“Check Writer” introduces us to a key staffer for Ebates, the company which pays consumers money for shopping online. Our spokesman is a speed demon check writer as conceived by a creative team at marketing agency EVB.
Jared Hess, whose feature filmmaking credits include Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre (as well as the upcoming heist comedy Masterminds), directed “Check Writer” via Community Films, kicking off a gig which will see him helm each Ebates spot for a yearlong campaign spanning the U.S. and Canada.
Credits
Client Ebates Inc. Agency EVB Steve Babcock, executive creative director; Rich Ford, group creative director; Troy Burrows, creative director; Stuart Confer, Allison Bhatta, sr. art directors; Will Benham, sr. copywriter; Mark Pantsari, copywriter; Scott Potter, director of production; John Riddle, sr. producer. Production Community Films Jared Hess, director; Damien Acevedo, DP; Zach Mathews, production designer; Lizzie Schwartz, Carl Swan, exec producers; Drew Mardis, head of production; Lisa Shaw, producer. Editorial Spot Welders Kevin Zimmerman, JC Nunez, editors; Cutler Gray, assistant editor; Carolina Sanborn, exec producer; Evan Cunningham, producer. Postproduction Shipping+Handling Casey Price, creative director/lead Flame; Lauren Riedel Nishikawa, Flame artist; Lisa English, sr. postproduction producer. Telecine Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Rhubie Jovanov, exec producer. Animation Tom Yaniv Design Tom Yaniv, designer/animator. Music Beacon Street Studios Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, composers; Leslie DiLullo, exec producer; Amy Peel, music producer. Audio/Sound Design Mike Franklin, sound designer/mixer; Aaron Cornacchio, mix/sound design assistant; Kate Vadnais, mix/sound design producer.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
