It’s not 30 seconds of shoving a logo into people’s faces. It’s not even actively trying to sell something. But it does come from an advertising agency, notably Wieden+Kennedy, the company responsible for 25 years of memorable Nike commercials, through an Internet initiative called Wieden+Kennedy Entertainment. “It” is branded entertainment.
“Clients today want a more personal connection with consumers through content-based material.” says Joseph DiSanto, executive producer at the West Los Angeles-based post-production company Therapy. “We’re answering this need by partnering with people like BlackLake to produce smart, high quality content.”
Wieden+Kennedy Entertainment (WKE) is a broadband channel, or web distribution platform, that went live on December 1. It features informative, personal, documentary-style and alternative entertainment programs that, though they may be backed by the agency’s clients, will only subtly market a company and its products, if at all, as in the case of the web series DIY America, which made its debut when WKE launched last week. ((www.wk.com/wke))
DIY America is made up of webisodes from three to five minutes in length about art, inspiration and creation from BlackLake Productions, which tapped Therapy to handle editorial and finishing duties.
BlackLake recently completed a feature documentary about a group of contemporary artists called Beautiful Losers, which is available on Apple’s iTunes. “The tagline for Beautiful Losers is ‘Make something from nothing'” says Jon Barlow, executive producer at BlackLake Productions. “The common thread is following your inspiration and making it happen for yourself. If you’re producing stuff that you love, you are rewarded. When we finished cutting Beautiful Losers, Nike came in with some finishing and marketing money.”
Some of that marketing money went into a series of artist-based workshops for kids, which became a series of nine webisodes for Nike called Make Something!! “It’s a unique marketing tool – a series of webisodes direct with a brand,” Barlow says. “we got the inspirational message in Beautiful Losers embodied in this side project: artists from the film inspiring kids to do art – ‘make something.’ We realized the message of the film in the real world. Nike’s presence in Make Something!! is pervasive but not blatant. It’s really subtle marketing for both Nike and for Beautiful Losers.” Therapy editor Meg Decker cut two of the Make Something!! pieces which can be found on the Beautiful Losers DVD due out on December 8.
DIY America also has its roots in Beautiful Losers, notes Barlow. “It grew out of the massive archive we have of great artists,” he says. “We shot 70 interviews for Beautiful Losers but only used 14. DIY America takes what we didn’t use and cuts it up – artists, filmmakers, musicians – all sorts of people.”
Some notable characters in DIY America‘s 15-episodes: Shepard Fairey (Artist), Tony Hawk (Skateboarder), Jason Lee (Actor, Skateboarder), Ian MacKaye (Musician, Fugazi), Harmony Korine (Filmmaker), Larry Clark (Filmmaker), Geoff McFetridge (Artist), Craig Stecyk III (Photographer), Thurston Moore (Musician, Sonic Youth).
ABOUT THERAPY
Therapy Studios is a fully integrated post-production company whose unique, award-winning work spans commercials, features, music videos, and online media. The Los Angeles based company was founded in 2005 by executive producers Joe DiSanto and John Ramsay, and artists Wren Waters and Doobie White. They have since expanded into a collaborative team which includes top artists in all areas of post-production, including creative editorial, graphics, finishing, sound design, mix, and color correction.
Therapy’s facility is located at 2010 S. Westgate Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90025. For more information, call 310.917.1507 or visit www.youneedtherapy.tv.
ABOUT BLACKLAKE
BlackLake Productions creates branded content designed to attract, build, and interact with targeted communities. By combining filmmaking, advertising, and social media, BlackLake is redefining how branded storytelling looks, how it’s consumed, and how its benefits are measured.
BlackLake is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information call (310) 882-5150 or please visit www.blacklakeproductions.com.
