Phoenix, the Tribeca, NYC-based creative agency and hybrid content creation studio, recently completed a striking :30 spot promoting China Central Television’s (CCTV) Biz Asia America, an hour-long daily global economics news program. The studio handled every aspect of the imaginative spot, from concept to dazzling content to post. nnThere Is Only We is a stylized journey through an immersive, re-imagined environment built to approximate the woven, patterned look and texture of global currencies. As a narrator describes the doctrine of “We” – the interconnected and international world of trade, business and investment that is Biz Asia America’s lifeblood – a dynamic landscape of stately buildings, pastoral backdrops, and people delicately materialize, unfurling in a beautifully seamless sequence.nn
CCTV Promo: Biz Asia America “There is Only We” from Phoenix Productions on Vimeo.
n”Taking CCTV’s global perspective and its initiative to foster dialogue between Asia and the West, we wanted to create visuals that linked money and trade with human interaction,” noted producer Colin Elliott. “We saw this as a launching point to tackle the mutability and interconnectedness of monetary currency—to move beyond the cold analytics of business and show how money is an integral part of the world in which we live, a force for progress and creation. We decided to use the inherent designs and images found on all currencies and elevate that aesthetic into an entire world, to show that money affects and influences all of humanity.” nnEven as the studio took considerable creative liberties to draw a compelling landscape, they were careful to keep the overall integrity of the currencies intact. "We felt that staying true to the look of the currencies would keep the cinematic visuals of the spot rooted concretely in their conceptual framework, allowing the medium a comprehensible immediacy," said Senior Art Director Jeffrey Man. nnCCTV, the predominant television broadcaster in mainland China with a network of 22 channels regularly reaching audiences larger than the Super Bowl, began broadcasting English-language programming intended for western viewers. The network engaged Phoenix after viewing their work at a global awards show. Following an in-person meeting to discuss potential promotions for new shows at CCTV’s bureau in Washington, D.C., Phoenix pitched a few ideas that were immediately green lighted.nnAs always, Phoenix‘s full-service capabilities allowed them to hone their ideas and execute the challenging visual sequence with extreme precision. “Since everything was created in-house, there was no lag time between decision-making and execution,” stated Phoenix President/EP Chris Phoenix. “The project involved a close collaboration between the creative producers who were directing the promo and the artists in charge of developing and rendering the look.” nnPhoenix‘s CCTV spot follows a stream of recent campaigns for the studio, including a slick Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy spot starring J.B. Smoove; a graphically adventurous 2:00 show open for the CLIO Healthcare Awards that flawlessly blends CG, live-action spots, print ads, stills and music; and a hilarious faux game show segment to select the world’s biggest 30 Rock fan. Their amped-up logo design for college football show 3 and Out earned a finalist position for Best New Logo Design at the PromaxBDA Sports Media Awards.n nCredits:nnClient: CCTVnSpots Title: There is Only WenAir Date: April 2012nnAgency: Phoenix Media GroupnEP: Chris PhoenixnProducer: Colin ElliottnnVFX Company: PhoenixnProduction Manager: Adam Rauscher nSr. Art Director: Jeffrey MannAnimator: Gavin ShapironDesigner/Animator: Yung Jae SuhnnProduction Company: PhoenixnClearances & Legal: Rosalind LichternMusic Composer: Steve LehmannSound Designer: Chris PhoenixnColorist: Colin ElliottnAudio Mix: Mark PassynnAbout PhoenixnPhoenix Productions is a full-service production, design and branding company. Our seamless integration of technology, talent and creativity allows us to produce relevant, high-caliber projects with a focus on client satisfaction. Our work has garnered an Emmy nomination along with Valencia, Effie, OMMA and CLIO awards.nnExpressing the full potential of great ideas requires a directed sense of curiosity, resolve and inspiration. Phoenix provides integrated media solutions rooted in industry knowledge and first-hand experience. Whether we’re developing concepts for broadcast television, advertising, marketing, branded experiences or integrated campaigns, we take our clients’ ideas to new places. www.phoenix-productions.tv
Chris Phoenix Founder/EP - Phoenix Contact Chris via email
NYF Advertising Awards Open for Entries: Grey New York and New York Festivals Launch ‘No BS Allowed’ Campaign and Plant Seeds of Growth
The New York Festivals Advertising Awards is now officially open for entries for the 2025 competition. Grey New York has teamed up with New York Festivals Advertising Awards to unveil a bold new creative campaign, titled “No BS Allowed,” for the show’s 2025 awards season. The campaign serves as a call for entries, challenging the advertising industry to reject superficiality and focus on creating work that truly matters. The New York Festivals Advertising Awards, known for celebrating the world’s most innovative and impactful advertising, is taking a hard stance against the industry’s reliance on inflated metrics, fabricated buzz, and empty results. In this provocative campaign, these industry conventions are reimagined as something more tangible and valuable: fertilizer for growth. Thiago Cruz, Chief Creative Officer at Grey New York. “New York is famously known for not putting up with BS, so we’re ensuring our festival stands for that too. We’re looking for work that truly drives both cultural and business value for clients.” The campaign humorously relabels case studies' so-called "BS" with sharp accuracy, exposing the elements that undermine true creativity:
- Made-up tweets
- Inflated number of impressions
- Lots and lots of positive sentiment