The principals of brand development firm Mechanica, LLC are very proud to announce the launch of their newest campaign for Saucony, Inc., a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel. The visually driven “Find Your Strong” campaign conceived by Mechanica founding partner and creative director Libby DeLana, Mechanica creative director Ted Jendrysik and their colleagues features print and online executions, retail and event-marketing components, as well as the brand’s first-ever television spot, which was directed by Andre Stringer from U.S. creative production company Shilo. Along with the print the other multi-media elements featuring images from famed sports photographer John Huet, the :60 TV spot debuts tonight on ESPN, and it will continue airing on CBS College, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and Versus over the next five weeks.nn"The Saucony concept of ‘Strong’ is unique and somewhat intangible," DeLana began. "It’s a sense of what the human soul is… it’s the runner, but also the environments explored. It’s more who you are than what you do. In essence, the struggle is what reveals ‘Strong,’ and those human experiences are what we set out to distill and showcase in this campaign."nnnTo view Saucony “What Is Strong” TV spot online at Vimeo click here.nn"This new campaign continues to amplify our brand mission to inspire runners every day," said Chris Lindner, chief marketing officer for Saucony. "As we confidently emerge as a global athletic brand, we too are finding our ‘strong.’ Our first national television spot marks a pivotal point for Saucony, signaling a continued expansion of our marketing efforts to further drive brand awareness. Together with our partners at Mechanica, we had extremely high ambitions for every aspect of this significant spot, and the passion and craftsmanship of Andre Stringer and everyone at Shilo has truly exceeded our expectations."nnAs evidenced in his breakthrough work for Guinness, Under Armour and EA Active, Andre Stringer is rapidly emerging as a leading director for powerful visual storytelling capturing authentic performances from world-class athletes and talents. By his own admission, after reading the agency’s script for this project, he was hooked. nn"I instantly saw that our primary challenge for this project was creating an undeniable expression of the simple sentiment, ‘What is Strong?’ To achieve that," Stringer explained, "I proposed a shooting approach that would allow us to find the embodiment of strong. To get truly real and emotive performances, I believe in pushing athletes — and every project collaborator — to their height of performance. In this case, we feel the finished result reflects total dedication from all the talents involved, both on-camera and behind the scenes."nnStringer once again teamed up with director of photography Max Goldman for this project. On various locations in California’s Marin Headlands, the Saucony, Mechanica and Shilo executives and production crew filmed many of the same premier athletes who appear in the agency’s campaign print ads. Footage was captured on Kodak 35mm and 16mm color negative films using two ARRI 235 and one Aaton A Minima camera packages, the Revolution Steadicam and a custom camera car. Footage was transferred and color-graded by Tom Poole of Company 3 in New York. Editorial credit goes to Cassidy Gearhart, and the spot was finished in HD at Shilo’s New York studio. nnThe spot’s original music is courtesy of Darrin Wiener. Additional project credits are available upon request.nnFor more information on Saucony and this campaign, please visit www.saucony.com/strong.nnAbout MechanicanMechanica, www.mechanicausa.com, a seven-year old Newburyport, Massachusetts-based firm, employs twenty strategists, creative directors and brand directors pioneering a new approach to creating compelling, profitable brand experiences. Mechanica’s model removes the barriers between product, organization, and brand development efforts by integrating deep strategic engagements with creative ideas and network-based collaboration. This results in an unprecedented level of strategic relevancy, creative flexibility and resultant business growth. Current and recent Mechanica clients include: Global Pari-Mutuel Services, Saucony, Fallon Community Health Plan, Communispace, Kronos, PTC, Abt Associates, Symantec, the U.S. State Department, and Irving Oil.nnAbout ShilonShilo is an Emmy Award-winning creative production company representing a group of filmmakers led by directors Jose Gomez and Andre Stringer. Internationally known for creating original and commissioned work that is powerful, provocative and visually extraordinary, Shilo’s deeply held passions for design-infused storytelling and their innovative applications of live-action, design, and animation techniques deliver breakthrough experiences for screens large and small. From its studios in New York and California, where recent projects have spanned short films, commercials and music videos, Shilo has the capacity and experience to originate ideas and handle all aspects of production. Shilo published its first book, We Make It Good, in 2007, and also also curates and produces content for the blog www.WeMakeItGood.com. Their sibling company WMIG is a creative think-tank offering services in ideation, writing, and art direction online at www.wmig.com. For more information, or to request a reel, please contact Tracy Chandler at +1.212.352.2044, or visit Shilo online at www.shilo.tv.
Roger Darnell DWA for Shilo Phone: 1.828.264.8898 Contact Roger via email
Contact:Ted Nelson Mechanica Phone: 1.978.499.7871 x101 Contact Ted Nelson via email
The Light and BIEN Form Creative & Strategic Alliance
Production company The Light and motion design studio BIEN have forged a strategic alliance that nurtures inclusivity and sustainability throughout the life cycle of every project.
The Light Founder/CEO Becky Morrison and BIEN Co-Founder Ricardo Roberts were first introduced by a mutual client who recognized their parallel ethos. Both Morrison and Roberts are advocates for industry change, and have built successful companies that demonstrate the benefits of human-centered and sustainable production in live action and motion design, respectively.
“I admire the thoughtfulness, specificity, and artistry with which BIEN produces animation and design and their attention to representing the full spectrum of humanity,” notes Morrison. “Their work behind the scenes to foster a diverse creative community is equally impressive. It feels like the perfect moment to partner with another mission-driven company who cares so deeply about creative excellence and social change.”
“I immediately hit it off with Becky and love that she has so many ideas that are tactical, scalable and make a powerful difference,” adds Roberts. “She challenges the status quo while producing beautiful, world-class content. With this partnership, we can better serve our clients and carry our mission forward together.”
The Light is a production company guided by the principle that an emotionally healthy environment is paramount for creativity and high performance. From its inception in 2014, The Light has centered under-represented talent, with equity and sustainability as key pillars to delivering creative projects for... Read More