For Immediate Release
February 27, 2013
Fellow Animal Rights Supporters Bret Lockett of the New York Jets and
Actress Jennifer Tilly to Attend as Well
NORFOLK, VA – Sam Simon, the primetime Emmy and Peabody award winning co-creator of the popular and long running Fox cartoon series The Simpsons, is visiting Hampton Roads this week for the official re-dedication of the headquarters for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in his name.
Special guest, NFL player Bret Lockett, will join Simon for the event on Friday March 1 at 1 p.m. The former New England Patriot safety (and now NY Jets safety) is the latest male sports celebrity to participate in PETA’s campaign to end the fur trade. The “Ink, Not Mink,” ad series urges others to show off their unique skin and let animals keep theirs. Jennifer Tilly, nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar in 1994 for her role in Woody Allen’s Bullets over Broadway, will also be in attendance.
The headquaters re-dedication will take place Friday, March 1 promptly at 1:00 p.m. at PETA, 501 Front Street in Norfolk. Photographers are encouraged to set up along the harbor side of the building no later than 12:45 p.m. to see Sam Simon as he arrives by boat to a live Dixieland band.
Media Opportunities:
- Friday, March 1, 1:00 PM- Ribbon Cutting & PETA HQ Dedication- 501 Front Street in Norfolk
- Saturday, March 2, 11:00 AM- Sam Simon will speak to a group of aspiring screenwriters at ODU. Please contact sabrina@rubincommunications.com to arrange coverage.
Additional interviews with Sam Simon and/or PETA executives may be possible to arrange Friday or Saturday, upon request.
PETA moved to Norfolk in 1996, and thanks in part to Simon’s philanthropy, is a vibrant cultural force in the area. “PETA has had a sizable social and economic impact on Norfolk thanks to the hundreds of young people we employ and the interns and visitors who come from around the world to help sustain our mission,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
“PETA’s presence has been a real boost to the local economy, especially in Ghent,” says Norfolk’s Director of Development, Chuck Rigney, who will speak at Friday’s dedication. Restaurants in Ghent, for example, have added vegan menu items to the delight of PETA employees and the general public. “PETA has brought an influx of creative people to Norfolk,” adds Rigney, “and we can feel and see their positive influence on our community, from good things for dogs to good things for our diets.”
As an outspoken vegan and devoted animal rights advocate, Sam Simon serves on PETA’s Executive Committee and heads up LA’s Sam Simon Foundation, which rescues dogs from shelters to train as service animals for veterans and the hearing impaired. He also runs a free spay/neuter clinic for low-income residents’ dogs in Los Angeles. CBS TV’s 60 Minutes profiled the organization in 2007.
Beyond his work on the Simpsons, Simon has been a writer, producer, and director of Taxi, Cheers, The Tracey Ullman Show, The Drew Carey Show and Charlie Sheen’s recent FX series, Anger Management. He also hosts The Sam Simon Show on RadioIO and is a regular guest on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM radio.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 3 million members and supporters. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds, and other “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals. PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
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