In the alphabet soup of agency monikers (BBDO, DDB, TBWA et al), one that’s seemingly hidden in the creative broth is DGWB. But SHOOT was prompted to dive in and look into the Santa Ana, Calif.-based ad shop on the basis of two recent humorous ScreenWork entries: Frys.com’s “Pod” directed by Simon West of Zoo Film, Hollywood, which earned Top Spot of the Week distinction (11/10) and The Orange County Post’s “Romeo and Juliet” helmed by Michael Chaves of Backyard, Venice, Calif., which was included in “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery (9/1).
In “Pod,” a gamer is seated on the couch, transfixed on a video game. He tells his roommate, who’s just come home from work, that a package came for him. The roomie doesn’t look too pleased that the box–a delivery order from Frys.com (the online site of retailer Fry’s Electronics)–has been opened, but a smile comes to his face when he looks at the contents. He then exits out of sight into the adjoining room. Suddenly all the power goes out and a bright light flashes. An instant later the power returns and the gamer gets off the couch to see what the heck happened. He’s stunned to find no sign of his roommate–just a spinning swivel chair in the center of a technological labyrinth. “Steve,” he says sheepishly, sensing that his roommate is somewhere no longer of this world. Turns out the component from Frys.com was the missing piece to a time travel machine.
“Pod” is part of a three-spot campaign that taps into the “geek” culture. “The twist is that usually the comedy in these kind of ads is done at the expense of the geeks,” observed Jon Gothold, DGWB partner/executive creative director. “Our goal was to go the opposite direction and show how smart these tech heads are. The campaign was creatively grounded in our research which found that there’s sort of a Fry’s cult. Among the geek elite, a trip to the Western states isn’t complete without a stop-off at a Fry’s store. We wanted to appeal to these people so that they know that they can now nationally access Fry’s through Frys.com.”
The marketplace response has been decidedly positive. Right after the commercials debuted during the telecast of a Fry’s-sponsored PGA golf tournament last month, they were posted by tech heads on YouTube. Next “geek” blog sites emerged and the viral dynamic was on for the Fry’s content.
The work represented the first major high-profile national ad campaign for Fry’s. “We had about 30 days to create and produce the spots,” related Gothold. “Fortunately Simon West believed in the work and we collaborated well together.” Gothold added that the silver lining to such a tight turnaround was that “we didn’t have enough time to second guess ourselves. You go with your instincts as to what is right.”
For DGWB–a nearly 19-year-old shop headed by Gothold, agency president Mike Weisman and general manager Mandi Dossin–what’s right is independence. The agency cofounders got to know one another at Reiser Williams deYoung, an agency that was acquired by Ayer back in the 1980s. “That experience made us realize we didn’t want to be owned by a multinational company,” recalled Gothold, who much prefers DGWB’s entrepreneurial spirit, which enables the agency to be more creatively nimble and responsive to its clients.
House Calls Via TV and Streamers: A Rundown of The Season’s Doctor Dramas
No matter your ailment, there are plenty of TV doctors waiting to treat you right now on a selection of channels and streamers.
Whether it's Noah Wyle putting on his stethoscope for the first time since "ER," Morris Chestnut graduating to head doctor, Molly Parker making her debut in scrubs or Joshua Jackson trading death for life on a luxury cruise, new American hospital dramas have something for everyone.
There's also an outsider trying to make a difference in "Berlin ER," as Haley Louise Jones plays the new boss of a struggling German hospital's emergency department. The show's doors slide open to patients Wednesday on Apple TV+.
These shows all contain the DNA of classic hospital dramas — and this guide will help you get the TV treatment you need.
"Berlin ER"
Dr. Suzanna "Zanna" Parker has been sent to run the Krank, which is only just being held together by hardened — and authority-resistant — medical staff and supplies from a sex shop. The result is an unflinching drama set in an underfunded, underappreciated and understaffed emergency department, where the staff is as traumatized as the patients, but hide it much better.
From former real-life ER doc Samuel Jefferson and also starring Slavko Popadić, Şafak Şengül, Aram Tafreshian and Samirah Breuer, the German-language show is not for the faint of heart.
Jones says she eventually got used to the blood and gore on the set.
"It's gruesome in the beginning, highly unnerving. And then at some point, it's just the most normal thing in the world," she explains. "That's flesh. That's the rest of someone's leg, you know, let's just move on and have coffee or whatever."
As it's set in the German clubbing capital, the whole city... Read More