CROWN ROYAL AND JORDAN DAVIS JOIN FORCES TO HONOR VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS AT "THE 57TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

In its sixth year in partnership with Country Music's Biggest Night™, the award-winning whisky brand spotlights veteran-owned businesses through partnership with non-profit Bunker Labs

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of Veterans Day, Crown Royal in its sixth year as the exclusive whisky of the CMA Awards raised a glass to Bunker Labs, a non-profit organization supporting veterans and veteran-owned businesses, with the help of Country music star, Jordan Davis. As a long-standing supporter of the military community, the award-winning whisky brand is proud to give back to those who selflessly serve others by honoring Bunker Labs CEO, Blake Hogan with their prestigious, That Deserves a Crown award. Hogan joined Davis on the CMA Awards stage last night where he was honored for his contributions to Bunker Labs and Crown Royal surprised the organization with a $50,000 donation.

This Veterans Day and every day, Crown Royal is proud to continue to celebrate and give back to those who have so selflessly served our country through initiatives like the Purple Bag Project. The Purple Bag Project is a program designed to convert donated Crown Royal bags into care packages to send to American military stationed around the world. For over a decade, Crown Royal has partnered with Packages from Home on the initiative and has donated over 1 million care packages. This year, Jordan Davis joined Bunker Labs and its veteran entrepreneurs to participate in a Purple Bag Project event in the local Nashville area. During the visit, Davis and the veterans packed care packages while sharing their experiences as veterans turned entrepreneurs and how Bunker Labs has impacted their lives.

"As someone with close ties to the military, I am thrilled to be partnering with Crown Royal to give back to those who truly deserve a Crown, especially those who continue to serve their community after their time in uniform," said Davis. "It was incredible to learn about Bunker Labs and share the CMA Awards stage with Blake, giving him the recognition he and all veterans deserve."

As an added surprise, during the show, Davis presented Hogan with a $50,000 donation on behalf of Crown Royal for his contributions to the Bunker Labs organization. CMA Awards viewers had the opportunity to join in on the generosity by scanning a QR code that appeared onscreen or by visiting www.crownroyal.com/cmabunkerlabs. Each visit to the website (including by QR code scan) until 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Veteran's Day, November 11 will result in an additional donation of $1. These donations will be in addition to the $50,000 Crown Royal will contribute to help Hogan and Bunker Labs continue to serve veterans in their entrepreneurial pursuits.** 

"Crown Royal is proud to give back to those who so generously and selflessly serve others. We're thrilled to spotlight Bunker Labs and highlight their incredible stories of perseverance, inspiration and service," said Tatiana Conti, Vice President of Crown Royal. "Together with the CMA Awards and Jordan Davis, we have a shared goal of providing a platform for active-duty military and veterans who serve our country. We are happy to have given audience members and viewers an opportunity to learn about their heroic stories and join in on the generosity to celebrate the ones who have continued to selflessly serve others."

"The Bunker Labs community and I are so thankful and impressed by Crown Royal's unwavering and long-standing commitment to the military and we are honored to have been their partner during this year's CMA Awards," said Blake Hogan, CEO of Bunker Labs. "We hope that the stories of our veterans and work at Bunker Labs can inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs." 

This year and beyond, Crown Royal will continue its partnership with Packages at Home and has a new commitment to supporting military heroes with the goal of packing 2 million purple bags by 2030. Crown Royal has a deep tradition of generosity, and is proud to give back to our nation's heroes — whether that comes in the form of supporting active military service members or partnering with like-minded organizations like Bunker Labs to find ways to support veterans following their tour of duty. 

Crown Royal reminds everyone 21+ that living generously is not about what you have, but about what you give. And, most importantly, to always drink responsibly.

**Diageo Americas, Inc. to donate up to $1,000,000 to national and local charities between 9/7/2023 & 6/30/2024, including this initiative in support of Bunker Labs. Donation made via the Crown Royal Generosity Fund, a donor-advised fund administered by Fairfield County's Community Foundation, organized under IRS Section 501c(3). No minimum donation. Dispersal of funds subject to approval of Fairfield County's Community Foundation.

About Crown Royal
Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is the number-one selling Canadian whisky brand in the world and has a tradition as long and distinctive as its taste. Specially blended to commemorate a grand tour of Canada made by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 1939, Crown Royal's smooth, elegant flavor and gift-worthy presentation reflect its regal origins – it is considered the epitome of Canadian whisky. For more information, visit crownroyal.com. Crown Royal encourages all consumers to please enjoy responsibly.

About Diageo North America
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.

For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow on Twitter and Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

About the CMA Awards
The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC is the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA's other two television properties, "CMA Fest" and "CMA Country Christmas."

About Jordan Davis
A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Jordan Davis released his second full-length album, Bluebird Days in February 2023. Produced by Paul DiGiovanni, the GOLD-certified album features 17 songs including his sixth career No. 1 hit-- the CMA Song of the Year nominated song "Next Thing You Know"-- as well as his double-platinum multi-week #1's "What My World Spins Around" and "Buy Dirt" (feat. Luke Bryan), which won numerous accolades including CMA and NSAI Song of the Year and earned ACM, AMA, Billboard and iHeart Award nominations. Davis previously notched three consecutive No. 1 hits off of his Gold Certified album, Home State, including: "Singles You Up," "Take It From Me," and "Slow Dance In A Parking Lot." In 2019, Davis was awarded Best New Country Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, and he is a two-time nominee for ACM New Male Artist of the Year and was named Billboard's Top New Country Artist of 2018. Davis has amassed more than 5 BILLION streams worldwide and appeared on Good Morning America, TODAY, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers and more. In addition to his 2024 headlining run, he will also serve as direct support on Luke Combs' Stadium tour dates. 

About Bunker Labs
Bunker Labs is a nationwide not-for-profit 501(c)(3) Veteran Entrepreneur Service Organization (VSO) that provides community, programs, and courses to help veterans and military spouses launch and grow successful businesses.

Media Contact: crownroyal@taylorstrategy.com

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SOURCE Crown Royal