This Nike spot is a bon voyage to Kobe Bryant who plays his last NBA game tonight. Over a 20-year career, Bryant has been a champion and an antagonist, an idol and an antihero. He thrived in the midst of negativity, inviting fans and opponents to bring their worst and giving them exactly what they wanted in return—the Black Mamba.
This film directed by Mark Romanek of Anonymous Content for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., shows Kobe conducting players and fans through a rendition of Otis Redding’s song, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” but with slightly different lyrics. Fans and opponents croon the words “I’ve been hating you too long to stop now” directly to Kobe. It’s a send-off that could only work for Kobe Bryant.
Music/sound house was Beacon Street Studios which also handled the audio post.
Titled “The Conductor,” the spot will air tonight (4/13) on ESPN during Bryant’s final game as the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Utah Jazz.
Credits
Client Nike Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’ Rourke, creative directors; Josh Bogdan, Nathaniel Friedman, copywriters; Jacob Weinstein, art director; Matt Hunnicutt, Molly Tait Tanen, Mauricio Granado, producers. Production Anonymous Content Mark Romanek, director; Eric Stern, managing director; SueEllen Clair, exec producer; James Graves, line producer; Greig Fraser, DP. Editorial Exile Eric Zumbrunnen, editor; Brittany Carson, post producer; CL Weaver, post exec producer. VFX MPC LA Michael Gregory, VFX supervisor; Brian Williams, lead compositor; Lexi Stearn, exec producer; Brian Friel, VFX producer; Mark Gethin, colorist. Music Beacon Street Studios, Venice, Calif. Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, composers; Rommel Molina, sound designer. Leslie DiLullo, producer. Song: “I’ve Been Hating You Too Long To Stop Now” Audio Post Beacon Street Studios Rommel Molina, mixer.
The Ad Council, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and AdoptUSKids, launched a public service campaign, created pro bono by Edelman, which aims to inspire prospective parents to consider adopting a teen from foster care.
This centerpiece PSA titled “The Rewards”--directed by The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) via Greenpoint Pictures--spotlights real adoptive families who have personally experienced the mutual benefits of adoption. This longer form PSA (and cutdown versions) begins with a touching display of openness and vulnerability as adoptive parents reflect on their adoption journeys and their initial questions and hesitations about adopting a teen. Then, in a deeply emotional turn, the adoptive parents witness their children recounting the profound rewards of adoption in their lives. The teens speak of the love they share with their parents and how the decision to become a family is reciprocal. The campaign directs viewers to the AdoptUSKids website to learn more about adopting a teen from foster care.
