Back in 1846, John Dewar and Sons set out to craft the world’s best Scotch whisky from their tiny copper-filled distillery in Perth, Scotland. Instead of following in other’s footsteps, the inventive lads endlessly explored and experimented before discovering a new, previously unheard-of blending process called “double-aging.” This innovative process not only gave their whisky a smoother finish than anything else on the market, it proved that seeing potential in places that others overlook can often lead to greatness.
Now, 174 years later, Dewar’s “inquisitive spirit” continues in a fresh way that focuses on diversity and a connection to global culture through this new campaign from BBDO New York. “Stay Curious “launches with two films inviting people to explore and look beyond the obvious with Dewar’s. One of those spots is “Scout” which introduces us to a soccer talent scout whose eyes go beyond the stellar performers on the U.S. football field. Rather he sees a particularly adept young man on the sidelines who exhibits skills during the course of seemingly mundane duty. Our scout sees the makings of a great goalie–and he proves to be correct.
Tim Godsall of Anonymous Content directed “Scout.”
Credits
Client Dewar’s Agency BBDO New York David Lubars, chief creative officer, worldwide; Marcos Kotlhar, Danilo Boer, executive creative directors; Philip Sicklinger, Alex Booker, executive creative directors; Taylor Marsh, creative director; Christopher Kim, Christopher Chan, art directors; Owen Weeks, copywriter; Sofia Handler, executive producer; Sarah Knowlton, producer; Jessica Nugent, VP, production services director. Production Anonymous Content Tim Godsall, director; Eric Stern, managing director; SueEllen Clair, exec producer; Kerry Haynie, head of production; Ben Roberts, producer; Ben Smithard, DP; Oscar Charpentier, stylist. Editorial Arcade Geoff Hounsell, editor; Laurel Metzler, assistant editor; Fanny Cruz, producer; Sila Soyer, exec producer. Music Soundtree “Catch,” composed by Joel Hartman, published by Soundtree Music Publishing Ltd, master controlled by Soundtree Music Ltd. Audio Post Sonic Union Steve Rosen, mix engineer; Patrick Sullivan, sr. producer; Justine Cortale, studio director. Post/VFX Blacksmith Charlotte Arnold, exec producer; Tina Chen, producer; Eric Schaechter, VFX supervisor; Iwan Zwarts, lead compositor; Tom Bussell, lead CG. Yebin Ahn, Hieu Phan, Molly Intersimone, Rosi Ruiz, Ben Kwok, Dan Bowers, compositors; Rick Wallia, Paul Wei, Krista Albert, David Martin, Ohad Braca, Kushal Das, CG. Color Blacksmith Mikey Pehanich, colorist.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
