This year’s race for the fourth annual primetime commercial Emmy Award was not without excitement. When the nominees were announced, one spot, Monster.com’s "When I Grow Up," directed by Bryan Buckley of bicoastal/international hungry man, out of Mullen, Wenham, Mass., was almost immediately disqualified because it had premiered prior to the eligibility date for Emmy consideration.
The ad was quickly replaced with Ameritrade’s "Let’s Light This Candle," directed by Dewey Nicks of bicoastal Epoch Films via OgilvyOne, New York. That ad joined fellow nominees "Whassup/ True" for Budweiser, out of DDB Chicago; Nike’s "The Morning After" via Wieden+ Kennedy (W+K), Portland, Ore.; Electronic Data Systems’ "Cat Herder," through Fallon, Minneapolis; and Federal Express’ "Action Figures," out of BBDO New York. The slate on Emmy night was a little different, though, when "Let’s Light This Candle" was conspicuous by its absence. That spot, too, was disqualified because its premiere date was prior to the eligibility requirement; "Let’s Light This Candle" was replaced by Nike Golf’s "Driving Range" for W+K.
All of this made for a rather interesting Emmy race, but equally interesting are the artisans behind the commercials that were up for the prestigious award. This week’s Special Report pays homage to the audio mixers on these spots. Below is what they say about the nominations, as well as about their recent work.
