This short film, Above the Waves for Kaiser Permanente, follows Golden State Warriors’ NBA All-Star Klay Thompson on his mental and physical road to recovery from a torn ACL that occurred during the 2019 championship series. Directed by Tool of North America’s Floyd Russ and edited by Cut + Run’s Stacy Peterson for ad agency Translation, the six-minute film is a personal recounting of what it takes to become a champion and the dedication and will it takes to heal. 

“Above the Waves has been a labor of love,” said Peterson. “I’ve worked with director Floyd Russ many times, and he always brings a distinct point of view, and an element of surprise to his projects. There is always an idea that catches me off guard in the best possible way. The team from Translation was also a dream to work with and their enthusiasm for the film was contagious. Plus we are all are huge sports fans, which made the edit process one of the most fun experiences I’ve had to date.”

Credits

Client Kaiser Permanente Agency Translation LLC Steve Stoute, CEO & founder; Ann Wool, president; Alex Kaplan, Barry Katz, group creative directors; Dylan Simel, sr. art director; Nickolaus Sugai, sr. copywriter; Matthew Flaherty, executive content producer; Dustin Grant, content producer. Sandy Preston, chief strategy officer; Drew Simel, strategy director; Megan Mundo, strategist. Production Tool of North America Floyd Russ, director; Laura Macauley, exec producer; Andy Coverdale, producer; Jacob Moller, DP; Dean Backer, production designer. Editorial Cut + Run Stacy Peterson, editor; Chris Wronka, assistant editor; Lauren Hertzberg, managing director; Marcia Wigley, head of production; Ellese Shell, exec producer. VFX MPC Alvin Cruz, creative director/VFX supervisor; Tobey Lindback, VFX supervisor, 2D lead; Camila De Biaggi, sr. exec producer; Elissa Norman, sr. producer; Mazyar Sharifian, Renato Carone, Anthony Ricciardi, 2D artists. Finishing Jogger Studios Joey Grosso, Flame artist; Rachel Driver, Flame assistant; Mike Tockman, post producer. Color The Mill NY Mikey Rossiter, colorist. Music, Sound Design & Mix Barking Owl Dan Flosdorf, mixer; Ashley Bento, sr. producer.

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