Rancho Cucamonga resident hopes Jennifer Lawrence wears design to the Oscars, starts viral marketing campaign with friends

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A group of three Rancho Cucamonga High School alumni, interested in media work, have begun a campaign to get top Hollywood A-List actress Jennifer Lawrence to wear a dress designed by one of them.

Given new technological opportunities to share media product to a large amount of people, with very little resources to do so, the three are passionate about making the project work.

Leader of the project is Rancho Cucamonga resident Marcus King, 24, a lifelong artist. King has a talent for art, drawing, and fashion design, in addition to an educational background in marketing.

In the past year, King fell on hard times. Unable to continue to afford art school in Pasadena, and before that a stint at art school in San Francisco, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Social media has afforded King, and friend Chris Lino, 24 , the ability to get a head start on their dreams.

In early January, the pair, with social media help from friend Diana Chavez, 24, began a multimedia campaign on Youtube. In the videos, an enthusiastic, confident King pleads with the starlet to wear a dress to the Oscars designed by him. Their work has already garnered thousands of likes on Youtube, as well as media recognition on internet outlets like Celebuzz and Movieviral.com.

In the video, shot by Lino, King showcases his artwork, and his multi-media and marketing savvy.

"I've been freelancing, trying to get some work and why not use social media to get what I want because there's a monopoly on the fashion industry. All of the major designers get to showcase their stuff. It's almost like a fairy-tail story, hoping an actress that's young, new and fresh is able to break conventions. I want to do something different."

The three have been busy with the campaign, sometimes getting no sleep, as they keep watch on media buzz on their project. They're hopeful it gets picked up nationally.

Lino, who is attending Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, says the experience is a springboard for future success as a filmmaker.

"Marcus, Diana and I are making our own marks, using the tools that we have to get an audience to watch this video," Lino said. "With the politics of Youtube, no one is going to watch you until you've already been watched a couple of thousand times. We're really blessed to have all these lucky breaks, with these views and these interviews. I think I'm appreciative of it and I know Marcus is. The attention we've gotten so far puts us in a position that we can't back out of this one. This is not a stunt. We're putting our all into it."

Chavez is responsible for updating videos and posts. Chavez says she jumped at the chance to work with Marcus on the project.

"I personally feel that its very innovative to be able to now be within reach of thousands of people around the globe, being able to not have to depend actually on conventional forces to be able to get yourself out there and promote yourself."

neil.nisperos@inlandnewspapers.com, 909-483-9356

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