An elderly man sits in an electric golf cart, which is parked in front of National Federal Bank. He looks about nervously, straps on an oxygen mask and takes some deep breaths. He then replaces the mask with a sheer stocking, which he pulls over his eyeglasses to keep his face hidden.
Hopefully our would-be bank robber’s vision isn’t too compromised by the stocking since he’s the getaway driver. The burglary alarm sounds, at which point the man’s accomplice, an elderly woman who is presumably his wife, dashes out the bank’s front door. She too has a stocking over her eyeglasses. She brandishes a bakery rolling pin as a weapon, and currency is falling out of her stuffed purse as she hops on the back of the golf cart.
The man puts the pedal to the metal and the cart takes off.
A supered message and voiceover ask, “What’s your plan for retirement?”
The narrator then briefly pitches a Melaleuca retirement plan that can provide residual income, a far more desirable option than robbing a bank.
Titled “Retirement,” this spot which is on the Melaleuca website, originally was a spec piece conceived and directed by Kyle Hanlon who maintains Hanlon Media, a Phoenix-based creative boutique and production services company. Hanlon helmed the spec spot to get his feet wet as a director and to showcase his commercialmaking and conceptual prowess.
Mike Holyoak, the copy director at Melaleuca, came across the spec commercial, was favorably impressed and asked to license it for a 12-week Internet run. Hanlon then did a re-edit with Dave Staples of Postal/The Edit Suites in Phoenix who cut the original spec piece into both English and Spanish-language versions, adding the appropriate end tag and graphics for Melaleuca. Staples also served as colorist.
Fortuitous casting Hanlon felt fortunate to cast Art and Ginnie Love as the protagonists in “Retirement.” The real-life couple has been married for more than 45 years. Hanlon described the twosome as real troopers.
The director noted that the shoot was done in triple digit temperature in Phoenix with nary a complaint from Art and Ginny Love who at age 78 and 80, respectively, “rank at the top as energetic fun actors to work with. They are great,” affirmed Hanlon. “I can only hope my wife and I are so in love and young at heart at that age.”
Hanlon’s support team included producer Marilyn Anderson, DP Howie Meyer who shot on the RED digital camera, assistant cameraman Ben Sharffbillig, art director Tom Cukier and make-up and wardrobe artist Jackie Niemi.
Writing roots Hanlon used to be a children’s television writer in New York, working on series such as Between The Lions for PBS, Oobi for Nick Jr., and Out of the Box for the Disney Channel. Family circumstances prompted his move to Phoenix about six years ago where he diversified into commercials as a freelance producer and production manager. He continues to serve in those capacities on select jobs, recently producing the English and Spanish-language campaigns for the Arizona Lottery with local production house True Story Films for ad agency E.B. Lane, Phoenix.
Meanwhile his Hanlon Media, which was formed in 2009, recently wrapped several Pearl Drops toothpaste spots for U.K. ad agency Media Therapy, marking the third time the two shops have worked together on an economically advantageous Arizona shoot given the strength of the euro stateside. Hanlon added that Media Therapy is also drawn to Arizona’s locations and crew quality.
Furthermore at press time, Hanlon was prepping a three-spot campaign for Cable One internet and phone service produced by Howie Meyer Productions for E.B. Lane.
Towards the end of this month, Hanlon is scheduled to produce and co-direct four comedy spots he wrote for Panda Home Solutions out of Randy Murray Productions. The campaign is a fun take on selling windows and doors, as well as on kitchen remodeling.
“My plan is to focus on comedy as a director,” related Hanlon who down the road aspires to land on the roster of a commercial production house. For the time being, though, he’s content to maintain his hybrid agency/production house and build his spotmaking and directorial experience.
