“Happiness Factory,” the lauded Coca-Cola spot that was nominated for a primetime Emmy Award this year, generated not only smiles for the brand but also a realization for one of the agency artisans who brought it to life: Tom Dunlap, who at the time was director of integrated production at Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam.
“To be completely honest, that commercial was my wake-up call,” reflected Dunlap.
“It got me off my butt to truly evolve what I do as a producer….When we were in the midst of the project, developing characters and worlds, rushing to get it out, I don’t think we fully realized what we had done. But then it all fell into place, opening doors to so many opportunities, including a mini-documentary [shown at The New World of Coca-Cola venue in Atlanta, Ga.] and a mini-movie [available online after premiering in virtual world Second Life]…And the Emmy nomination itself was affirmation that we had created something of high entertainment value.”
Dunlap, who has just officially moved over to Deutsch LA as senior VP/director of integrated production, said the “Happiness Factory” experience enables him to bring much more to his new ad shop roost. “When we first saw how ‘Happiness Factory’ was received, we immediately launched into discussions within the agency as to how to extend the brand,” he recalled.
“We talked about a mobile phone game, about connecting with Hollywood on a movie of some sort, other ways to get the best out of these animated characters.
“And ultimately that exploration fell upon the production department’s shoulders, which was a natural place for it to go. Coke was great about it, offering full support and I just started picking up the phone and calling people.”
Those phone calls went to such experts as Jeff Gomez, president/CEO of New York-headquartered Starlight Runner Entertainment.
“He’s an amazing guy. Disney hires him to create worlds for them, like for Pirates of The Caribbean and extending that brand, those characters, across different platforms and making toys, posters, connections with fast food companies. Mattel did a movie with him with Matchbox cars.
“My getting the chance to be in a room with guys like Jeff underscored for me that there is so much more out there we can be doing as producers.
“Just look at what agencies are starting to accomplish with their production units–John Garland at JWTwo, Rupert [Samuel] and David [Rolfe] at Crispin. [Samuel has since left to partner in the newly formed Venice, Calif.-based agency Goodness Manufacturing.]”
Deutsch As for his plans at Deutsch LA, Dunlap said, “I love producing commercials and will keep doing them while at the same time moving into other areas that are becoming more and more crucial to success–like digital and interactive, which I see as two different things. Digital obviously encompasses websites, microsites and things that live online. Those elements are also part of the interactive world, but interactive spans much more–events, installations, tactile projects we can do for our brands that aren’t necessarily digital, that people can reach out, touch and play with. I saw a truck for Ikea driving around L.A. carrying a living-room set on display. Traditional producers are now in a place where they can attack these new opportunities.”
Prior to Wieden, Dunlap served under the TBWA umbrella, working in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Paris where he managed the operations of TBWA’s internal production company and generated campaigns for clients including Nissan Motors, Sony PlayStation, Taco Bell and Apple.
“I had a lot of great experiences at TBWA and Wieden, which inform what I can do now here at Deutsch. At Wieden in Amsterdam, I think especially of my exposure to the international production community–animation companies, post vendors. I hope to help the producers here at Deutsch bring new creative solutions and selections to the table. It’s all part of the nonstop goal of having the best and greatest people contributing to your projects.”
And in a world of different platforms for content, Dunlap is looking both to the traditional TV commercialmaking community and Hollywood’s entertainment industry. “Commercialmakers are very capable of being a partner in nontraditional content. They’re a huge resource. Places like Hungry Man, @radical.media, Transistor Studios are all doing things that can support me and our brands. I’m excited to be back in the states, in closer proximity to them and to Hollywood as I figure out who the people are in that community for me to seek out–and at the same time their seeing the opportunities available and reaching out to us….With opportunities emerging for new content, it feels so good to be a producer right now in this business.”
Childs’ play Sporting a similar brand of optimism over creative prospects is Nick Childs who recently came aboard Grey New York as executive VP/director of content development, a new position at the agency. An accomplished director, producer, writer and creative executive, Childs will oversee a new integrated content development department at Grey that encompasses broadcast, print, promotional and digital production, and placement of original brand content.
