Behind the Scenes with Starbucks in ‘Jurassic World’
Requests to have Starbucks products featured in films and television are so plentiful, the company has one partner with the enviable job of helping the Starbucks Entertainment team determine “if, when, where and how” Starbucks products will be included.
“Jurassic World” is a ginormous hit.
The movie set a new record for highest-grossing box-office opening weekend of all time, as the story of Steven Spielberg’s original movie comes full circle in Jurassic World, a fully operational luxury resort off the coast of Costa Rica. There, 20,000 guests explore the wonder of Earth’s most magnificent living prehistoric marvels—of every shape and size—and interact up close with them every day.
In the center of this fictional luxury resort, there’s a Starbucks.
Requests to have Starbucks products included in films and television are so plentiful, the company has one partner (employee) with the enviable job of helping the Starbucks Entertainment team determining “if, when, where and how” Starbucks will be included.
Picking Projects that Make Partners Proud
Beth Jayne, a 13-year partner, has been part of Starbucks Entertainment team for a decade. She’s the associate brand manager who coordinates in-store filmings, product placements and marketing partnerships. Her work has led to actors holding Starbucks iconic white cups and scenes shot with the familiar Siren logo and green apron-wearing partners in the background.
“I have a strong love for Starbucks. My first priority is to make sure a production is right for the brand,” Jayne said. That involves reading every script that lands on her desk, looking for “uplifting themes” and film or TV projects that Starbucks partners would be proud to be associated with.
Jayne negotiates contracts, works with Starbucks teams to gather the products requested, and is on site when filming in a store is required.
“I want to make sure partners are treated well and the production company is doing everything they promised,” she said. “Partners are excited to see behind-the-scenes action before a movie comes out and they’re proud when their store has been chosen as a movie or TV location.”
Early last year, she got a look at the film script for Jurassic World.
“I thought it would be a blockbuster and knew instantly it made sense to integrate our brand in the way they suggested,” she said. “Our team and executives decided to pursue it. A year-and-a-half later, it turned out as we expected. It’s great.”
Meet Me at the “Jurassic World” Starbucks
Long before Jurassic World operations manager Claire Dearing runs from dinosaurs, she’s seen in the park’s control center with a Starbucks cup in hand. In other scenes, visitors throughout the park’s food and shopping area can also be seen with Starbucks white cups.
Where did they get those beverages?
From the Starbucks that’s in the film’s dinosaur theme park, of course, near other popular global stores.
“They built the Starbucks store from the ground up on a set in New Orleans,” Jayne said. To ensure its authenticity, the studio sent a truck to Starbucks headquarters in Seattle to be filled with furniture, lighting, signage, pastry cases, cups and “anything else needed” to make it look like a genuine Starbucks store.
That store, in the center of the Jurassic World set, is evident during a heart-pounding scene toward the end of the movie. No spoilers here….
And Jayne can’t contain her excitement for the work she’s able to do on behalf of Starbucks brand.
“This is a dream job,” she said. “There will always be fascinating movies coming out, now I’m working on relationships with projects that support Starbucks commitment to veterans, Opportunity Youth and education.”
Watch for Starbucks appearing in more major motion pictures in the months and years ahead, including Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Intern,” starring Academy Award winners Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. The film, directed by Oscar-nominated and award-winning filmmaker Nancy Meyers, hits U.S. theaters on September 25th.
