Nick has announced that, joining previously announced headliners Nickelodeon's very own Big Time Rush and the Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian for two 90 minute shows on Friday 27th September 2013 at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, will be the US duo Heffron Drive, which consists of Big Time Rusher Kendall Schmidt and Big Time Rush's current guitarist, Dustin Belt, who will perform at SLIMEFEST 2013, plus the Australian singer-songwriter and former child model from Perth, Western Australia, Samantha Jade, and the Sydney based all-male hip-hop dance and pop music group and "Australia's Got Talent" winners 'Justice Crew', which consists of group members Lukas Bellesini, Paul Eric Merciadez, John Len Ruela Pearce, Len John Ruela Pearce, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Samson Cosray Smith, and Solo Tohi! Nick Oz has also announced that Commando Steve Willis, the toughest trainer on "The Biggest Loser" Australia, will also feature as a special guest star, facing the green for the second time after braving a full body slime submersion by Nickelodeon's "Human Slime Dunk Machine" at 2012's inaugural SLIMEFEST event!
Original Nickelodeon Australia Press Release:
MORE STELLAR PERFORMERS AND STARS ANNOUNCED FOR SLIMEFEST!
SAMANTHA JADE, JUSTICE CREW AND U.S. DUO HEFFRON DRIVE TO PERFORM; COMMANDO STEVE ANNOUNCED AS FIRST SPECIAL GUEST STAR.
SYDNEY, 24 JULY 2013 – SAMANTHA JADE, JUSTICE CREW and U.S. electro-pop duo HEFFRON DRIVE will perform live at Nickelodeon's (Nick's) second annual SLIMEFEST! Joining previously announced headliners U.S. band BIG TIME RUSH and GUY SEBASTIAN for two 90 minute shows on September 27 at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, The Biggest Losers' toughest trainer COMMANDO STEVE will also feature as a special guest star, facing the green for the second time after braving a full body slime submersion by Nickelodeon's Human Slime Dunk Machine at last year's inaugural event.
Making her SLIMEFEST debut, homegrown singer-songwriter and 2012 XFactor winner SAMANTHA JADE will be joined by SLIMEFEST veterans, 'second slimers' GUY SEBASTIAN and JUSTICE CREW, who recently toured the US as the support act for PITBULL and KE$HA [KESHA]. The What You've Done To Me and Firestarter songstress will deliver charismatic charm and opulent pop sounds to a crowd of thousands of kids and families, eager to experience Nick's unique concert style event featuring stars, stunts and of course, slime. Hosted by Nick's comedic duo LUKE and WYATT, SLIMEFEST will feature show stopping surprise slimings and high energy electrifying performances.
Kids around the nation have gone crazy over the news that U.S. band and big time international Nick stars, BIG TIME RUSH (BTR) are making their first ever trip to Australia to headline the event. Adding to they hype, the second international act announced for SLIMEFEST, HEFFRON DRIVE (made up of BTR singer KENDALL SCHMIDT and former BTR guitarist DUSTIN BELT) will also take to the stage to serenade the slimy Sydney crowd with their cool Californian vibes.
Tickets for both the 11AM and 6PM identical SLIMEFEST shows went on sale on Friday June 24, with the hot tickets snapped up by families eager to experience Nickelodeon’s trademark concert experience. A limited number of tickets are still available via www.ticketek.com.au. With even more stars still to be announced, patrons better be quick to avoid missing out!This year, Nick has partnered with leading entertainment company 6Degrees Group to expand SLIMEFEST from the stage to the showground, offering families an outdoor festival experience before each show that will feature games, rides and interactive sponsor integrations.
A one-hour special featuring highlights from both shows will air exclusively on Nickelodeon on Monday 30 September at 5pm.
Last year's SLIMEFEST telecast
Media contacts for further information or interview requests:
Nickelodeon
Jaye Sellen
Ph: 02 9813 6246 | 0423 320 588
jaye.sellen@nickaus.com.au
Klick Communications
Lori Susko
Ph: 02 8353 7114 | 0415 460 027
lori@klick.com.au
Amy Lucas
Ph: 02) 8353 7112 | 0422 331 271
amy@klick.com.au
ABOUT SLIMEFEST 2012
The first SLIMEFEST was staged at Horden Pavillon in September 2012 with live performances by GUY SEBASTIAN, JESSICA MAUBOY, REECE MASTIN, STAN WALKER, JOHNNY RUFFO and JUSTICE CREW. The event also featured several showstopping moments including Dare To Be Square celebrities ROVE, DELTA GOODREM, LISA WILKINSON, KARL STEFANOVIC, RUBY ROSE and CODY SIMPSON introducing the new pro-social campaign for positivity, inspired by the ever-optimistic SpongeBob SquarePants.
ABOUT THE 2013 SLIMEFEST TALENT LINE-UP
BIG TIME RUSH (BTR) Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson come together to form Big Time Rush, an internationally successful recording band and a hit Nickelodeon TV series (of the same name). The show, now in its third season in Australia, follows the fictional lives of four high school friends as they move to Los Angeles, sign a record deal, and become a chart-topping boy band. The series incorporates original music into each episode, and has effectively turned the fictional onscreen band into a real-life touring group. The band made their feature film debut in 2012 with Big Time Movie with the soundtrack featuring BTR's reworked cover versions of songs by the original boy band, the Beatles. Selling over 12 million records worldwide and collaborating with big name artists such as Snoop Dogg and Jordan Sparks, in 2012 One Direction played their first show's in America as part of Big Time Rush's Better With U Tour. Last year, the band opened for Justin Bieber on the Mexican leg of his Believe tour. As the first international act booked for SLIMEFEST, the event will mark the BTR's first visit to Australia and the boys are set to release their third studio album 24/Seven in Aus in June 2013 via Sony Music.
