Rams running back Todd Gurley is primed to become L.A.’s next marketing superstar

Tourists swooning over movie star handprints at the landmark Chinese Theatre turn and stare. Awaiting glitterati arrivals for a red-carpet event down the block, the crowd gawks. And people in cars and tour buses jamming one of the world’s most famous streets are looking on with curious grins.

Out in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, a handsome, smartly attired man with shoulder-length dreadlocks is running alongside the center stripe, a fashion photographer and video crew capturing every stride.

“Who is that?” asks a woman in the crowd on the teeming Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It’s no mystery to at least one passenger riding in an open-air star-tours van.

“Hey Todd!” he yells.

Rams running back Todd Gurley looks around and considers the spectacle, an only-in-Hollywood moment that came about because the Rams left St. Louis and returned to star-studded Southern California.

Their relocation to the nation’s second-largest media market is expected to be a boon to the NFL, to the Rams and especially to Gurley, who already has parlayed the move into several major national marketing opportunities.

And with Kobe Bryant now retired, Gurley is primed to become the next Los Angeles superstar.

About an hour before the start of the guerrilla-style photo session for a new line of fashionable NFL menswear, Gurley quietly had stepped out of a black Cadillac sedan. He strode past a Wolverine impersonator, a costumed Optimus Prime Transformer and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Gurley spent much of his rookie season around the Rams’ former headquarters in Earth City, Mo. This was like another planet.

“It’s definitely been crazy,” Gurley notes, laughing as he prepares for his closeup. “Just going from St. Louis to L.A.

“It’s like a 360.”

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On the eve of the Super Bowl last February, Gurley walked across a San Francisco theater stage and accepted an award as the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.

The 10th pick in the 2015 draft, he had overcome a knee injury that ended his final season at Georgia. He did not play until the Rams’ third game but finished the season with more rushing yards than all but two players and made the Pro Bowl.

At the nationally televised NFL Honors ceremony, the 21-year-old Gurley choked back tears as he movingly recounted his comeback.

With that speech, and the humility Gurley displayed during interviews immediately afterward, a star that had been ascending suddenly shot across the national sports landscape.

Now, the agency that represents Gurley is poised to help him capitalize. The Rams’ move to Los Angeles perfectly positioned the affable Gurley for major off-the-field business .

“It doesn’t get any bigger than this,” says Michael Yormark, president and chief of branding and strategy for Roc Nation Sports. “This kid has an opportunity to be a megastar and he’s going to seize the moment and take advantage of it. And we’re going to help him every step of the way.”

Rams running back Todd Gurley poses during photo shoot for an NFL line of menswear on Hollywood Boulevard.

(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times )

Gurley has inked endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, Carl’s Jr. and Bose headphones. Recently, he filmed spots for Campbell’s Chunky Soup, and his portfolio is expanding.

The marketing and licensing arm of the NFL Players Assn. ranked Gurley No. 1 on its 2016 “Rising 50,” which identifies players “best positioned to rank among top sellers of all officially licensed merchandise and become future retail stars.”

Rams quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, ranked fourth.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Clippers stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are among Southern California’s sports celebrities.

But with the power of the NFL behind him, the photogenic Gurley could eclipse them all and move into Kobe territory.

“There’s a little bit of a void in this market,” says David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at USC’s Marshall School of Business. “There might be an opportunity to take that mantle.”

Henry Schafer, executive vice president of the Q Scores Co. — which measures consumer appeal of personalities and brands — says the Rams’ move to Los Angeles will benefit Gurley, who will be surveyed by Q Scores for the first time this month.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Schafer says. “He’s definitely going to get more coverage.”

But can Gurley be the next Kobe?

Since arriving in Los Angeles, Gurley seemingly has been everywhere: At NBA games, at public service and community functions and at promotional events.

“There’s a lot of superstars out here,” Gurley says after an April event in a Santa Monica video game studio. “Nobody’s going to take Kobe’s spot, but it’s definitely a sports city and I’d be happy to be one of those guys.”

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As traffic crawls past Madame Tussaud’s Hollywood wax museum, Gurley pops in and out of a portable wardrobe-changing tent set up on the sidewalk across the street.

A makeup artist intermittently touches up his features.

Photographer Ben Watts loosely directs Gurley into the street, his digital camera equipment whirring.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great!” Watts says as he snaps away. “Put that hoodie up. That’s great!”

Gurley, visibly starting to loosen up and enjoy himself, leans in and smiles, then leaps toward the camera. Then it’s on to the next shot.

“Give me a flex!” Watts instructs.

