Comedy director Matt Pittroff and his long-time producer Steve Blair celebrate the reboot of Pittroff’s full-service production company Working Stiff, along with the release of their latest Bear Paws campaign for Dare. The new comical spot through Toronto’s Grip Limited observes a threatened husband and father, who happens to be a walking, talking goldfish, as he suspiciously watches new furry neighbors move in across the street.
Titled “New Neighbors,” the spot introduces Dare Bear Paws Crackers, a bite-sized cheddar cracker made from natural ingredients. To Pittroff, it was imperative that the emotions of the characters came through clearly. Dad Fish’s paranoid realization that there is a New Bear In Town clearly posed a threat to the Goldfish family as both his wife and daughter fish are smitten by the strapping additions to their once quiet and boring street. Casting was one of the greatest challenges and unknowns of the job, as the entire cast was limited by the restrictions of their fabricated costumes. As such, the focus was on finding puppeteers and actors with movement training and costume experience, and guiding those actors’ improvisational efforts and mannerisms on set.
