The new spot for Famous Footwear, directed by Norry Niven for The Richards Group, is an empowering and poetic call to #stepforward. In the piece, women of different backgrounds move confidently towards the camera, their words aimed to challenge a better future with that first step.
“This spot was a gutsy choice for a retailer, especially around the Holidays, because it’s really about launching a movement that will last past this season,” explains Brand Creative Group Head: Chris Smith. “The ‘Step Forward’ idea isn’t just about the shoes; it’s about what you’ll be inspired to accomplish in them. So this spot needed to feel epic and anthemic, but also personal and intimate.”
The project, Niven’s first via Lucky 21, harnessed the director’s talent for blending style and impact. The award-winning director relates that a number of the actors were moved to tears, “by masterful writing and poetry of the call to action.”
“It was a fine line to walk, and Norry did it beautifully,” recalls Smith. “He got each actress to find her own unique mix of confidence and honesty, of encouragement and challenge. We shot it again and again with a bunch of terrific actresses, and the words never lost their power. It was a really fun, really intense day.”
The commercial is part of an integrated campaign that will run across broadcast, digital video and display, streaming audio, and social media and will be a fixture of new in-store signage.
Video Credits
Agency: The Richards Group
Brand Creative Group Head: Chris Smith
Brand Creative/Writer: Danny Bryan
Brand Creative/Art Director: Dan Case
Brand Creative/Art Director: Lynn Born
Producer: Cassie Greenwald
Production: Lucky 21
Director: Norry Niven
Executive Producer/Partner: John Gilliland
Head of Production: Teresa Cameron
Producer: Tyler Boylan
Post: Lucky Post
Editors: Marc Stone & Sai Selvarajan
Jessie Nagel
@ Hype 310.839.9834
Contact Jessie via email
Institute’s Sergii Shevtsov Shows the Natural Cleaning Power of Seventh Generation in His First Work for U.S. Market
Director Sergii Shevtsov, repped by production company Institute in the...
Commercial Production Company Cap Gun Signs Award-Winning Director Alex Grossman
Well-versed in the commercial world, Alex Grossman began his career as a copywriter in the Bay Area first at Butler, Shine & Stern and later at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. After a decade of creating...
Tuff Contender’s DJay Brawner Directs Brand Docs for Vans Custom Culture Artists via Creative Drinking Agency
Tuff Contender's DJay Brawner expands his directorial collaboration with Vans in their latest Custom Culture films....
74th Annual 2022 DGA Awards Winners
The winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards for 2021 were announced tonight during the 74th Annual DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Jane Campion won the DGA...
barrettSF and Sutter Health Demonstrate “Resilient” In New Campaign Directed by Plummer/Strauss
A new Sutter Health spot, "Resilient," via agency barrettSF and directed by Plummer/Strauss aims to ease patients back into the doctor's office. "We humans are resilient," commences the 30-second ad,...
Simian Gets An Evolutionary Boost For Collaboration, Reveals “Teams”
Simian, the showreel-building, review & approval, and production asset management platform used globally by creative leaders, is kicking off this fall season with a substantial leap forward for collaboration and project management – with more updates on the way during the holidays!
The new feature, aptly dubbed “Teams”, makes it easier than ever for users to give project responsibilities to team members and clients alike. “You can never have too many options when it comes to permission levels,” says Jay Brooks, Simian’s Chief Technology Officer. “Teams provides a streamlined way to assign multiple users to a project at once.”
“Teams are very powerful, but creating one is effortless,” Brian Atton, Simian’s Chief Operating Officer explains. “Simply enter a Team name, add members, and then apply the newly made Team to any desired project. You can even invite temporary guests without changing settings for other projects or needing to create a new Team.”
“We love helping our clients by providing efficient tools to improve their workflow, and this has been a frequently requested feature as of late,” shares Kellie Atton, Head of Sales at Simian. “It feels great to get Teams out into the wild because I know it’s going to be tremendously helpful to everyone who uses it”.
Teams is now available exclusively to Simian’s enterprise clients. Simian plans to release more product upgrades and enhancements during Q4 2024 and 2025 for enterprise and non-enterprise users, continuing its ongoing evolution as the industry’s leading production asset management solution.
For more information on Simian upgrades and features, visit https://www.gosimian.com/
About Simian
Simian (