GUY SEBASTIAN One of Australia's biggest musical talents, Guy Sebastian has received 17 ARIA Awards nominations since winning the very first Australian Idol series in 2003 and has released seven top-ten pop and R&B infused albums – all of which have achieved platinum or multi-platinum status. Guy was a judge on Australia's X Factor between 2010 and 2012 and his most recent album Armageddon reached the number one position in Australia and double platinum certification. Guy is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number one singles and has performed for notables such as Pope Benedict XVI, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II. Last year Guy performed alongside Carmen Smith for last year's inaugural SLIMEFEST.
SAMANTHA JADE One of Australia's hottest up and coming pop talents, Samantha Jade in 2012 emerged as the X Factor favourite and winner. She went on to release her debut single “What You’ve Done to Me” which shot straight to number 1 on the Aria Singles Chart. Her accompanying album defiantly debuted at number 3 on the Aria Albums Chart. 2013 has seen Samantha tour the length and the breadth of Australia, connecting with her audiences face-to-face, and returning to the studio to begin writing and recording for her upcoming new album. Working with the dynamic team of writer/producers DNA once more, Samantha co-penned her new single “Firestarter”. With work continuing on her new studio album which is due out later this year - and which she promises will be a versatile original project with its roots in pop, dance and R&B - Samantha’s career is ready to explode even further.
JUSTICE CREW Australia's dance troupe Justice Crew started from humble beginnings in Sydney's western suburbs and the seven-member outfit became one of 2010's hottest talking points when they won "Australia's Got Talent". With the series win, they collected the $250,000 victor's prize cheque and a contract with Sony Music. The troupe tipped cash into a band fund and invested in Justice Academy Inc, a program which helps disadvantaged young Australians work on their confidence, self-expression and team-building skills by hosting free dance workshops and classes. All seven members are hands-on at the Justice Academy, which uses music and dance to empower future generations. Age is no barrier. In 2010, the Academy's 5- 9-year-old graduates competed in the 2010 LA World Hip Hop competition under the name "Little Justice". Justice Crew have performed around Australia and recently travelled the US supporting Pitbull and Ke$ha.
HEFFRON DRIVE What began in 2008 as a passion project in a tiny bedroom studio in Burbank, California has now become a whirlwind endeavour with fans reaching to the furthest corners of the globe. Kendall Schmidt (22) and Dustin Belt (25), otherwise known as Heffron Drive, came from very similar backgrounds. Although they were born in the same town of Wichita, Kansas, the two didn't actually meet until they both lived in California., Heffron Drive is preparing a full scale launch into the world of irresistible dance music. Infusing infectious melodies, unforgettable hooks, and beamingly beautiful lyrics, Heffron Drive promises to bring that lovable, relatable missing piece of the puzzle to today's music scene.
COMMANDO STEVE With his signature dark glasses, black T-shirt and combat fatigues Steve Willis - aka Commando Steve, has become a familiar face on Australian television. A former Counter Terrorism Team Commander, Steve is a highly qualified fitness professional with a successful Sydney-based business offering CrossFit boot-camp style training to anyone willing to put in the hard work. He lives by a simple motto: there are no excuses. Commando Steve has appeared as a trainer on six series of Channel Ten’s hit show, ‘Australia’s Biggest Loser’ and will be returning for series eight in 2013. Steve is the author of No Excuses, a book that chronicles his fitness journey and details the philosophies and exercises he so passionately believes in. In 2012, Commando Steve took to the stage at Nickelodeon's inaugural Slimefest after beating out fellow celebrities for the honour of receiving the first ever full-body slime submersion.
About Nickelodeon Networks
Now in its 34th year globally and 18th year in Australia, Nickelodeon is the number one entertainment brand for kids and the company has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. Nickelodeon Australia has been named Channel of The Year twice by the ASTRA Awards and won numerous other awards for local productions and digital applications. Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels air 24 hours a day, seven days a week and are seen in over 2.3 million households via FOXTEL and FOXTEL Regional. The company portfolio extends across television, online, mobile, theme parks, consumer products and music. Outside of the United States, Nickelodeon is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the worlds leading creators of programming and content across all platforms. www.nickelodeon.com.au
About Foxtel
Foxtel is one of Australia’s most progressive and dynamic media companies, directly employing around 2,500 people, and delivering a diverse subscription television service to both regional and metropolitan areas over cable, satellite and broadband distribution. We offer a better entertainment experience every day to each one of our 2.3 million subscribing homes through delivery of exclusive and inspiring programming across all genres, the world’s most popular channel brands, and investment in high quality local content. As constant champions of innovation we have brought customers the iQ personal digital recorder, Australia’s largest HD offering, Foxtel 3D, and more recently, the Foxtel Go App for iPad. Foxtel is owned by Telstra Corporation Limited ACN 051 775 556 (50%) and The News Corporation Ltd (50%). foxtel.com.au
About 6 Degrees Group
6 Degrees is an innovation in the world of the entertainment business. Founded by Managing Director Titus Day in 2009 it has become the leading entertainment company with a focus on personal management of media personalities, artists, athletes and celebrities. 6 Degrees offers exclusive services and expertise to its clients in the fields of television, radio, print media, music, sports, licensing, publishing, crisis management and has expanded into all aspects of media production and brand development.
[SLIMEFEST 2013 is brought to you by Sea World Gold Coast Australia, and Bratz.]
