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PBR (Professional Bull Riders) and Cole Hauser, an accomplished veteran actor currently starring as Rip Wheeler on television’s No. 1 drama Yellowstone, have entered into a groundbreaking multi-year strategic partnership.
The partnership pairs one of the world’s most popular and iconic actors with the leading Western sports organization, both sharing centuries-old values associated with ranchers, farmers, and cowboys.
PBR and Hauser will collaborate on a multi-faceted creative campaign inviting everyone to be more cowboy in their lives while promoting Western values such as hard work, honesty, integrity, sacrifice and service. The first creative will debut during the PBR World Finals in Fort Worth from May 12 – May 21.
The new PBR branding campaign will be seen across traditional and social media, including every major market the sport travels to; digital channels; in arena; and RidePass on PlutoTV as well as across PBR programming on CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network.
“At its core, PBR is an inviting sport showcasing courageous cowboy athletes doing the seemingly unthinkable. But beneath the rush of an 8-second bull ride, these athletes share a simple, pure humanity and live a life centered on values that are more important today more than ever,” Hauser said.
“What makes this partnership exciting to me is the opportunity to work with PBR to tell stories revealing the humanity of a group of extraordinary bull-riding cowboys that pulls back the curtain in an uplifting way that celebrates family, loyalty, love, honor, determination and friendship representing the best of Americana.”
“PBR could not be more excited to form this first-of-a-kind partnership with Cole Hauser. We are going to collaborate not only on numerous branding and marketing initiatives to celebrate core Western values, but across all of our lines of business, including giving back to the men and women who have served our country in the military,” said Sean Gleason, CEO and Commissioner, PBR.
“There’s no one better suited to shine a light on our cowboy values than one of the toughest and most iconic cowboy characters since John Wayne. From the get-go, Cole has been all-in on joining our PBR family, sharing his vision for a sport he has grown to love, and inviting everyone into our world.”
PBR will also create programs to support a charity near and dear to Hauser, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization that ensures complete post-secondary educational support and opportunities for surviving children of fallen Special Operational Personnel and children of all Medal of Honor recipients along with providing immediate financial assistance to severely wounded, ill, and injured Special Operations Personnel.
There are more than 1,600 surviving children of these fallen warriors since 1980. More than 275 children have graduated college through the support of SOWF.
“Special Operations Warrior Foundation aligns perfectly with cowboy values: honoring those who sacrificed by providing an opportunity to get an education or support that will provide a foundation and path through life,” Gleason said.
Hauser is one of the few actors in Hollywood who have ridden a bucking bull. During filming of the 1998 western The Hi-Lo Country, 9-time world champion and PBR co-founder Ty Murray taught Hauser to ride. He now owns a horse named King.
The Hauser-PBR partnership is the first time in PBR’s 30-year history that an outside storyteller will collaborate with the organization to turn up the volume on promoting Western values.
PBR has had a record-setting start to 2023. Its top two tours have hosted more than 380,000 fans in January and February, including selling out 18 events. Additionally, on consecutive weekends in February, PBR on CBS drew audiences of more than 1 million average viewers for its premier series events in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Feb. 11) and Eugene, Oregon (Feb. 18).
Cole Hauser was born on ranch in Laurel Springs, California. He grew up in various parts of the country including California, Florida, and Oregon. At 16 years old, he decided to leave high school to try to break into acting.
He is known for film roles including School Ties (his film debut in 1992), Higher Learning, Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting, Pitch Black, Tigerland, Hart's War, Tears of the Sun, The Family that Preys, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Paparazzi, The Cave, The Break-Up, A Good Day to Die Hard, Olympus Has Fallen, Pitch Black, The Stone Angel, and Transcendence.
Hauser was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in Tigerland. He currently stars as Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, the nation’s No. 1 drama series. The character is so popular many Halloween stores carry the Rip costume.
“Yellowstone has transcended into the mainstream, introducing cowboys and a fictional version of the Western lifestyle to tens of millions who don't live it every day and may not have even heard of the PBR,” Gleason said. “Because of the show, the lifestyle has become aspirational, romantic, popular and desired. That is helping PBR to win hearts and minds, and associating with Cole is a great gift for an organization striving to keep the Western lifestyle alive and well.”
Hauser is an avid supporter of organizations that help veterans and first responders, including Special Operation Warrior Foundation and Tunnel To Towers, aligning with PBR’s longstanding commitment to honor these heroes in each city the sport visits.
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 500 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico.
In 2022, PBR launched the PBR Team Series—eight teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization’s digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
