended the Chicago gala where Nash received a trophy, pin and cash award.
Named for McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, the award honors managers for operational excellence, reinforcing the company's commitment to people and building the business.
