HGTV's popular twins Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott, aka Property Brothers, return this summer with a new season of ultimate sibling rivalry in the hit series Brother vs. Brother. To promote season two in epic style, HGTV teamed with Neil Berkeley and his design & live action production studio BRKLY to create a promo that captures the spirit of the head-to-head competition series, premiering Sunday, June 8, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
"The Property Brothers are an immensely skilled, multitalented duo and we wanted to showcase them in a stuntastic extravaganza. For season two of Brother Vs. Brother our aim was to step up the promotion to action movie proportions," explains Todd Troop, Creative Director, Brand Design, HGTV.
"We've worked with BRKLY many times, and Neil is a true filmmaker who knows how to make any project cinematic," adds Chris Martin, Creative Director, Promotion, HGTV., "Plus, he promised to keep the Brothers safe while they performed the action and high-flying stunts. So that was the closer."
Berkeley tapped action director John Bonito as a key collaborator. The two carefully designed the highly choreographed sequences surrounding the competition narrative and assembled a team of feature film stunt crew known for their work on Marvel films to work with the Property Brothers
"Our starting point to any project is to understand who it needs to reach and how best to emotionally connect with audiences," comments Berkeley. "With this promo, we all wanted to marshal the Property Brothers' athleticism. We also wanted to authentically capture their friendly rivalry and incredible rapport. With John on board, Chris, Todd and I could focus on that story while John directed the high-intensity action."
"Neil and I work incredibly well together in part because we are both extremely committed to making projects great, and the same is true with HGTV and the Property Brothers," explains Bonito. "Most people imagine they are able to do stunts — the Property Brothers really can. They were 100 percent committed to doing anything we asked and matched that willingness with ability, work ethic and a warm demeanor."
The shoot involved a walk-through of every second of action, followed by two days of filming in a giant warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. "It was one of the best shoots we've ever been on and certainly the biggest promotion the Property Brothers have done," says Todd Troop. "They walked away feeling like super heroes." Go behind the scenes here: http://brkly.com/#brother-vs-brother-behind-the-scenes
BRKLY also shot and delivered extensive behind the scenes media and still photography to be used in digital campaigns, part of the studios deep offerings.
As Berkeley explains, "We know our clients have to interface with a wide variety of departments, each with distinct content needs. So with every promo campaign we deliver hours of additional content from stills to motion media so they have creative for all channels."
Neil Berkeley first met the team at HGTV when he was invited to screen his critically acclaimed feature documentary about Wayne White, "Beauty Is Embarrassing," at the Network. "When he completed the screening we talked for some time," recalls Martin. "I knew then we'd be connected well into the future." The Brother Vs. Brother promotion marks the fourth collaboration between HGTV and BRKLY.
Producer/director Neil Berkeley has been working in film and television for over a decade. In addition to recent promo projects, Berkeley recently directed his second feature documentary "Harmontown." The film stars TV writer and producer Dan Harmon (NBC's "Community", Adult Swim's "Rick and Morty") as he takes his popular podcast on a calamitous cross-country tour. The film uncovers Harmon's public persona to reveal his complex character and his equally complex personal relationships. The film screens next at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on June 16. See the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/87906940
"I am drawn to stories about artists who have a voice and make it heard," concludes Berkeley. "Both Wayne and Dan are utterly honest about how that never-ending drive to create shapes their lives. If you are authentic and passionate, it comes through in the work. For me, find equal excited in the feature films as the promotion projects – they are all part of what I love to do…create."
Tune in to Brother Vs. Brother beginning Sunday, June 8, at 9 p.m. ET/PT only on HGTV. To find out more about the hit show, please visit: http://www.hgtv.com/brother-vs-brother/
About BRKLY
BRKLY is a motion, direction and production studio founded by Neil Berkeley and based in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The company collaborates with agencies and networks on story-driven promotional campaigns that bring brands to life. For more on the company please visit: http://BRKLY.com/
About HGTV
America's leading home and lifestyle brand, HGTV features a top-rated cable network that is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and the HGTV website, HGTV.com, the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination that attracts an average of four million unique visitors per month. Viewers can become fans of HGTV and interact with other home improvement enthusiasts through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., HGTV is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI).
