In this spot for Verizon FIOS directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of Smuggler for McCann NY, Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things) is camping with friends in a backyard on Halloween night–with all the conveniences of the Internet as they are streaming shows. A neighbor approaches and asks them about their streaming devices. Matarazzo explains the benefits of running all of their tech on FIOS.
This prompts the neighbor to spin a scary, hearkening back to the pre-fiber optics dark age when bandwidth was limited, crawling at zombie speed. Videos and gaming would just stop–dead. This unconventional ghost story scares Matarazzo and his buddies who have only known Internet as its 100 percent fiber optic best via FIOS.
Credits
Client Verizon FIOS Agency McCann NY Thomas Murphy, Sean Bryan, co-chief creative officers; Dan Donovan, Mat Bisher, EVPs/executive creative directors; Sherrod Melvin, SVP, group creative director; Jason Marsen, Alexei Beltrone, creative directors; Nic Wehmeyer, Josh Kessler, associate creative directors; Mark Forsman, art director; Vinny Garbellano, copywriter; Eva Pipa, Lauren Bauder, integrated producers; Michele Ferone, SVP, director Verizon broadcast production; Nathy Aviram, head of production; Dan Cohn, group strategy director; Anthony Perez, strategy director. Production Smuggler Henry-Alex Rubin, director; Drew Santarsiero, exec producer; Leah Allina, producer. Editorial NO6 Jason MacDonald, Ryan Bukowski, editors; Malia Rose, producer; Laura Molinaro, sr. producer; Corina Dennison, exec producer. Audio Post Sonic Union Paul Weiss, mixer. Music JSM Music Joel Simon, chief creative officer/composer; Brian Englishman, Nathan Kil, composers; Jeff Fiorello, exec producer; Norm Felker, producer. Talent DDCD & Partners Susan Cole, Hannah Kwon, Haley Barber, Elba Espinal
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The filmโs protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a childโs life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace โ Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the โBullying-Free Schoolsโ program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
โResearch indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
