Preacher of a new hope, dies at the age of 80 – Variety Var
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Veteran filmmaker Charles Lippincott, best known for directing George Lucas’ marketing campaign, Star Wars: A New Hope, died Tuesday after being hospitalized with a heart attack in Vermont last week. He is 80 years old.
Limpincott’s wife Bumpy shared the news on social media.
Lippingcote 19 joined Lucasfilm in 1975 as vice president of advertising, promotion, promotion and merchandising. Before the release of the first “Star Wars” movie in 1977, he was credited with promoting grassroots campaigns aimed at science-fiction fans and young filmmakers. These measures included promoting the then-unknown star Mark Hamill, who came on a promotional tour with Lippincott starting in 1976.
Marketing guru San Diego Comic Con brought in “Star Wars: A New Hope,” a small convention that soon became a Hollywood blockbuster and fan destination.
“Charlie” was one of the cornerstones of the Star Wars movie and events, “Lu Cass said in a statement. “He started the idea of licensing motion pictures at a time when Disney was the only other company. Charlie was the first person to say ‘we can do this’ and the first person to develop a “Star Wars” license and his insights into both marketing and public relations involving fans that were truly incomparable. ”
Hamil shared a statement on the official “Star Wars” blog. “He became a marketing legend for a reason,” he said. “He was brilliant in what he did. We traveled the world together before we knew how to promote “Star Wars”. He was a good friend and I always missed him. ‘
Lippincott also promoted Michael Crichton’s “Westward,” Alfred Hitchcock’s “Family Plot,” Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” and “Flash Gordon.” He was the producer of Sylvester Stallone’s 1995 sci-fi classic “Judge Dread”.
