Nike and Wieden+Kennedy’s landmark “You Can’t Stop Us” ad, which made waves for its clever and visually riveting editing in Summer 2020, has won a Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix. Co-edited by Academy co-founder Peter Wiedensmith while at JOINT alongside Jessica Baclesse, the spot splices seemingly disconnected sports and globally distant communities together to forge a show of unity and perseverance. The ad also earned a Bronze Lion in Film Craft.
As the campaign was largely made from found footage, its magic relied heavily on the edit bay. Notes Peter, “I love documentary storytelling because it gives me the chance to say something truly emotionally authentic. Copywriter Dylan Lee and Art Director Naoki Ga drove the concept to the highest level possible, and I have never seen such a huge post team as we had at JOINT to find and license the footage and make the pairs! The support from the CDs Alberto Ponte and Ryan O'Rourke, W+K, Nike, Oscar Hudson and Pulse Films, as well as A52 were all necessary. We had several editors, many assistants, producers, footage researchers, VFX artists, and every single one of them was necessary to make this happen. It was a huge collaboration, and the way that reinforces the central theme of the spot is so perfect.”
Peter left JOINT in Summer of 2021 to found Academy alongside former JOINT editor Tommy Harden. The new Portland-based editorial shop is focused on working with creative agencies and directors, while nurturing up-and-coming editors with education and experience. The duo joined forces after an extensive tenure with JOINT, where Peter served as founder for 25 years and Tommy as editor for 14. The work of the two talents at JOINT earned three Emmys, for the 2011 Chrysler “Born of Fire” spot, P&G’s “Best Job” campaign celebrating Olympic athletes and their mothers, and the more recent awards-sweeping Nike “Dream Crazy” ad. Wiedensmith and Harden were additionally nominated for three Emmys combined, including the famed Nike spot “Hello World” starring Tiger Woods and Chrysler’s “Half Time in America” with Clint Eastwood.
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/
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