Gurley smiles and hams it up. The pose is engaging and also symbolic for a young man exercising his marketing muscle.

Gurley was selected to be part of the NFL men’s lifestyle apparel campaign because he was “the perfect fit,” says Chris Terranova, brand and retail development manager for the league. The Rams’ move to Los Angeles and Gurley’s active embrace of social media factored into the decision to include him among players in the campaign.

“We want to see, not only do they put [social media content] out, but do people engage with them,” Terranova says after the photo shoot. “And obviously, you see here, the L.A. market absolutely loves Todd.”

Gatorade signed Gurley to join a stable that includes current and former NFL stars Cam Newton, J.J. Watt and Eli and Peyton Manning.

“We want the best of the best — championship caliber, driven to success that can potentially transform the game and do it with exemplary character,” says Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s head of sports marketing. “He has those things,”

Those are the qualities Carl’s Jr. was banking on when it selected Gurley as the focus of its campaign for its California Classic Double Cheeseburger.

Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for CKE Restaurants, says the company’s ad agency, 72andSunny, had its “eye on Todd,” since January, when the NFL announced the Rams were returning to Los Angeles. Gurley’s social media activity “absolutely” made him more appealing.

“It made sense to take advantage of something that would create the most buzz in one of our biggest markets,” Haley says.

Haley notes that the firm had aligned with other celebrities in the past. Gurley separated himself with more than his on-camera performance during a television commercial shoot.

“He’s the only one we ever worked with that sent us a thank-you note,” Haley says.

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Gurley and the Rams will play the next three seasons in the Coliseum, the club’s temporary home until its $2.6-billion Inglewood stadium opens in 2019.

It has been nearly 25 years since a star NFL running back called Southern California home, when former Rams great Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen were 1992 Los Angeles Raiders teammates.

The Hall of Famers know what awaits Gurley, on and off the field.

“It’s Hollywood,” says Allen, who also starred at USC. “There are a lot of things that go with being a highly successful player with a bazillion eyeballs on you.”

But, Allen cautions, “If you don’t come here and take care of business, this can be one of the worst places” for stars.

“You’ve got to have priorities — and off-the-field things are clearly in the backseat,” he says. “If you take care of football, everything will take care of itself. All of those things that you aspire to off the field will happen.

“And if you don’t, this place will chew you up and spit you out.”

Asked if Gurley could be the king of the city, Dickerson responds positively but adds a caveat.

“In L.A., it’s all about winning,” he says. “You have to have the right people around you, and if you don’t it doesn’t take long for people to get turned off.

“And all of a sudden they start pointing the finger at you.”

The Rams have returned to Los Angeles with a recent history of losing. They have not made the playoffs since 2004.

But Gurley provides immediate star power.

Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer, featured Gurley when the Rams pitched their stadium proposal to the NFL.

Now that the Rams are here, Demoff says the aim is to market the team and all of its players.

Goff might be the future but he has not played a down. The organization intends to bring him along at an appropriate pace, on and off the field.

Gurley is expected to appear on billboards, on tickets and other promotional materials.

“You can’t fake who fans are interested in,” Demoff says. “You can’t fake who brands are interested in. They get it.

“Obviously, Todd has a great following.”

Gurley says the off-the-field opportunities have not been a burden and will not be a distraction.

He is aware of the L.A. running back legacy left by Allen, Dickerson, Bo Jackson and others. And he is ready to add to it.

“Once I’m on the field … I’m focused on that,” he says. “You have to find a way to balance it out.”

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The double-decker bus, attempting to make a left turn, is stopped momentarily in the intersection. Gurley, perched atop it for the final leg of his photo shoot, is perfectly framed under a “Hollywood” street sign.

Before he had boarded, Gurley charmed the boulevard crowd, signing autographs and posing for photos and videos.

“I think you’re the coolest, Todd!” a woman yells as Gurley pushes a wardrobe rack up the street.

Now Gurley is gazing down at fans as the bus slowly creeps down the block. He waves between shots of him wearing a variety of caps.

The bus turns right and drops the photographer, his crew, marketing personnel and Gurley on a quiet street next to Hollywood High.

“He’s very relaxed,” Watts says, “but as soon as the cameras came on the energy just went whoosh.”

Gurley, talking on his phone, is last off the bus.

As he walks away, he reflects on the day. His brand is growing, and this was his welcome-to-L.A. moment.

“It was crazy,” he says, “but it was cool.”

After seeing him work the camera and the Hollywood crowd on this day, it’s abundantly clear: So is Gurley.

Staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.