Traveling 10,000 miles a week to the corners of the globe, hobnobbing with everyone from Hollywood’s bad boy Johnny Knoxville to Prime Minister Blair and North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, is just part of Maximillion Cooper’s normal routine. Either clad in Savile Row’s finest made-to-measure, or opting for a pair of Vans and Levi’s, he is NEVER without his sunglasses, Maximillion does not look like your typical motor-head, fashion designer, lawyer, BMX rider, skateboarder, racing driver or founder of a multi-million dollar brand ... But he’s all of those things and is on the edge of becoming a household name in the United States.
Maximillion’s passion for motor racing, fashion and music began at an early age, undoubtedly under the influence of his family who has a history in “motoring,” not to mention the fact that his father was a rock ‘n roll drummer and mother, a model.
Catering to his creative side, Maximillion attended the prestigious St. Martins College of Fashion in London; with peers including Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and following this he completed a law degree as well. Amid his studies, on the side, he indulged in some profitable passions, buying and selling cars, raising sponsorship money for F1 teams and competing professionally as a racing driver in the Sportscar Championships. This combination of interests – coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit and ambition, not to mention his eccentric group of friends ranging from skateboarders to Fortune 500 CEOs – led him to produce the most fashionable, rock ‘n' roll car event ever created – the ‘Gumball 3000’.
The rally began with a small crowd in 1999 when Maximillion invited 50 of his closest friends and acquaintances (from celebrities to socialites) to take part in a 3,000-mile race around Europe, hosting wild parties each evening.
After capturing the attention of media and countless requests from friends to repeat the fun, Maximillion’s rally, and the Gumball 3000 brand grew ... and grew ... and grew!
Now, in its eighth year, the Gumball 3000 is the world’s largest, cult car rally. It is an annual playground for celebrities, supermodels and billionaires alike, combining popular culture, adventure and eccentricity with style. In 2003, Gumball 3000: The Movie premiered in London’s Leicester Square where 5,000 fans took over the already crowded tourist Mecca. The film debuted in the U.S. in 2004 at Mann’s Chinese Theater. And, in 2005, more than three million people in 13 countries turned out to watch the rally drive by, garnering media coverage in 153 countries. Even more Gumball 3000 fans watched the rally’s progress on the Internet as Gumball3000.com logged 57 million visitors in seven days, making it the “No. 1 mover” for Yahoo Buzz Charts in May 2005. It has also inspired a television series as well as an hour-long Jackass special by Spike Jonze on MTV.
Having captured the attention of millions of fans around the world, 33-year-old Maximillion has rapidly grown Gumball 3000 into a lifestyle brand, spawning a fashion line, music label, film and publishing companies and more than a dozen licensing deals along the way.
Maximillion’s empire is quickly crossing the threshold from aspiration to attainment. WPP rated Gumball 3000 as one of the world’s fastest-growing, recognized lifestyle brands in the world. It seems the time is right for Maximillion to move his brand from being cool with underground crowds to a commercial hit around the world. Move over Richard Branson, there’s a new Brit in town.
Maximillion’s passion for motor racing, fashion and music began at an early age, undoubtedly under the influence of his family who has a history in “motoring,” not to mention the fact that his father was a rock ‘n roll drummer and mother, a model.
Catering to his creative side, Maximillion attended the prestigious St. Martins College of Fashion in London; with peers including Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and following this he completed a law degree as well. Amid his studies, on the side, he indulged in some profitable passions, buying and selling cars, raising sponsorship money for F1 teams and competing professionally as a racing driver in the Sportscar Championships. This combination of interests – coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit and ambition, not to mention his eccentric group of friends ranging from skateboarders to Fortune 500 CEOs – led him to produce the most fashionable, rock ‘n' roll car event ever created – the ‘Gumball 3000’.
The rally began with a small crowd in 1999 when Maximillion invited 50 of his closest friends and acquaintances (from celebrities to socialites) to take part in a 3,000-mile race around Europe, hosting wild parties each evening.
After capturing the attention of media and countless requests from friends to repeat the fun, Maximillion’s rally, and the Gumball 3000 brand grew ... and grew ... and grew!
Now, in its eighth year, the Gumball 3000 is the world’s largest, cult car rally. It is an annual playground for celebrities, supermodels and billionaires alike, combining popular culture, adventure and eccentricity with style. In 2003, Gumball 3000: The Movie premiered in London’s Leicester Square where 5,000 fans took over the already crowded tourist Mecca. The film debuted in the U.S. in 2004 at Mann’s Chinese Theater. And, in 2005, more than three million people in 13 countries turned out to watch the rally drive by, garnering media coverage in 153 countries. Even more Gumball 3000 fans watched the rally’s progress on the Internet as Gumball3000.com logged 57 million visitors in seven days, making it the “No. 1 mover” for Yahoo Buzz Charts in May 2005. It has also inspired a television series as well as an hour-long Jackass special by Spike Jonze on MTV.
Having captured the attention of millions of fans around the world, 33-year-old Maximillion has rapidly grown Gumball 3000 into a lifestyle brand, spawning a fashion line, music label, film and publishing companies and more than a dozen licensing deals along the way.
Maximillion’s empire is quickly crossing the threshold from aspiration to attainment. WPP rated Gumball 3000 as one of the world’s fastest-growing, recognized lifestyle brands in the world. It seems the time is right for Maximillion to move his brand from being cool with underground crowds to a commercial hit around the world. Move over Richard Branson, there’s a new Brit in town.
