Earlier this week, election day (6/8) in California yielded a woefully low turnout–a far cry from November 2008 when the presidential election and a controversial ballot initiative had voters flocking to their polling places in the Golden State. The ballot initiative was California’s Proposition 8, which defined marriage as solely being between opposite-sex couples. Proposition 8 narrowly won, overturning a California Supreme Court ruling that same sex couples had the constitutional right to marry. Appeals were filed in state and federal court–the state appeal, heard by the California Supreme Court, upheld Proposition 8 but allowed existing same-sex marriages to stand. The federal lawsuits are pending.
But rather than wait for the next judicial shoe to drop, creatives from Saatchi & Saatchi New York, and the directing duo Speck/Gordon (Will Speck and Josh Gordon) of production house Furlined have teamed on Devin & Glenn, a short film which argues tongue-in-cheek that the boredom, complacency, petty bickering, and falling out of romance that plagues marriage shouldn’t be confined to heterosexual couples.
The short introduces us to the title characters, two gay men who fall in love. We see their initial meeting and attraction which escalates into passionate romance and eventually marriage. However, keeping the flames of love hot is a daunting proposition as Devin and Glenn–portrayed by Justin Long and Mike White, respectively–get a bit bored with one another, exhibiting the classic symptoms of a couple that gets too comfortable and complacent. Add in some meddling in-laws and married life clearly isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Among the slices of life shown are Devin getting in the mood for romance only to find Glenn dead asleep in bed with the TV on. We see Glenn ask Devin out to the gym, an invite which is taken as an insult with Devin interpreting it as implying that he’s gained weight and thus needs to work out. We even get to the point where Devin is secretly looking at Internet porn to satisfy himself since his love life leaves much to be desired–only to have Devin discover him in the act.
Finally our “old married couple” is seen loading groceries into their car when a pickup truck drives by in which two guys are full mouth kissing, obviously hot and heavy for one another. They’re exactly where our married folks once were in their relationship.
A voiceover then hits us with the pitch: “If you disagree with the homosexual lifestyle, support overturning Prop. 8 and make them get married–like the rest of us.” A super guides us to MakeHomosexualsMarry.org.
The lead creatives on the job have since exited Saatchi–chief creative officer/copywriter Gerry Graf who is reportedly launching his own venture, and creative director/writer Chris Beresford-Hill who has moved onto BBDO. Speck/Gordon were directors and writers on the job, with Tami Reiker serving as the DP.
Editor was Haines Hall of Spot Welders.
Music composers were Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau of Beacon Street Studios.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More