Montblanc

Montblanc, the luxury Maison with its origins in writing culture, and Letters Live, a live celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence, have entered into a year-long global partnership that will see Montblanc supporting Letters Live initiatives across all platforms, including its live shows, YouTube channel and website. The partnership will launch publicly at the Letters Live show taking place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Thursday 16th November 2023.

2023 also marks the 10th anniversary of Letters Live staging its maiden show at The Tabernacle in west London on 10th December 2013.  Initially developed as a one-off event by Jamie Byng, CEO of Canongate Books, to celebrate the publication of Shaun Usher’s Letters of Note and Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, Letters Live became a joint venture between Canongate, SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher in 2015.  During the past decade, Letters Live has staged over fifty shows around the world, featured over 300 world class performers and supported numerous charities including Choose Love, First Story and the National Literacy Trust.

“It made absolute sense for Montblanc to partner with Letters Live as we both share an unrelenting passion for the written word and the positive impact shared words can have on people and communities. Montblanc was born from a bold idea to revolutionize the way people write to each other with better, more effective writing tools, we are excited to build on this incredible legacy with this partnership, giving audiences new opportunities to fall in love with words.” explains Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc CEO.

“It is very exciting to be teaming up with Montblanc as all of us at Letters Live are confident that by doing so we will be able to further our global ambitions for this venture that is so close to our hearts.  We believe passionately in Letters Live and its ability to connect with diverse audiences around the world and to deliver powerful performances that leave an indelible mark on anyone who experiences them.  Working closely with Montblanc will only add to the impact we can make and enhance the support we can give to charities,”says Jamie Byng, Canongate’s CEO and one of the Letters Live producers.

Benedict Cumberbatch, co-producer of Letters Live, adds, “This partnership between Letters Live and Montblanc is a perfect match and will enable Letters Live to grow in exciting ways as well as further support the charitable work that has always been at the heart of everything we do.  Letters Live celebrates the timeless art of letter writing and its importance as a means of communication and expression, and Montblanc has been supporting letter writing for over a hundred years through manufacturing beautiful writing instruments that have inspired people to share their thoughts through the humble letter.  The fit between Letters Live and Montblanc is almost too good to be true!”

About Montblanc

Synonymous with excellence in craftsmanship and design, Montblanc has been pushing the boundaries of innovation ever since the Maison first revolutionized the culture of writing in 1906. Ingenuity and imagination continue to be driving forces for the Maison today as it advances its expression of fine craftsmanship across product categories: writing instruments, watches, leather goods, new technologies and accessories. Reflecting upon its ongoing mission to create fine lifetime companions born from bold ideas and expertly crafted through the skills of the Maison’s artisans, the iconic Montblanc Emblem has become the ultimate seal of performance, quality and an expression of sophisticated style. As part of its on-going commitment to elevating and support those who strive to leave their mark, Montblanc continues to assert its encouragement of education programs around the world and initiatives that inspire people to express their full potential.

About Letters Live

Letters Live first took place in December 2013 at the Tabernacle in London and quickly established itself as a powerful and dynamic event format that attracted outstanding talents to performing remarkable, and often timely, letters in front of a live audience. Inspired by Shaun Usher’s international best-selling Letters of Note series and Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, Letters Live is a live celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence. Letters Live has brought to the stage letters written by people as varied as David Bowie, Mohandas Gandhi, Elvis Presley, Charlotte Bronte, James Baldwin and Che Guevara, and has seen the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Ian McKellen, Kylie Minogue, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nick Cave, Caitlin Moran, Gillian Anderson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Tom Hiddleston, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Stephen Fry and Jude Law deliver unique, extraordinary performances.  The shows are produced by Adam Ackland, Jamie Byng, Benedict Cumberbatch, Aimie Sullivan and Shaun Usher