If you’re one of the tens of thousands of Los Angeles-area residents who have driven down Sunset Boulevard in the last month, you’ve no doubt seen the towering 100-foot FAME by Sheeraz billboard hovering overhead.
The stupendous sign steals eye balls from Apple, Disney, Netflix, and HBO billboards all on the same block, and is the genius work of a brand architect and celebrity culture mastermind named Sheeraz Hasan. Except now, things have changed, and the billboard is coming down after showing its support for Black Lives Matter. Wait, what?!
Related: Kanye West Joins Massive BLM Protests In Hometown Of Chicago
Amid the ongoing nationwide protests surrounding police brutality, racial injustice, and the BLM movement, Hasan decided to use his platform to show support for the activists. And so, days ago, he put up a new skin on his iconic billboard, covering up his business interests with the simple yet powerful message: Black Lives Matter!!!
The Hollywood expert and successful entrepreneur shared an inspiring message about his decision to promote the movement using his space, saying (below):
“My mother taught me one thing, your life is a gift from God. What you do with it is your gift back! God has given me a platform in Hollywood with Fame by Sheeraz and I’m going to use it. So I turned the biggest and best billboard on Sunset Blvd to send a loud message that ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER.’”
Amen to that!
The marketing and media guru added more about his motivations with the message, noting how possible political and business backlash doesn’t matter — all that is secondary to the fight for racial and social justice:
“Make no mistake, in today’s climate any message you say about a politically trending topic will cause backlash. But this doesn’t matter. All that matters in this moment are black lives and making sure they know they are not alone and they are heard.”
Well said, and very true!!
Of course, there have been high-profile peaceful protests up and down Sunset at Hasan’s Doheny Drive billboard location, as well as across iconic street corners and parks throughout the Hollywood area and greater Los Angeles for more than a full week now. With that, the updated skin supporting the BLM movement seemed like the perfect addition to such a visible, memorable location.
Even high-profile Hollywood stars took note, such as Lindsay Lohan, who tweeted about the billboard over the weekend when she first came across the new, updated version:
God Bless #BlackLivesMattters @sheerazhasan pic.twitter.com/NFIHRQc1GG
— Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) June 7, 2020
Love it!!! Talk about can’t miss!!!
The billboard has gotten so much attention for its new BLM addition, though, that SOMEBODY is insistent on bringing it down, apparently concerned about the message its sending and the political implications. Overnight, the skin was brought down in an attempt to get the billboard back to normal. Nooooo!
It’s weird though, both the Roxy and the Rainbow Room were just fine with the new skin showing BLM’s message up on the billboard on their property, so it wasn’t them. Hasan is trying to figure out who else might have wanted it down, then. Crazy!!! What’s up with the intolerance?!
Here’s to promoting peace, love, and unity — no matter the business consequences! Great job, Sheeraz!!!
[Image via FAME by Sheeraz]
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