This mini-documentary Sharks Rescored chronicles a Deutsch LA-created initiative for Volkswagen tying into Discovery Channel’s famed Shark Week. The doc. will be airing all this week on Discovery.
Music scores from major motion pictures have perennially portrayed sharks as menacing man-eaters lurking in the ocean. Aimed to change the perceptions of sharks, VW in collaboration with Deutsch LA is giving these misunderstood creatures a new music score through an innovative interactive web experience on SharksReScored.com.
More than 100 million sharks are killed a year by humans–which begs the question, if music can vilify sharks, can music also have the power to save them?
Volkswagen, in partnership with Discovery, teamed up Academy Award-nominated composer J. Ralph (Chasing Ice) and marine biologist Luke Tipple to rescore sharks. The new score was performed at Abbey Road Studios in London by a 151 piece orchestra, featuring Grammy Award-winning violinist Josh Bell.
Credits
Client Volkswagen of America, VW/Discovery Channel Shark Week Partnership Agency Deutsch LA Pete Favat, chief creative officer, North America; Vic Palumbo, director of integrated production; Erik Press, executive integrated producer; Winston Binch, chief digital officer, North America; Heath Pochucha, group creative director; Jerome Austria, digital executive creative director; Zaid Al-Asady, creative director; Daniel Barak, digital creative director; Shiran Teitelbaum, lead copywriter; Alice Blastorah, lead art director; Erin Burell, sr. digital designer; Neph Trejo, Charlie Brandwick, Rocio Alvarado, sr. art directors; Newton Cox, copywriter; Marijke van Niekerk, sr. copywriter; Dave Rocco, music director; Eryk Rich, associate music producer; Pam Scheideler, executive director of digital; Martin Legowiecki, creative technology director; Nick Ngai, executive integrated producer; Jenny Court, digital producer. Production/Creative Jen Pennybacker, VP branded entertainment; Mary Claire Baquet, Matt Katzive, VP Discovery Creative; Marley Bunce, VP head of production; Christina Bavetta, director; Mike Baireuther, Gina Scarpulla, supervising producers; Joe Moccia, sr. art director; Jim O’Donnell, line producer; Aaron Moore, Bartley Powers, editors; Tara Belkin, exec producer; Dione Li, producer; Jesse Rugless, associate producer; Daniel Oleksiuk, production manager; Leigh Solomon, digital creative director; Kate Pfetsch, supervising producer/editor; Joy Montefusco, Jason Robey, exec producers; Dan Carter, producer; Diego Molina, sr. visual designer; Jennifer Kaye, interactive visual designer. Music Josh Ralph, composer.
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.
