He launched his own dream career spinning records, and now David Guetta hopes to spin the dreams of aspiring DJs into their own reality through a contest he has cooked up with energy drink, burn.
The Grammy-winning music producer and DJ, who worked with the Black Eyed Peas on their smash hit "I Gotta Feeling," and the Coca-Cola Co, which makes burn, unveiled a promotional partnership on Thursday that includes both the competition and the making of a documentary movie about Guetta and his music.
"I've always wanted to, how can I say, give back the love a little bit to younger producers," the Parisian told Reuters. "I've been very, very blessed with success, and I want to help other people achieve this.
The documentary, which has yet to be titled, covers the 43-year-old's life from spinning records in French nightclubs in the 1980s and 1990s to producing records for top acts such as Akon and creating his own hit albums.
The film also will explore the recent history of the underground dance music scene, electronica, house tunes and the large festivals that are now a routine part of the industry.
"People from my generation and even younger know my history, but a lot of kids don't know the history of this music," he said.
Details of both the movie and the competition were scant at the time of the announcement. An official with Coca-Cola said a director will soon be hired, production will begin in April and the hope is to release the documentary in September.
Rules for the contest are expected to be posted in the near future on the energy drink's website, burn.com. The winner will get his or her big break spinning records at Guetta's dance parties on the tourist island Ibiza, off the coast of Spain.
Emmanuel Seuge, director of worldwide sports and entertainment marketing at Coca-Cola, called Guetta the perfect promotional match for burn, given his high-energy music, creativity and collaboration with other musicians.
"The way we talk about burn is that it is a brand which acts on its ambition, and that is the mode of David's life. That is what he has stood for," said Seuge.
Moreover, the energy drink is now sold in some 83 countries and Guetta has a global fan base.
In the past decade, as CD sales have tanked in the face of rising digital downloads of single records on the Web, musicians have turned to performing and promotional deals like the one between Guetta and burn to fill their bank accounts.
Guetta is not shy about saying that money -- for both he and burn -- is a big part of the collaboration, but he is quick to add it is not all about cash. And he points to the unusual nature of producing the film and the contest as being vastly different from simply creating a new song or jingle to burn.
"Of course there is the money for me. Of course, there is the money for Coca-Cola, but instead of doing just stupid publicity, we are trying to use some of the budget to do something positive and interesting," he said.