Ben Hauck as John

Ben Hauck as John

About This Project

For the World Gold Council, I played a role in “Lost Ring Hunt,” a treasure hunt contest organized and promoted largely over Twitter.

In a video clue for the treasure hunt, I played John Rolentto from Cincinnati, who with his wife Miranda was visiting New York. On their trip they learned that she’d lost her gold wedding ring.

The video we made is embedded in John’s Tumblr blog, which also offered clues. We shot it on December 19, 2011. We also shot a second concluding video on February 9, 2012, in the W Hotel in Lower Manhattan.

The domain name for the event, http://www.foundgoldring.com, directed to a Craig’s List posting that read:

Gold Wedding Band Found! (Midtown West)
Date: 2011-12-27, 7:24PM EST
Reply to: comm-ez7sn-2771539758@craigslist.org

I found a woman’s gold wedding band in Times Square. It’s a simple polished wedding band with a little inscription on the inside. Please accurately describe the location at which I found the ring to claim it! I want to get it back to its rightful owner!

it’s ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2771539758

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Terms & Conditions from Facebook Gold Ring Hunt page:

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Please read these rules before entering the Contest. By entering and participating in the contest, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and represent that you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements set forth below.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

1. Eligibility. The World Gold Council Times Square Ring Hunt contest (the “Contest”) is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and DC who are 18 years of age and older. Void elsewhere and where prohibited. Employees, directors and officers, and their immediate families (spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses), and their respective household members, of World Gold Council (“Sponsor”), and it affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies are not eligible to enter.

2. How to Enter. Beginning on December 26, 2011, visit http://www.twitter.com/lostgoldring (“Contest Twitter Page”) or http:///www.facebook.com/gold(“Contest Facebook Page”) to receive instructions on how to enter and participate in the Contest and to review and agree to these Contest Official Rules. You will need a Twitter account to participate in the Contest. If you do not have one, visit www.twitter.com to create a free account.

To enter the Contest, log into your Twitter account, and follow the links and instructions to become a follower of @lostgoldring (“Contest Twitted Feed”). Once entered, follow the Contest Twitter Feed instructions listed and the ones that will be posted from time to time. The first eligible entrant to successfully send an email to the address provided in the Contest, which email contains the accurate winning response (“Response”) shall be deemed the winner.

If you post updates to or receive updates from twitter.com or otherwise and/or send Responses via your wireless phone, your wireless-service provider may charge you for data sent over its network and/or for each text message you send and receive. Please consult your wireless-service provider regarding its pricing plans. You must be an active holder of a non-private Twitter account and be a follower of the @lostgoldring account to be eligible to enter this Contest. All terms and conditions of Twitter.com, Facebook.com and other applicable third party websites used in the Contest apply. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same twitter account. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. In the event of a dispute as to any entrant or winner, the authorized account holder of the email address used to register at twitter.com will be deemed to be the entrant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. The potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. The Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter, Facebook or any other third party website provider.

3. Agreement to Official Rules. Participation in this Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Entrants acknowledge, agree, and represent that each understands that the activities involved in this Contest present some inherent dangers that could cause serious or grievous injuries, including bodily injury, and/or death. Entrants agree to take full responsibility for any damage or injury to themselves that each may sustain as a result of his/her participation. Furthermore, entrants agree and acknowledge that they may not physically or personally engage or interact with other entrants or any other individuals. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, will disqualify any entrants that it determines violates these Official Rules.

4. Winner Selection. There will be one (1) Contest winner. The winner will be the first eligible entrant to successfully email the Response to the correct email address provided in the Contest clues. Winning is subject to potential winner verification by Sponsor and full compliance with these Official Rules. Sponsor’s computer will be the official time keeper. Time received by Sponsor will be used, not time sent by entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled Responses, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Proof of submission of a Response will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor. All Responses become the sole and exclusive property of the Sponsor and receipt of Responses will not be acknowledged or returned.

