The ID Agency and Formula DRIFT presented the Art of Formula D: A 2009 Season Retrospective. Sponsored by NOS Energy Drink, Alpinestars, Seibon Carbon, Izod IndyCar League, Belle-1 Communications, and OC Weekly and held at the Phantom Galleries LA at the Pacifica Building in Downtown Long Beach.

The ID Agency worked with Formula DRIFT staff photographer Jose Martinez to come up with the concept and curate the exhibit. Top drifting photographer and film maker Linhbergh and Will Roegge were brought on to present their artwork as well as famous LA photographer Estevan Oriol.

Selecting the perfect location was key and the gallery space held by the Phantom Galleries LA in Downtown Long Beach became the perfect setting. Located in the heart of Downtown Long Beach within walking distance of the track, restaurants, entertainment, and most importantly the track. During the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend the gallery is expected to have thousands of fans walk through the promenade on their way to the track and will get a glimpse of the photo gallery.

NOS Energy Drink was the presenting sponsor as the gallery featured the 2009 Formula DRIFT champion Chris Forsberg and his championship winning NOS Energy Nissan 350Z alongside championship memorabilia and race suits from Seibon Carbon and Alpinestars. The IZOD IndyCar Series brought out a classic 1966 IndyCar for display as well alongside a few other Formula DRIFT competition vehicles.

The opening night ceremony kicked off the seventh season of competition for Formula DRIFT with Round 1: Streets of Long Beach commencing the following day. Guests that attended included members of the media, local Long Beach officials, Formula DRIFT teams, sponsors, and drivers, and a host of industry insiders.

The Art of Formula D: A 2009 Season Retrospective will be up through the month of April and open to the public during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend.

The gallery debuted the Art of Formula D: 2009 Retrospective video by Will Roegge.

Art of Formula D: 2009 Retrospective from Will Roegge on Vimeo.

The ID Agency opened its doors for the first time to host an industry mixer and showcase the new office in Downtown Los Angeles. The event also featured a photo exhibition by staff and friends of the agency including Mo Satarzadeh, DC Chavez, Michael Carrillo, Joey Redmond, and Estevan Oriol. Thank you to all friends, media, clients, and VIP guests that attended including: KROQ 106.7, DICE Magazine, Modified, Import Tuner, Super Street, Racer Magazine, RIDES, 0-60, WreckedMagazine.com, UrbanRacer.com, MotorWorldHype.com, EverythingDrift.com, Rogue Status, Pirelli Tyre, Falken Tire, 686 Snowboards, Famous Stars and Straps, Brembo, Formula DRIFT, Ben Baller, Murs, Chris Forsberg, Dai Yoshihara, Stampede, Malverde, Paulie, Patrick Martinez, Lugg Nuttz, and everyone else that came to celebrate. A special thanks to NOS Energy Drink and Sino Tequila for providing the drinks for the evening.

We have been prepping the new office for our Open House event and Photo Exhibition. Photography from famed LA photographer Estevan Oriol, automotive photographers DC Chavez and Joey Redmond, and staff photographers Mo Satarzadeh and Michael Carrillo will be on display. We have a couple more special features lined up as well…stay tuned for an event recap.

The 2010 Formula DRIFT season begins in April and the ID Agency has created the first ad to go along with the new creative campaign for the season. The ad features current Formula DRIFT champion Chris Forsberg standing tall on top of his NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Tire Nissan 350Z in front of a packed audience. The campaign is centered around the driver’s new championship reign with all other drivers looking to take it away from him. Watch Chris Forsberg defend his title this season only at Formula DRIFT.

Celebrating their 10 year anniversary Famous Stars and Straps held the “Decade” event this past week in Hollywood, CA. This milestone came to fruition with a star-studded event that was highlighted by a first ever performance with Travis Barker (founder of Famous Stars and Straps) and Snoop Dogg. The ID Agency created the concept for the “Decade” event and was instrumental in bringing the two performers together. The timing was perfect as it would mark the 10 years of Famous Stars and Straps and the 10th studio album from hip-hop veteran Snoop Dogg and his album “Malice in Wonderland,” which went on sale the same day as the event.

Prior to the event itself a large media outreach was performed and pre-event press included Travis on KROQ radio, Snoop on KTLA TV, and pre-promotion on multiple outlets including Hypebeast and 944. To add to the promotion a special limited edition shirt by Famous Stars and Straps and famous Los Angeles photographer Estevan Oriol was produced to be given out to VIP’s at the event as well as a Famous Stars and Straps New Era “Decade” hat.

Thousands of people came to the invite only event that included members of the media, celebrities, athletes, VIP, and lucky contest winners. A who’s who of the celebrity world came out to celebrate including Lamar Odom from the world champion Los Angeles Lakers, Kelly Osbourne, legendary skatboarder Christian Hosoi, Rob Dyrdek of MTV’s Fantasy Factory, actor Ryan Phillipe, Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas, singer Ray-J, Sean Paul, Rick Ross, and many more.

