Professional athletes switch teams and cities at a moment’s notice while fans, traditional media, and social media churn to keep track of every move. February 2023 may go down as one of the wildest trade seasons in the history of the NBA, with 28 teams trading 58 players.
This deftly humorous spot titled “Traded”–which was conceived by agency Venables Bell + Partners (VB+P) for client Opendoor, a digital real estate platform–taps into that pro sports dynamic through a player press conference, showing what happens when an athlete finally stops giving boilerplate answers and starts speaking their mind about the often sensationalized topic of trades. In doing so, Opendoor highlights the universal truth that whether you’re a superstar or a regular Joe or Jane, moving remains one of the most stressful experiences in life.
Clay Weiner of Biscuit Filmworks directed “Traded” for Opendoor, an official sponsor of the Phoenix Suns, an NBA team which recently traded for a superstar and as a result has become a leading contender for the league championship.
In “Traded,” an athlete gives an unbridled assessment of the difficulties of being traded and having to move himself and his family to a different city. His tone softens, though, when a reporter informs him of Opendoor and the ways it can make the process much easier.
Credits
Client Opendoor David Corns, VP of marketing; Lauren West, head of content, marketing; Tirza DiOro, marketing lead, brand content. Agency Venables Bell + Partners Paul Venables, founder, chairman; Will McGinness, chief creative officer; Matt Keats, Matt Miller, group creative directors; Byron del Rosario, art director; Ryan Hoercher, copywriter; Michael Ng, sr. copywriter; Diego Zelaya, sr. art director; Hilary Coate, head of integrated production; Lexi Alaga, producer; Jasmine Clark, group strategy director; Neil Slotterback. sr. strategist. Production Company Biscuit Filmworks Clay Weiner, director; Shawn Lacy, partner/managing director; Holly Vega, executive producer; Sean Moody, head of production; Trevor Allen, line producer; Tim Hudson, DP; Damon Fortier, production designer; Jenna Wright, wardrobe stylist; Kokeeta Douglas, makeup aratist. Editorial Cut+Run Pete Koob, editor; Stefan Manz, assistant editor; Brian Stanley, exec producer; Kristen Jenkins, head of production. VFX Jogger Andy Brown, exec producer; Brendan Crockett, lead Flame artist; Katrina Salicrup, Michael Vaglienty, Trent Shumway, Jorge Tanaka, Flame artists; Diana Cheng, head of production; Joel Paisner, producer. Color Blacksmith Mikey Pehanich, colorist; Sam Howells, color assisst; Adam Vevang, color producer. Audio One Union Joaby Deal, engineer/sound designer; Michael Swarce, exec producer.
For World Cancer Day (Feb. 4), Gustave Roussy, a treatment center in France ranked number one in Europe and number four in the world in the fight against cancer, is once again speaking out through film. “Lucie” retraces the life of a young woman, from her birth, her joys, her encounters and her trials, in particular the illnesses she faced or may have faced (if not vaccinated) during her life but which did not kill her thanks to advances in science and medicine, including the discovery of her rare cancer at the age of 36.
Conceived by Publicis Conseil and directed by Jaco Van Dormael via production company Hamlet, “Lucie” takes the gamble of using almost exclusively scientific images to tell this story (scanners, MRIs, microscopes, 3D). It highlights the beauty of these images beyond their raw meaning, the poetry that can emerge from them to pay tribute to all the researchers, doctors and specialists who over the centuries have transformed what were once serious illnesses into benign ones, saving many lives in the process. Like most of us, Lucie lives her life without even thinking about all the times when science and medicine have enabled her to go on living.
“In a world where cancer affects one person in two and more and more young adults, we want to show that the disease is a stage in life from which the majority of sufferers are now recovering, thanks to scientific progress. Lucie’s story is the story of thousands of patients. This film makes Gustave Roussy, its doctors, researchers and professionals part of the history of major scientific advances,” said Professor Fabrice Barlesi, CEO of Gustave Roussy.
