A large-scale TV and web campaign for Toys "R" Us created by agency The Escape Pod, and produced byWondros with director Ray Dillman, turns an everyday field trip to the forest into the best trip ever for busloads of underprivileged kids. What started as a promise to "Meet the Trees" became a dream come true for over 200 unsuspecting kids when they were instead driven to a Toys "R" Us store in Middletown, NY. Having the store all to themselves, they played to their hearts content and then got to shop for a gift, any toy in the store, to make their holiday wishes come true. Pulling off this covert stunt was an elaborate undertaking. The scheme was put into action through some good-natured trickery on behalf of everyone involved – including the parents.
Toys "R" Us relates the holiday campaign to making wishes come true, especially for those who are less fortunate. Dillman captures the emotion from the kids, to launch a diversified campaign that spans multiple platforms, integrating broadcast, print and digital media. The expansive campaign includes a 90-second online commercial, a number of 60 and 30-second TV commercials, and several 15-second spots that capture the genuine surprise of these children.
#WishinAccomplished punctuates each of these spots to push the social media effort.
"Not knowing whether the kids would go crazy, be confused or apathetic was the big mystery." Dillman also made the point, "From the very beginning, I wanted to make sure that we were intimate with the camera, down on the children's level, not from the point of view where you are looking at the tops of their heads with a shouldered camera."
On the bus, there were hidden GoPros at every single seat, a Red Epic recording in 4K and a pair of hidden surveillance cameras. In the store, once the secret was revealed, the kids were followed by five full-camera units including a Steadicam, each with a boom operator for sound. A pair of robotic cameras with remote operators and planted GoPros were also implemented.
Organizing and monitoring so much information, coming from so many places, in real time, was quite a challenge. Dillman remarks that it was a "Herculean task" for his long time video assist technician, R. Scott Lawrence, feeding all the information to him, the agency and clients. His crew and team members also included an on-set editor, who was instrumental in overcoming issues such as keeping the shots organized and knowing what they had at the end of each day of shooting.
Stefan Czapsky was brought on board as DP. He was not only an expert on fielding the production, but also lent his expertise on the overall look and feel of the spot. Czapsky is known for his work on films such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and Ed Wood. Dillman said, "Stefan was my field general. He was the perfect man for the job; a wonderful, talented collaborator and a genuinely sweet guy."
Finally, Dillman added, "The very best part of the whole production was seeing the joy on the kid's faces when they posed with the toys they had chosen."
Beth Melsky handled casting key talent on the Toys "R" Us side of the story and Strickman-Ripps Casting + Research was enlisted with the arduous casting of children of all ethnicities between the ages of 6 and 13. It was a three-week massive and complex effort to keep the project top secret while pulling together work permits and accounts to insure that not only each individual child take home a toy, but also got paid. The company reached out to organizations supporting underprivileged children such as the Boys & Girls Club of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Neighborhood Housing Services. There's been an overwhelming response from the kids, the parents, and members of the organizations, expressing their gratitude for an incredible and fulfilling day that most kids can only dream of.
As An Exec Producer and Actor, Sterling K. Brown Finds “Paradise”
As an executive producer and star of the new Hulu series "Paradise," Sterling K. Brown put the hours of TV he watches to good use and cast actors he admires.
"I got a chance to hire people that I am a fan of," said Brown in a recent interview. "I remember meeting Julianne Nicholson at the Emmys the year that she won for 'Mare of Easttown.' I was so geeked out that I got a chance to be in the same room with her ... Now I get to be on a show with her."
Brown is known for his role as Randall in the series "This Is Us," which ended in 2022. He was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role in "American Fiction." In "Paradise," Brown is a Secret Service agent to James Marsden's president of the United States. A shocking murder is revealed shortly into the first episode which unspools a deeper mystery beyond just whodunit.
"When James became available, I was like, 'please.' I had just finished watching 'Jury Duty' and this dude is so funny." "Paradise," said Brown, is an opportunity for Marsden "to show something that a lot of people haven't had a chance to see him do."
Marsden says Brown is one of Hollywood's good guys.
"He's one of the most graceful, generous, good human beings that I've been fortunate to meet in this business. He's so humble and cares so much about not only his work, but the people around him. He wants everybody to be great. When I think of people I need to be more like, it's this man."
"Paradise" has themes of climate change, privilege and the pecking order of who in society gets saved during an emergency. There's a relevance to the series which Brown says is coincidental because Dan Fogelman — creator and writer of "This is Us" — conceived "Paradise" 10 years ago. It makes sense to him though why it... Read More