Creative and production studio Stept has partnered with The North Face for this “Have You Ever” campaign. Created to celebrate the moments in life that adventure was made for, “Have You Ever” aims to inspire explorers everywhere to go out and discover these moments for themselves.
Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest serving National Park Ranger in the United States, and a woman who knows a little bit about adventure, narrates the brand anthem to help launch the campaign. Her words act as an ode not only to exploration but to the courage and boldness of those who are willing to embrace uncertainty, challenge themselves and move beyond their comfort zone in search of something more. Whether it’s seeing sunrise above a mountain, climbing so hard your arms scream at you to stop, or even stepping away from the concrete and onto the trail for the very first time, these moments matter.
The film is directed by Stept’s Mike Parenteau, who was a natural fit for the project as he has spent a lifetime exploring the mountains. The campaign was shot over six days on the desert in Moab, Utah, and throughout California, with a small crew and cast including some of The North Face’s most elite athletes, alongside several everyday adventure enthusiasts.
“When The North Face reached out to us about this campaign, our whole team was excited to get back in the outdoors,” said Stept co-founder and director Nick Martini. “A decade ago, The North Face was one of Stept’s first clients, and they are a prominent part of our company story. We are so happy to continue the journey together.”
The campaign is another example of Stept’s distinctive ability to find and create authentic stories for brands. While developing the script, they knew that whoever did the voiceover needed to be somebody with a really unique connection to the outdoors, who spoke with wisdom and had lived this sentiment. When Stept creative director Mary Grace Moseley was searching for women with this background, she recalled hearing Betty Reid Soskin on the Moth podcast, where she recounted her personal story of living alone at the age of 95. She was absolutely hilarious. After watching many interviews and learning that she had become an NPS Park Ranger in her 80’s, it was obvious that Betty was the perfect person to bestow this powerful message.
CreditsCreative & Production Stept Studios Adam Rachlitz, head of creative; Mary Grace Moseley, creative director; Adam Zax, copywriter; Michael Parenteau, director; Tyler Weinberger, DP; Mac Hedges, head of production; Paul Muhlback, exec producer; Carlyle Burke, producer; Kyle Daly, 1st AC; Randy Smith 2nd AC; Alexis Asquith, production design; Chase Loter, sound op.; Emma Stehli, production coordinator. Casting Orange Street Casting Becky Wu, casting. Postproduction Lockt Editorial Cam Boll, editor; Connor Scofield, head of postproduction; Rebecca Jameson, post exec producer; Amy Castellano, post producer; Dan Mcdonald, online editor; Ruel Smith, head of VFX; Sam Selman, VFX; Eric Crepeau, sound & music design. Color Company 3 Kath Raisch, colorist. Talent Emi Matsushima, Matthew Segal, Mo Beck, Colin Stoye, Randall Smith, Betty Reid Soskin
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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