• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, July 4, 2024

Firestone Walker Brewing has been working for years to gain the rights to use Woody Guthrie’s iconic song "This Land is Your Land” for a branding and performance-based campaign that launched this week in honor of Independence Day in the U.S.

Nick Firestone, CEO at Firestone Walker Brewing, told KKAL radio the campaign and movie represents an authentic “vibe.” The 805 brand, a blond ale beer, represents all things common to the central coast California lifestyle. The company refers to the campaign and movie as an authentic way to reach consumers.

The brand, released in 2012, was named for the 805 area code in Paso Robles, where Firestone Walker is headquartered.

The beer was initially intended only to be sold locally, but became very popular. The July 4 campaign and movies honors patriots, a reflection of co-founder David Walker’s journey from Britain to the United States.

Firestone said the brand will never do corporate sponsorships, but would rather tell stories and highlight interesting and talented people from the area. There is a beer in the video, but the video is not about the beer.

The campaign features Jade Jackson, a native of Santa Margarita, California. She sings and plays Guthrie’s song on her acoustic guitar. The acoustic spot is running on 805’s website and on its YouTube page as well as its Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages.

Jackson is a Firestone Walker brand ambassador. She was born legally blind and doctors identified her condition at four years of age. Until it was corrected, she had to rely on her sense of sound to experience the world.

That’s how she found her deep connection with music. Sounds became her most comfortable sense -- where she feels safe.

At 13, Jackson told her family she would either make it or die trying.

This film is a follow-up to the 805 Beer film “Small Town Story,” which explores her passion for songwriting and support of her family.