ROYAL OAK, Mich., May 16, 2007 – The Detroit Zoological Society will hold an open audition for the public to voice lines in an updated version of the Detroit Zoo’s popular “Zoo Stars” television commercial.  The talent search will take place Saturday, June 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Zoo’s Ford Education Center Theater.  Regular admission and parking fees apply.

Participants will audition to voice two animals in a remake of the spot.  Six semi-finalists from the talent competition will be selected to appear on Fox 2 News Morning June 12.  Viewers will then vote for their two favorite “Zoo Stars” from among the semi-finalists by logging on to http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/ between June 12 and June 17.  The top two vote-getters will participate in a recording session for the new spot.

The Detroit Zoological Society has teamed up with Doner, the Zoo’s advertising agency, broadcast partner Fox 2, and sponsor National City, to recapture the excitement and nostalgia of the original “Zoo Stars” campaign by remaking the popular commercial with the help of the community.   

The public had its first opportunity to help shape the updated version by writing lines for the new spot.  Over 2,000 lines were submitted and are being reviewed by a creative team from Doner and the Detroit Zoological Society.  The individuals whose lines are selected will be announced on Fox 2 News Morning May 30. 

The original “Zoo Stars” spot, created in 1982 by Doner, features Detroit Zoo animals “talking” as if they were Broadway stars preparing for the day’s opening of the Zoo.  The spot won every national advertising award at the time, including the coveted CLIO, and an adapted version of the spot was used by more than 25 other zoos around the country.

The new “Zoo Stars” campaign, sponsored by National City, will debut on Fox 2 July 11 with a 30-second commercial airing through July 31.   For complete details on the “Zoo Stars” remake, visit http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit http://www.detroitzoo.org/.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 

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