History Channel’s Project Blue Book is scaring up lots of viewers with a highly polished Hollywood version of Dr. J. Allen Hynek’s work investigating UFOs, but they aren’t just making waves on tv – they’re killing the promo game with an incredible press kit.
Anyone who works in the media, particularly when it comes to entertainment reviews, will tell you that the press kit is one of the best perks of the job. With each big budget production, networks put together special, press-only packages aimed at garnering the attention of busy reviewers. Typically, these kits contain a pre-release screening copy of the project for review purposes, some pertinent information about the creative team, and sometimes a bit of fun swag, like t-shirts or posters. The team at History Channel, however, has blown other press kits out of the water with their new Project Blue Book series.
Presented in an aged leather bag sporting a tag which reads “Property of Dr. J. Allen Hynek”, History’s Project Blue Book press kit is a love-letter to UFO enthusiasts, loaded with nods to Hynek’s real-life work as science advisor to the U.S. Air Force’s secret UFO investigations. Stocked with mysterious glyphs scribbled on napkins, notebooks with memos about government conspiracies, and a top-secret Project Blue Book folder stuffed with redacted case files, historical photos, and screening copies of the first six episodes of the series, its one of the best press kits we’ve ever seen.
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We loved this kit so much, we had to share it with you. Dive in below to see what secrets the Project Blue Book press kit contains:
At first glance, you might not realize that this bag contains a press kit, but look closer..
The Project Blue Book bag has been purposefully banged up and aged in order to replicate the bag Hynek carries on the series. Inside the A+E / History Channel branded travel tag is the first clue of what might be inside.
First surprise: a notebook sporting the Project Blue Book logo.
Inside the notebook are scribbles memos with nods to Project Blue Book‘s second episode, which tackles the appearance of the frightening Flatwoods Monster in rural West Virginia.
There’s so much stuff tucked away that it’s hard to decide what to dig into next.
A napkin with a hastily-drawn glyph from Project Blue Book‘s first episode. The reverse contains a phone number with a note to “call Kirby ASAP!” Kirby Dixon is the press contact for A+E Networks, who produces the series.
A nice Project Blue Book pen to go with that notebook.
“The History Journal” is four-page newspaper produced just for the press kit. The front page is a nod to Project Blue Book‘s third episode, “The Lubbock Lights”.
More references to the UFO sightings covered in Project Blue Book, as well as an advertisement which nods to a series plot point involving bomb shelters, and another prompt to get in touch with Kirby. The last page even has a newspaper style crossword puzzle with a UFO theme!
The final item inside Hynek’s leather bag is a perfectly banged-up folder, complete with coffee stains, from the U.S. Department of Aviation.
The first page contains Project Blue Book‘s actual press release, presented in the style of an old military report. A stack of Kodak photographs are attached to the inside flap.
Each photograph features an actor from Project Blue Book during key moments from the series.
Inside a flap titled “VIDEO EVIDENCE” is a stamped, manilla envelope, which contains..
..the first six episodes of History Channel’s Project Blue Book! These special screening copies aren’t meant for the general public, and exist for review purposes.
The next page contains a military report of the mysterious “Lubbock Lights”, which feature in the second episode of Project Blue Book. Also included are several pages of a redacted witness report that are extremely fun to read through.
The last flap is titled “Additional Sightings” and contains several photographs which reference famous cases from the history of ufology, most notably, a famed illustration of the Flatwoods Monster, which J. Allen Hynek investigates in episode two of Project Blue Book.
History and A+E Networks’ press team has done seriously incredible work with the Project Blue Book press kit, managing to create something that feels like an actual piece of Dr. J. Allen Hynek’s fictionalized tv universe. From the hidden details and easter eggs in the case files to the functional promotional goodies, this might be the coolest press kit we’ve ever seen. Hell, the bag itself is so nice I’ve started using it to hold my own case files on paranormal investigations.
Here’s hoping more networks take note of the time and attention the press team put into the rollout of Project Blue Book. It’s hard not to get excited for a new series when the network behind it makes such a big effort suck you into the world they’re building. You listening, True Detective?
Project Blue Book airs on Tuesday nights at 10PM EST on History, and stars Aidan Gillen as General Hugh Valentine and Michael Malarkey as Dr. J. Allen Hynek.
The series is an A+E Studios production in association with Compari Entertainment, a division of ImageMovers. Robert Zemeckis (Contact, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump), Jack Rapke (Cast Away, Flight) and Jackie Levine (Allied, The Walk) are executive producers for Compari Entertainment. David O’Leary serves as creator, co-executive producer and writer, with Sean Jablonski (“Suits,” “Nip/Tuck”) serving as showrunner, executive producer and writer. Barry Jossen serves as executive producer. Arturo Interian serves as executive producer for HISTORY.
For more about Project Blue Book, check out the official website.
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