The North Face Unveils “Never Stop,” First Global Campaign in Company History

Contacts: Jessica Kershaw (Interior), Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov 
Pamela Bennett Ajello (The North Face), pamela_ajello@vfc.com, (510) 748-2742     

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The North Face today unveiled its first-ever global brand campaign, “Never Stop.” The campaign, which features cinematic footage collected from around the world, takes viewers on an emotional journey inspiring them to discover the exhilaration that lives at the outer edge of their physical and intellectual possibilities.

“Whether it’s the epic or the everyday, we want to inspire people to find the thing they love, and relentlessly pursue it,” said Todd Spaletto, president of The North Face. “Building on our previous U.S.-based campaign, ‘Never Stop’ features people who embody the spirit of exploration. It also celebrates the heroes of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 21^st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) who represent the spirit of ‘Never Stop.’”

“Never Stop” features The North Face athletes Conrad Anker, Paige Claassen, Xavier De Le Rue and Tom Wallisch pushing their physical boundaries climbing, mountaineering, skiing and snowboarding – blended with cultural, creative and emotional scenes of a photographer, marine biologist and scientist to generate a narrative of exploration.

“’Never Stop’ is about exploring your potential in whatever endeavor inspires you,” said The North Face athlete Jimmy Chin. “For me, pushing myself in the mountains has been an important part of my life and something I am passionate about, but photography has been an equally incredible journey to find new perspectives and push myself creatively.”

 As part of the campaign, The North Face is continuing its partnership with the Department of the Interior and the 21CSC through a $100,000 donation. Through the “Never Stop” campaign, four conservation corps organizations will each receive $25,000: Student Conservation Association, American YouthWorks, Conservation Legacy, and Team Rubicon. These organizations were selected based on nominations submitted of inspiring corps members caring for public lands in communities across the country and inviting others to participate in active outdoor stewardship.  

• LaJuan Tucker, American YouthWorks: LaJuan Tucker’s commitment to community service began as a young woman growing up in a neighborhood riddled with violence and addiction. Tucker was instead determined to direct her talents toward transforming lives through community service. She is a role model for men and women in urban settings and a model citizen for all people who want to make their community a better place. Her program, American YouthWorks, is receiving a donation because of her dedication to encouraging more young people to pursue conservation careers and preserve the great outdoors.
   
• Anthony Ciocco, Conservation Legacy: Anthony “Chako” Ciocco is changing the lives of young Native men and women one conservation project at a time. Chako leads the Ancestral Lands program on the Navajo Nation under Conservation Legacy’s Southwest Conservation Corps. Under Chako’s leadership, Navajo youth work to rebuild damaged ecosystems.
   
• Jeremy Taitano, Student Conservation Association: Jeremy developed a passion for conservation from his roots on Saipan, part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands that is revered for its breathtaking coral reef and marine life. The beauty of his homeland was not lost on Taitano where he saw first-hand the impact of climate change. This fostered a commitment to conservation and inspired him to join the Student Conservation Association (SCA), whose mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land. 
   
• Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon is changing the lives of disaster-stricken individuals by tapping into one of the U.S.’s greatest forces – our veterans. As a nonprofit, disaster response organization, Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Founded by two marines following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon seeks to provide veterans with three things they lose after leaving the military: a purpose, gained through disaster relief; community, built by serving with others; and identity, created by joining a new mission. 

The Department of the Interior is the nation’s largest land manager, serving as a steward for approximately 20 percent of the nation’s lands, while the 21CSC works to provide jobs for youth and returning veterans and create the next generation of outdoor stewards. The 21CSC has grown since its launch by the Obama Administration in 2010 as part of the America's Great Outdoors program. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the Department's initiative to expand this youth program through partnerships with the private sector in a National Press Club speech in October 2013. Since then, Recreational Equipment Inc., American Express, American Eagle Outfitters, CamelBak, The Campion Foundation, Youth Outdoor Legacy Fund, and the Coca-Cola Foundation have joined the movement.

Today’s donation builds on last year’s support of the 21CSC when The North Face donated $250,000 to support jobs for young adults and returning veterans working on projects to protect and enhance public lands from Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California to Everglades National Park in Florida.

“We appreciate our continued partnership with The North Face, this year highlighting conservation heroes who are making a difference in their communities,” said Secretary Jewell. “Today’s donation from The North Face will help create opportunities for young people and veterans to engage in important work on our nation’s public lands, nurturing lifelong connections to these special places.”

The “Never Stop” campaign will be distributed globally throughout the fourth quarter in more than 10 markets including the U.S., Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, China, Korea, Australia, Nepal and Singapore. It will run across major broadcast and online media around the world, and will also appear via out-of-home executions.

About The North Face® 

The North Face, a VF Corporation brand, was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world's leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally, and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus. For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.

About the 21^st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC)

Inspired by FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's, the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) is a central component of the Department of the Interior's ambitious youth initiative to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work in the great outdoors. It is a national collaborative effort to put America's youth and returning veterans to work protecting, restoring and enhancing America's public lands.