Agency barrettSF has developed its first work for Bleacher Report, a division of Turner Sports, bringing rap duo Blackalicious into the studio to remix their “Alphabet Aerobics” hit with new sports lyrics, and turning the resulting track into an animated music video. The work aired on TNT during the Oklahoma City Thunder-Miami Heat game on December 3.
Just like the original “Alphabet Aerobics,” Blackalicious’s new “#SportsAlphabet” rap intensifies in speed as it runs through the ABCs, now riffing on football, basketball and everything else sport.
Gentleman Scholar animated the music video with 26 different styles, one for each letter of the alphabet. Everything from alley cats serving up alley oops to each other for “A,” to a 3D hockey goon getting a puck through his mouth for the letter “G.”
Pete Harvey, executive creative director of barrettSF, said, “Bleacher Report is sticking themselves out there with a film that rewrites the sports alphabet, and asked us, alongside Gentlemen Scholar, to surprise people with the execution.”
Credits
Client Bleacher Report Agency barrettSF, San Francisco Pete Harvey, Jamie Barrett, executive creative directors; Brad Kayal, associate creative director; Jake Reilly, sr. copywriter; Byron Wages, art director; Nicole Van Dawark, sr. producer; Patrick Wilkinson, producer; Charlotte Dugoni, associate producer. Production Gentleman Scholar William Campbell, Will Johnson, directors; Jo Arghiris, exec producer; Rachel Kaminek, head of production; John-Patrick Rooney, associate creative director; Jordan Lyle, art director; Tim Hayward, CG supervisor; Nikki Maniolas, producer; Nicole Smarsh, associate producer; Trevor Conrad, Chris Finn, Sarah Beth Hulver, Jordan Lyle, Macauley Johnson, John-Patrick Rooney, Calla Donofrio, Hana Eunjin Yean, design; Chris Finn, Sarah Beth Hulver, Jordan Lyle, Macauley Johnson, John-Patrick Rooney, Shawn Kim, 2D animation; Tristan Balos, Taik Lee, Stephanie Simpson, Harry Teitelman, cel animation; Blake Beynon, James Lane, character animation. Music Blackalicious Sound Design Barking Owl Michael Anastasi, sound designer; Kelly Bayett, creative director; KC Dossett, producer. Audio Post One Union Recording Matt Zipkin, engineer; Lauren Mask, exec producer.
Directed by Steve Rogers via Biscuit Filmworks for agency VCCP London, this spot titled “Memory” opens with a daughter visiting her father at his home, a bar of Cadbury Wholenut chocolate in hand. Her father, living with dementia, smiles at the sight of the chocolate, recognizing it as a gift his daughter has bought him since she was a child. In this moment, he doesn’t recognize her as his daughter. Instead, he begins to tell her how this ritual gifting always makes his wife laugh because, as he proudly reveals, he’s always hated nuts.
The daughter can’t help but laugh, touched by the idea that her father has kept this secret for so long. As he looks at her earnestly, he asks her not to tell his “daughter”--meaning her--about the secret, because “it makes her so happy.” The daughter responds softly. “It does.” She recognizes the quiet generosity of her father’s long-held secret, something he’s kept hidden from her all these years, despite not always remembering who she is.
Cadbury is committed to telling inclusive stories rooted in human truths that are representative of the U.K. To ensure the story’s accurate portrayal of people living with dementia, Cadbury consulted with specialists throughout the development of the film.
Cadbury has extended its partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, into 2025. The two organizations first joined together in 2024 to celebrate the role of Cadbury in the nation’s shared memories and to support the charity’s mission for a cure for dementia.
“Memory” was brought to life with the help of VCCP’s global content production studio Girl&Bear. The film will run across the U.K. throughout 2025, appearing on TV, VOD,... Read More