Prior to joining the team at Grey, Childs was president of his Cascade Media where he had turned out corporate and communications work for blue chip clients such as Deloitte, Pfizer, American Express, Microsoft and Merck across multiple platforms.
During his Cascade tenure, he additionally served as director, screenwriter and co-producer of the independent film The Shovel (starring David Strathairn) which won the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival Award for best narrative short, and as executive producer of both High Score, a feature length documentary on die-hard video gamer Bill Carlton (which went on to win awards at SXSW and the Brooklyn Underground Film Fest), and a series of Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence documentaries relating to the Brady Bill.
Also at Cascade, Childs was a creative consultant to Christopher Reeve on ABC-TV’s remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Earlier Childs was a consultant on the Reeve-directed In The Gloaming for HBO Films.
Childs joined Grey because he’s a believer in what the agency is putting together in terms of people and resources under the aegis of Grey New York president Steve Hardwick. Childs has collaborated with Hardwick on past endeavors–in fact Hardwick was a co-producer of The Shovel.
“Steve is looking to deliver on the promise of nontraditional content to connect brands with people, and the opportunity to make that happen excites me,” related Childs.
“I know his commitment which means we’re looking to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. We need to evolve into this new landscape and become part of it. And while there are nontraditional opportunities, we can’t lose sight of what has traditionally worked for clients–television, broadcast and print have worked and will continue to work.
“But the major difference is that instead of radiating out of broadcast–or the print having to be a matched set with television–a campaign has to radiate outward from a central idea that can then take different traditional and nontraditional forms: TV, print, digital, short films, feature-length content…Advertising doesn’t have to be the one-way dialogue from us to them that it has long been. Now it’s being driven by the audience and interacted with by the audience. In that sense, my goal hasn’t really changed from my entertainment content experience as a director, producer and writer. I’m looking to do what I have always sought to do–engage the audience, to put them in the seats of a theater, or in their seats at home watching and being engaged by our story.”
And with the capability to in some instances track results–who’s watching content online and for how long–Childs noted that you have the capability to judge the effectiveness of your communication and adjust accordingly, leading to better tailoring and customizing of content for an intended audience.
In terms of turning to commercialmakers and/or Hollywood as a resource, Childs said, “I’ve had my feet in both of those places. You need to be able to tell a story and for that you can tap into Hollywood or the New York independent film movement–and into the commercial community as well….They are both valuable resources, which I am looking to access. For instance, contributing greatly to the success of The Shovel was the editor, Barry Stilwell [of New York edit/post house JumP] who’s from commercials.”
Review: Director/Co-Writer Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ “My Dead Friend Zoe”
Even for a film titled "My Dead Friend Zoe," the opening scenes of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes' movie have a startling rhythm. First, two female American soldiers are riding in a Humvee in Afghanistan 2016 blasting Rihanna's "Umbrella." They are clearly friends, and more concerned with the music coming through loudly than enemy fire. Zoe (Natalie Morales) tells Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) tells that if they ever set foot in "some dopy group therapy," to please kill her. Cut to years later, they're sitting in a counseling meeting for veterans and Morales' character has a sour look at her face. She turns to her friend: "Did we survive the dumbest war of all time just to sit here all broken and kumbaya and ouchie-my-feelings?" But after this rush of cavalier soldiering and bitter sarcasm comes a sobering moment. Merit blinks her eyes and is instead staring at an empty chair. Zoe isn't there at all. "My Dead Friend Zoe," co-starring Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, confronts a dark reality of post-combat struggle with as much humor and playfulness as it does trauma and sorrow. It comes from a real place, and you can tell. Hausmann-Stoke is himself a veteran and "My Dead Friend Zoe" is dedicated to a pair of his platoon mates who killed themselves. The opening titles note the film was "inspired by a true story." Audience disinterest has characterized many, though not all, of the films about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the output has pretty much dried up over the years. "My Dead Friend Zoe" feels like it was made with an awareness of that trend and as a rebuke to it. This is an often breezy and funny movie for what, on paper, is a difficult and dark story. But the comic tone of "My Dead Friend Zoe" is, itself, a spirited rejection to not just the heaviness... Read More