Gatorade’s inspirational new film, “Every Day Is Your Day,” features sports icon Mia Hamm and rising U.S. star Mallory Pugh and taps into the iconic Dr. Seuss poem, “Oh the places you’ll go,” to demonstrate the powerful impact that sports can have on young athletes’ lives.
The film is part of the brand’s Sisters in Sweat initiative, which addresses an alarming stat: by age 17, girls drop out of sports at 1.5x the rate of their male peers, and as a result, disproportionately miss out on the skills and long-term benefits associated with playing sports.
“Every Day Is Your Day” is meant to inspire young athletes about the power, skills and confidence instilled by playing sports.
Rachel McDonald of Biscuit Filmworks directed the piece.
CreditsClient Gatorade Agency TBWAChiatDay Renato Fernandez, chief creative officer; Mark Peters, Doug Menezes, creative directors; Elizabeth Daniel, copywriter; Blair Seward, art director; Jamie Wynn, jr. copywriter; Gaia Elise, jr. art director; Brian O’Rourke, executive director of production; Guia Iacomin, director of content production; Kaitlin Moore, sr. producer; Sophie Boris, assistant producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Rachel McDonald, director; Shawn Lacy, partner/managing director; Holly Vega, exec producer; Andrew Denyer, line producer; Mercedes Allen, head of production; Jess Hall, DP. Editorial Cabin Edit Scott Butzer, editor; Jay McConville assistant editor; Carr Schilling, managing partner; Remy Foxx, exec producer; Michelle Dorsch, producer. VFX Shape + Light Rob Trent, creative director; Jordan Sharon, sr. producer; Paul Heagney, Jan Cilliers, Chris DiCristo, Wes Waldron, Dave Stern, 2D artists; Austin Lewis, Flame assist; Gavin Kelly, 3D lead; Eugene Guaran, 3D concept artist; DeAndre Moore, 3D generalist; Arron Inglis, 3D coordinator; Sam Boyd, Mario Domingos, Sean Hunt, Cormac Kelly, Kev Ryan, additional 3D artists; Marc Samson, concept artist & lead matte painter; Rocco Gioffre, matte painter. Color Harbor Pictures Elodie Echter, colorist; Matt Olmon, sr. producer. Sound Design LSD Michael Anastasi, Kai Paquin, sound designers; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Audio Post Lime Studios Matt Miller, mixer; Lisa Mermelstein, assistant mixer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Music Pedro Bromfman, Juan Carlos Enriquez, composers.
Filmmaker Natalie Johns Creates Spec Gun Violence Prevention PSA
Her social media feed is filled with frustration and “prayers” for families torn apart by yet another mass shooting as filmmaker Natalie Johns is engaged in the morning ritual of negotiating school attendance with her 4½-year-old. Between laughing and arguing with their daughter, the Johns think deeply about the prospect of waking up without her--deeply enough to feel an inch of what it might be like to lose her--a feeling profound enough inspire her most personal commitment to date as a filmmaker.
“Gun violence should not be a normalized part of life in America,” she noted. “I felt it was worth putting my whole heart on the line to deliver this message.”
The director invited her long-time collaborator and cinematographer, Bill Kirstein (Mean Girls, Happyend), to capture their family’s experience over several mornings in a spec PSA. She wanted to capture her own joy and truth as a parent with a view to inspiring action from the deepest love she has known.
On the third day of filming, Johns received an email from their daughter’s preschool notifying parents of a lockdown that had occurred due to a gunman outside the school. The children, aged 2-5, were gathered in a small bathroom for an hour, singing songs with their teachers while the man was apprehended by law enforcement. This was the family’s first narrow escape from tragedy.
“The coincidence of filming this PSA and experiencing my family’s first lockdown was both shocking and surreal. I simply could not wrap my head around it,” said director Johns.
Even more terrifying for Johns was discussing the incident with other parents who had already experienced several lockdowns with their older children. This reality is all too common and far too... Read More