Wieden+Kennedy, Pulse Films score TV Academy honor for spot directed by Oscar Hudson
By Robert Goldrich
LOS ANGELES --Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Us”–directed by Oscar Hudson of Pulse Films for Wieden+Kennedy–won the primetime commercial Emmy on Sunday (9/12) during the third of three Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies held this weekend at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.
The spot shows how–in the face of unprecedented challenges, including a pandemic–the power of sport still inspires. We have not stopped needing sport and it continues to be a source of inspiration, showing the world what’s possible when we come together.
Narrated by Megan Rapinoe, U.S. soccer star, two-time World Cup Champion and equality activist, the film shares a dynamic split screen series detailing 36 pairings of athletes and relating the kinetic movement of one sport to another. The collective of everyday and elite athletes includes Rapinoe, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, Eliud Kipchoge, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappé Developed through research of over 4,000 individual pieces of footage, the resulting montage underscores commonalities shared by athletes around the world, highlighting connections and unity we may not always see, and shows the platform that sport provides for athletes from all levels and all walks of life to raise their voice, advocate for change and stand up for our communities.
“You Can’t Stop Us” topped a field of nominated commercials this year which also consisted of: Apple AirPods’ “Jump” directed by Sam Brown of Imperial Woodpecker for TBWAMedia Arts Lab; Apple Watch Series 6’s “It Already Does That” helmed by Craig Gillespie of MJZ; “Alexa’s Body” for Amazon Alexa, directed by Wayne McClammy of Hungry Man for Lucky Generals; “Better | Mamba Forever,” a Nike tribute to the late, great Kobe Bryant directed by Melina Matsoukas of PRETTYBIRD for Wieden+Kennedy; and Beats by Dr. Dre’s “You Love Me,” also directed by Matsoukas, for agency Translation, LLC.
The win for “You Can’t Stop Us” continues an Emmy tradition for Nike and Wieden+Kennedy. Nike’s “The Morning After”–directed by Spike Jonze of MJZ for Wieden+Kennedy–won the primetime spot Emmy in 2000. And Nike’s “Dream Crazy”–directed by Lance Acord, Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki and Christian Weber of Park Pictures for Wieden+Kennedy–earned the Emmy in 2019.
Japan Celebrates Record 18 Emmy Wins For “Shogun”
Japan erupted with joy Monday as the samurai series "Shogun" won a record 18 Emmys for its first season.
It took home prizes including Outstanding Drama Series, as star and co-producer Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for best lead actor in a dramatic series. Co-star Anna Sawai won best actress in a dramatic series, also a first for Japan.
"You did it. You did it. Congratulations," Takashi Yamazaki, director of " Godzilla Minus One," wrote on social media.
People followed the awards live as the wins made national headlines. Entertainment media Oricon proudly reported that a work whose spoken lines were mostly in the Japanese language "made Emmy history."
"The grand scale of Hollywood combined with the high quality of the production, including costuming, props and mannerisms; the collaboration between the Japanese professional team, headed by producer Sanada, and the local production team; as well as the acting that delivered a strong sense of reality, all came together," the report said.
Actor Kento Kaku, who starred in the 2024 series "Like a Dragon: Yakuza," said he was feeling inspired to pursue Hollywood dreams.
"After seeing how cool that was, who's not going to want to take up the challenge," he wrote on X.
Actress Tomoko Mariya said she broke into tears the moment Sanada's win was announced.
"What hardships you must have endured, choosing to leave your entire career behind in Japan and going to America alone. But it has borne fruit," she wrote, referring to Sanada's move to Los Angeles 20 years ago.
The accolades for "Shogun" reflect not only the growing diversity in American entertainment, but also the legacy of Japan's "jidaigeki" samurai films, which have... Read More