This comedy commercial for cable provider Spectrum features four evil pals–Death, a Werewolf, a Mummy and a Mad Scientist–enjoying poker night over a baseball game at Demon’s house. We observe the monsters’ easy camaraderie until Werewolf asks Demon to pause the game so he can go outside. Unfortunately something unthinkably evil ensues—Demon’s DirecTV NOW can’t pause TV, like Spectrum can—and someone will have to pay.
Directed by O Positive’s David Shane for agency Something Different, “Poker” is of the four spots to launch in the agency’s new campaign for Charter Communications’ Spectrum brand. The campaign centers on gripes that provoke customer loathing like deceptive pricing, service interruptions and a lack of channels and features.
Credits
Client Charter Communications/Spectrum Agency Something Different Tommy Henvey, chief creative; Patti McConnell, managing partner/executive producer; Richard Ryan, group creative director; Garrett Crabb, sr. producer; Christine Dodd, marketing director; Jamie Eisman, production coordinator. Production O Positive David Shane, director; Ralph Laucella, Marc Grill, exec producers; Ken Licata, producer; Marc Laliberte-Else, DP; Dan Ouellete, production designer. Editorial Crew Cuts Jake Jacobsen, partner/editor; Jake Trill, assistant editor; Sara Arnold, producer; Stephanie Norris, post EFX producer. Music JSM Music Joel Simon, chief creative officer; Jeff Fiorello, exec producer; Joel Simon, Seamus Kilmartin, composers.
Blinkink director Jack Brown created this stop motion film to tell a handmade story for Tekla’s holiday campaign.
Established in Copenhagen in 2017, Tekla was born from a desire to bring modernity and freedom of expression to the homeware category. As a brand, it rejects rapid trend cycles by designing for longevity, with an uncompromising focus on quality and responsible production. Brown’s use of stop-motion animation, using only Tekla fabrics, places both the brand’s story and its values front and center.
The film takes us on the journey of a teddy bear exploring the enchanted interiors of the Tekla Copenhagen store. The vibe feels dreamlike and the addition of stop motion adds a tenderness to the film. Inspired by the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, the campaign features iconic figures and nods to his fairytales; the towering mattresses of The Princess and the Pea, the magical umbrella of The Sandman, and the floating luggage of The Flying Trunk.
Brown said, “What an amazing little project this was, and for such a great brand. Tekla was such a cool client to work with. I suggested making the whole ad out of their fabrics and within 24 hours, there were boxes of beautiful fabrics being delivered for us to cut to pieces. Everything you see is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper and all hand cut, stitched and animated by a very small team of very talented people. Anita Bruvere was the lead builder and animator and did such an amazing job of turning all these tiny pieces of fabric into a magical world.”
