NEWRY (NEWS CENTER Maine) — A young New England Patriots fan has quite a story to tell. He was fortunate enough to be at the Super Bowl, and his luck grew at halftime. As pop music icon Justin Timberlake made his way through the stands, he stopped next to a teenager the world is now calling "Selfie Kid."
Ryan McKenna, 13, was at the big game with his family — big Pats fans from Boston’s South Shore.
When halftime entertainer Justin Timberlake climbed into the stands during his final song, he stopped right next to McKenna’s seat, where he sang his blockbuster hit song "Can’t Stop the Feeling." The world watched as McKenna — now immortalized for being the teenager caught fumbling with his cell phone next to superstar Justin Timberlake — took a selfie.
"I was just trying to take a picture with him, honestly I kind of went behind everyone in our row and I was just trying to get out there just to take a selfie with him," McKenna said. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is crazy to even think about that this is even me."
And what Selfie Kid was wearing in the now uber-viral halftime video with JT is having a ripple effect here in Maine: a Sunday River sweatshirt.
Darcy Lambert, head of Sunday River's communications, terms it a touchdown and advertising boon for the ski resort.
"We did not have a hand in that, it was just an amazing stroke of luck and it was really exciting," she said.
Lambert, who has worked in her role at Sunday River for more than a decade, knows the value and cost of such fortunate advertising: "Oh, we couldn't afford that. Millions and millions of dollars, there is no way that we could have paid for that kind of publicity. It was amazing."
And already, Sunday River is reaping the Selfie Kid rewards.
Alissa Rice, at Sunday River from Newbury, Mass., for a long weekend, looked through shirts and sweatshirts for her kids in the ski shop. Her 8-year-old son Hugh is hoping to take home a particular Selfie Kid inspired memento.
"I want a sweatshirt like that one," he told his mom.
There's no telling whether Selfie Kid's sweatshirt will boost business at powder based Sunday River but Darcy Lambert says it certainly can’t hurt.
"It was just brilliant product placement on his part but we know we didn't have a hand in that."
Lambert says Sunday River is planning to give Ryan and his family season’s passes to Sunday River as a way to say "thank" them for wearing their sweatshirt on such a global stage.