5. Prize: The winner will receive a $5000 cash prize and a two (2) days / one (1) night trip for winner to New York, NY for winner to participate in a commercial shoot for Sponsor. Trip portion of the prize will include roundtrip coach airfare for the winner from an airport nearest winner’s residence to New York, NY, and hotel accommodations, as chosen exclusively by Sponsor for one for 2 days/ 1 night in or around New York City. In addition winner will have an opportunity to participate in a commercial shoot for Sponsor. The exact dates of the trip and the shoot are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Winner must agree to participate in the shoot and to accept SAG scale wages for such participation as a condition of receiving the overall prize. All accommodations, airports, and airlines to be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. All other expenses relating to prize, including local transportation, telephone, meals, tips, etc. are the responsibility of the winner. All travel and accommodations subject to availability. Airline carrier and hotel regulations and conditions apply. All travel in connection with the prize must be on the dates specified by Sponsor. If winner lives within 300 miles on New York City, ground transportation may be substituted for air transportation, at the discretion of Sponsor. ARV of Grand Prize: $6,000.00. Prize is non-transferable. No substitutions or cash redemptions. No refund or compensation will be made in the event of the cancellation or delay of any portion of the prize. All taxes and unspecified expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner.

6. Notification. Winners will receive a direct message from Sponsor to the email account used to send the Response on or about the day following the Response. The potential winner will be required to respond to the direct message and complete the contact form within two (2) days of receipt. If a potential winner does not respond to direct message or, if applicable, complete the contact form within the required time frame, or in the event of noncompliance with these Official Rules, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to an alternate winner, time permitting. Upon prize forfeiture, no compensation will be given. Potential winners will be required to sign and return, where legal, an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability/Publicity Release and a Personal Services Agreement within five (5) calendar days of prize notification.

7. Usage/Release. By entering the Contest entrants agree to the use of their names, likenesses, biographical information, Responses and/or statements for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. By participating, entrants and winner agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Twitter, Facebook, and any other provider of a third-party website used in the Contest, and each of their respective advertising and Contest agencies and Contest partners, and each of their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors (“Released Parties”), from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in Contest, or possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize or participation in any Contest-related activity and claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. Neither Sponsor nor its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions nor related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes, or expenses that winners might incur as a result of this Contest or receipt of prize. Entrants who do not comply with these Official Rules, or attempt to interfere with this Contest in any way, may be disqualified.

8. Additional Terms. Any attempted form of entry other than as set forth above is prohibited; no automatic, programmed; robotic or similar means of entry are permitted. Released Parties are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, telephone or other communications malfunctions, errors or failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, web site, Internet, or ISP availability, unauthorized human intervention, traffic congestion, incomplete or inaccurate capture of entry information (regardless of cause) or failed, incomplete, garbled, jumbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit one’s ability to enter send a Response in the Contest, including any injury or damage to participant’s or any other person’s computer or mobile device relating to or resulting from participating in this Contest or downloading any materials in this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Contest should (in its sole discretion) virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or web site. Sponsor may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automated quick entry or response programs) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Sponsor representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

9. Personal Services Agreement. As a condition of prize award, Winner may be required to negotiate and execute a Personal Services Agreement (“PSA”) with Sponsor or alternate winner may be chosen. PSA will set forth winner’s responsibilities to appear in a Sponsor advertisement, if any. The PSA may require, among other things, (1) that Sponsor has the right but not the obligation to require winner to make one or more advertisements at a time and location selected by Sponsor in exchange for SAG scale compensation and (2) that winner permit the use of his/her name, likenesses or identifying information for promotional, publicity or advertising purposes in any media including print, TV, radio and online media, without time or geographic limitations. Notwithstanding any of the above, Sponsor’s sole obligation under the PSA is to award the winner with the prize outlined in the “Prizes” section of these Oficial Rules. Sponsor will have no obligation to use the winner’s services or name or likeness in any manner whatsoever. In the event the winner fails to execute a PSA by a date specified by Sponsor, they will forfeit the entire prize and an alternate winner may be selected from among the correct Responses (time permitting).

10. Use of Data. Sponsor will be collecting personal data about entrants online, in accordance with its privacy policy. Please review the Sponsor’s privacy policy at http://www.gold.org/privacy. By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor’s collection and usage of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Sponsor’s privacy policy.

11. Winner’s List. To obtain the name of the winner, send a self-addressed stamped envelope t by May 1, 2012 to Kendall Tracewski, World Gold Council, 510 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022

12. Sponsor. The Sponsor of this Contest is World Gold Council, 510 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022

The Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter, Facebook or any other third party website provider.

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Press

Alternate Reality Gaming Network article »
Forbes article »

Links

John Rolentto’s Tumblr »

Miranda Rolentto’s Twitter feed (aka Miranda Brownville) »
A photo from the Twitter feed »

World Gold Council on Facebook »
Gold Ring Hunt page »
Link to YouTube LostGoldRing video »

Play video from file »