Hennessy’s next chapter in the “What’s Your Wild Rabbit” campaign focuses on the power of the mind–an undeniable narrative that has been overlooked and discounted within multicultural communities for far too long. Whereas cultural narratives tend to focus on Black success in the context of athleticism and entertainment, this newest series of films shifts that narrative, and tell a “Never Stop. Never Settle” story of mental and intellectual greatness as reflected in chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, Jamaican born and raised in Brooklyn.
Directed by Daniel Wolfe of production company Somesuch for Droga 5 NY, the films depict Ashley’s mental development and immersion in the infinite possibilities of the game, including many key learnings and opponent styles that shaped his view of and approach to the game. The cerebral aspect of chess is highlighted, which pushed him deeper into competition with his own self to push the limits of his mind’s potential.
The films, set in the early 1990s, are meticulously detailed in their depiction of the period, with historic recreations of a Brooklyn bodega and the clothes worn by The Black Bear School based on archival photography and conversations with surviving members of the group. Black Bear is a chess club which has helped some of the most stellar Black chess Masters of all time. Parts of the films were shot on cameras and film stocks dating from the time, and the street art that appears in many of the shots are all originals, created by Brooklyn graffiti artist David CHINO Villorente, a legend of the ‘90s.
Additionally, the sound effects, music and typestyles seen throughout the films draw heavily on the influences that shaped Ashley’s mental development. References to martial arts, both visual and aural, reflect his use of these disciplines to master the craft of chess (he has a black belt in Aikido), as well as his love of martial arts films and the video games of the period.
The "mixtape" approach to the soundtrack touches not only on the hip hop of the era, but also the jazz and soul records the older members of the Black Bear School used to play during matches, before crescendoing in an extract from Mozart’s Requiem, a key element of the soundtrack to Amadeus, the study of the development of the mind of another genius, and Maurice’s favorite movie.
Created in collaboration with creative agency Droga5, Hennessy’s new campaign will be broken into three distinct storytelling strains. The first features long-form ads that dramatize the story of Maurice Ashley and his development as a champion and man through the camaraderie and harsh lessons of The Black Bear School. The second features a series of short-form ads that bring to life the “Lessons of a Grandmaster.” These stand-alone shorts illustrate the mind-expanding lessons Maurice learned through playing chess and draw a parallel to strategies everyone can employ in everyday life. The third is an in-depth documentary look at the history of Maurice and The Black Bear School. The film is a seminal piece of largely forgotten New York City Black history that will finally be given the attention it deserves.
Here’s the two-minute ad, "Maurice Ashley & The Black Bear School," that delves into the mind of a Grandmaster.
CreditsClient Moet Hennessy North America Agency Droga5 NY David Droga, creative chairman; Tim Gordon, Felix Richter, co-chief creative officer; Alexander Nowak, global head of art; Thom Glover, creative director; Ted Meyer, sr. copywriter; Kamal Collins, art director; Emily Berger, copywriter; Jason Gold, sr. art director; Ruben Mercadal, associate director of film production; Connor Hagan, associate producer, film; Mike Ladman, music supervisor; Jonny Bauer, global chief strategy officer. Production Somesuch, London and Venice, Calif. Daniel Wolfe, director; Diego Garcia, DP; Nicky Barnes, exec producer; Adriana Cebada Mora, producer. Production Services The Lift Jose Barrera, partner/producer; Fuad Abed Dalton, line producer; Helena Media, production manager. Editorial Cut+Run/The Quarry Paul Watts, editor; Beau Dickson, assistant editor; Ellese Shell, Tor Adams, exec producers; Lauren Hertzberg, managing director. Color Framestore Simon Bourne, colorist; Chris Anthony, sr. producer. 35mm Film Print Dejonghe NV VFX The Mill New York Andrew Sommerville, director of production; Heino Henning, production supervisor; Mandy Harris, sr. producer; Nathan Niamehr, associate producer; Roshni Kakad, Shivangi Mehta, production support; Dan Williams, VFX shoot supervisor, creative director; Ruben Vandebroek, shoot supervisor; Gavin Wellsman, creative director; Keith Sullivan, 2D lead artist; Yong Chan Kim, 3D lead artist; Fionna Lanning, art director; Michael Almodovar, Anton Anderson, Lucia Hill Barroso, James Cudahy, Ting Jung-Hsu, Nasser Mandavi, Dhruv Shankar, Prajeesh Chaliyam, Clive Donal Narcies, Naga Praveen Kumar Y, Neeraj Rajput, Nishith Thallasseri, Rahul Bhardwaj, Subodh Kumar, 2D artists; Pablo Estrella You, Song Eun Hwang, Aldo Martinez Calzadilla, Ciaran Moloney, Alek Vacura, Yimo Xu, Murali Krishna Reddy, Showber Shadik, Verru Ramesh, Bharat Ediga, Manoj Ravi, Netaji Paila, 3D artists; Dom Han, designer; Michael Davin, animation. (Toolbox: Maya, Houdini, Nuke, Flame, After Effects) Music & Sound Design Q Department, New York Audio Post Wave Studios, New York Aaron Reynolds, mixer; Vicky Ferraro, exec producer; Eleni Giannopoulos, producer. Voiceover Nas, artist/main VO; David Callahan, secondary VO. Chess Consultant Maurice Ashley
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More