Those fortunate enough to enter were treated to a display of cars from the personal collection of Snoop and Travis, an art display that showcased 10 years of artwork for Famous Stars and Straps and the 10 album covers for Snoop, and Famous Stars and Straps iconic photography.

The main draw of the event was the special performance as these two musicians have never played together live on stage before. This monumental moment had Travis on the drums with Snoop’s band and Snoop performing some of his biggest hits. Adding to the already legendary night were special guests performing alongside Snoop and Travis that included Warren G, Kurupt, DJ Quik, Pharrell Williams, The Game, and comedian Mike Epps. DJs Diplo and Spider kept the party moving until the later evening. Overall the event was a big success for Famous Stars and Straps, Travis Barker, Snoop Dogg, and everyone associated with it.

This past weekend marked the end of the sixth season of the Formula DRIFT Professional Championship. The event was held at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale to a sold out crowd of over 10,000 guests. The ID Agency has been the agency of record for Formula DRIFT and managed over 250 media guests that included outlets such as The LA Times, Long Beach Press Telegram, Super Street, and Motor Trend magazine.

Ryan Tuerck took home the event victory, but the championship was won by Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Tire Nissan 350Z. Forsberg also was the winner of the Tires.com Triple Crown bonus prize. This marked the first time that a driver has won both awards in the same season. The ID Agency also performs the PR for NOS Energy Drink and will be issuing a special gift to media members that will commemorate this historical win.

Along with all the drifting action there was additional entertainment for all the fans that included the Famous Stars and Straps stunt bike demo, Jtuned Auto Gallery, and a performance by the Far East Movement, performers of the hit song, “Girls on the dance floor.” ID brought Famous Stars and Straps to Formula DRIFT and helped co-market the event to Famous’ unique fan base of music, action sports, and art culture.

Famous Stars and Straps presented their latest collections at the 2009 MAGIC convention. The brands included Famous Stars and Straps, Expensive Taste, Wild Ones, and Rogue Status. Each brand showcased to preview the upcoming line of apparel. The Rogue Status section featured their Scion drift car that they took on the Gumball rally earlier this year, the Wild Ones featured comic book inspired graphics, and Expensive Taste was highlighted with rapper Paul Wall at the booth each day. Famous Stars and Straps made the debut of their summer line of board shorts, sandals, and even beach towels, while introducing both a juniors and female collection completing the lines of apparel for the brand. A live DJ set at the booth was held each day by some of the hottest DJ’s in the scene including DJ Spider and Marshall Barnes. A live graffiti / art piece was created as well within the booth that showcased the various brands under the Famous Stars and Strap umbrella.

Adding to the excitement Famous Stars and Straps hosted a party at the booth during the tradeshow that had the infamous Alchemist spinning and drinks provided by Heineken. This special event succeeded in creating a buzz at MAGIC among key sales associates, sales accounts, and the media. Special guest appearances ran throughout the day including the Famous Stars and Straps skate team, stunt bike team, and MMA fighter “Razor” Rob McCullough.

To make sure the excitement continued through to the evening, Famous Stars and Straps hosted a party at the Palms hotel within club Rain. The special event was the talk of the evening with an all-star DJ line-up consisting of Mixmaster Mike (Beastie Boys), DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Premier. The entire Famous Stars and Straps team was in attendance among the hundreds of other attendees.

The ID Agency brought in key media outlets including Complex, Antenna, and Skinnie magazine and introduced them to the Famous Stars and Straps brand, apparel, and athletes.

During the Formula DRIFT Round 4: All In event in Las Vegas the ID Agency helped coordinate the first annual Formula DRIFT Charity Blackjack Tournament. The tournament was held at the Aliante Hotel and Casino, the official hotel of Formula DRIFT Round 4, and called for drivers, sponsors, friends, and media members to make donations for entry that would go towards a good cause. 36 players joined the tournament including Formula DRIFT drivers champion Tanner Foust, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chris Forsberg, and Ross Petty.

Generous sponsors donated prizes that would were awarded to the winners including XBOX 360, copies of Forza 2 video game, Puma gift cards, a Meister watch, Oakley sunglasses, Rogue Status Apparel, Attic apparel, and a 2-night stay at the Aliante.

After 3 rounds of competition the final table consisted of 6 players. Steve Choi, staff member of Formula DRIFT, walked away with the 1st place spot and his choice from the prize pool and elected to take the XBOX 360 and Forza 2 video game. 2nd place went to Formula DRIFT driver of the NOS Energy / Maxxis Tire Nissan 350Z and current points leader, Chris Forsberg who chose the PUMA giftcards and also received a Rogue Status apparel package. 3rd place went to ID Agency’s John Pangilinan, who received a Meister watch and Forza 2 game. Overall it was a very successful event for everyone including Formula DRIFT, Aliante, and of course the charity.