In producing his first TV series, Martin Rodahl, the Norwegian-born filmmaker, assembled a coalition of commercial post-production companies that are stretching in new directions too. Although these companies have worked with America’s leading advertising agencies and brands in the past, “Our Longest Drive,” a six-week series that airs Tuesdays at 10:30 PM Eastern on The Golf Channel, represents a journey they haven’t taken.nnInstrumental to Rodahl’s completion of “Our Longest Drive” was The Colonie, the Chicago-based post-production house known for its commercial work. Brian Sepanik, one of The Colonie‘s three principle owners, served as the series’ primary editor. Sepanik viewed 400 hours of Rodahl’s amassed footage and began work on the project more than a year ago.nnChicago-based NoiseFloor, led by owner Cory Coken, handled the all aspects of sound design and audio mixing for the series, while Company 3 and Tyler Roth spearheaded the coloring effort. Shawn Sutta and Audiocastle were responsible for music composition and licensing.nnnn”‘Our Longest Drive‘ is my largest endeavor to date,” noted Rodahl, the owner of 71 Degrees North, the busy commercial and branded content production company that closed for a month last summer to document the travels of four retired men, one of whom was dead, to the Arctic Circle for golf on the summer solstice. “I loved the story behind this adventure and wanted to reconnect with the Arctic, having grown up in Norway,” Rodahl said.nnRodahl assembled a crew of three other men, all fellow graduates from Northwestern University’s film program, who accompanied him through seven US states, two Canadian provinces and two territories from Chicago to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada – a road trip by RV and Jeep that lasted 18 days and covered 5500 miles. nn”It’s rare when someone embarks on his first long format work and has it picked up by a network,” Rodahl noted. “The Golf Channel is the perfect spot for this story about adventure, discovery, loss and legacy, and, oh yes, golf. The network saw in Our Longest Drive a way to extend its audiences beyond its core. The experiences of the characters and the wisdom of age they impart from one episode to another makes this story universal,” he added.nnAlthough Rodahl admits he’s had excellent help from his collaborators, he served on the series in roles other than director and producer, including part-time cinematographer, writer, and sales representative. “I’ve been on ‘Our Longest Drive‘ for nearly two years now,” he said. “We finished a rough cut of a feature-length version before The Golf Channel caught wind of our progress. Vic Zast, the originator of the idea, contacted the network long before meeting me, but his plea for sponsorship went unheeded because he and his friends were unknown entities. Once we presented our cut to the network, however, they immediately saw the potential of the story and its characters.”nnZast, a horse racing journalist with a background in the perfume business, is happy with 71 Degrees North‘s involvement and the Golf Channel outcome. “I know how difficult it is to place something on network television, and to do it at first try at age 67 is a dream come true,” he said. “I knew from the beginning that we had a good idea, even though I developed it on drugs while recovering from heart surgery. But we were lucky to find the one filmmaker who fit the job of telling our story like a glove,” Zast remarked.nn”Our Longest Drive” airs Tuesdays at 10:30 PM Eastern on The Golf Channel.nnCompanies involved in the series production:nn71 Degrees NorthnDirector/Producer: Martin RodahlnnThe ColonienEditor/Partner: Brian SepaniknnNoise-FloornSound designer/Owner: Cory CokennnCompany 3nColorist: Tyler RothnnAudiocastlenMusic Composition: Shawn Sutta
Martin Rodahl 71 Degrees North Contact Martin via email
The State of Sonic 2025: Sonic Branding Trends From Stephen Arnold Music
Is this the year you go all-in with your sonic brand? From in-person experiences to augmented reality and AI-integration, brands are tuning into their audiences more than ever using music, leading to deep emotional connections. Personalization and authenticity are on the rise, as is brand music incorporating human touch. 2025 isn’t just about making your brand sound good – it’s about creating audio that speaks uniquely to audience segments with sound they can feel. Stephen Arnold Music – The World Leader in Sonic Branding® – breaks down 5 sonic branding trends to keep your eye (er… ear) on this year. Sonic Invasion From sonic logos to real-world activations, brands are tapping into the power of sound to deepen storytelling across more touchpoints. Last year we noted the rise of sensory branding, a trend that continues to grow in 2025 as brands seek to engage audiences beyond visual communications through sound, touch, smell, and taste. Given the versatility of sound and its impact on emotion, brands are broadening their library of audio assets to cater more precisely to the various channels of the marketing multiverse. It’s not uncommon for a brand to have a sonic logo, a full-length melody for major campaigns, shorter versions for advertisements and socials, variations for retail engagements and in-person activations, and brief sound cues for app notifications or online confirmations, all derived from a core musical theme. Now’s the time to start thinking about how your brand audio translates across touchpoints. Personalized Audio Experiences Leveraging data analytics and AI, companies are crafting... Read More