When Tim Hortons Canada decided to support Kenya’s only ice hockey team and give them the experience of a lifetime, their agency, Zulu Alpha Kilo, turned to long-time collaborators filmmaker David Grabias and Artifact Nonfiction to tell the story.
The resulting 3-minute documentary, which tells the Ice Lions’ unforgettable story, rose above the typical “surprise and delight” activation video audiences have grown familiar with, and went viral in Canada, the United States and around the world. And this week, due to the tremendous response from news outlets and fans on social media, Tim Hortons partnered with Sportsnet to broadcast a longer 20-minute version of the film, called THE AWAY GAME, after the Pittsburgh Penguins vs the Washington Capitals game.
SPW Credits
Client/Company: Tim Hortons Canada Ricardo Azevedo, Jorge Zaidan, Jana Goodbaum, Paloma Azulay, Jordan Mascarenhas, Kevin Albert, Jane Almeida, Chris Wakefield
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo Chief Creative Officer, Zak Mroueh, Executive Creative Directors, Gerald Kugler & Rodger Eyre, Associate Creative Director, Michael Siegers, Writer: Jonah Flynn, Agency Producer: Revital Grunberg, Group Account Director: Hilary Roberts, Account Director: Mike Johnson, Account Supervisor: Kayla MacDonald, Strategic Planner: Tim Hopkins
Production Company: Artifact Nonfiction Director: David Grabias, DOP: John Minh Tran, Executive Producer: Anne Edgar, Producer: Bryce Brentlinger, Segment Producer: Courtney Dickson, Kenya Producer: Anita Kasera, Camera Operator: Scott Burton, Camera Operator: Chris Goll, Camera PA: Jake Sherman, Sound Mixer: Nick Davey, Sound Mixer: Adrian Ancona, Sound Mixer: Alex Chege, Production Manager: Lisa Ericsson, 1st Assistant Director: Scott Weatherall, 2nd Assistant Director: Chris Simon, Ice Lions Handler: Cameron Cale, Production Assistant: John Shikuku, Production Assistant: Dennis Okuthe, Production Assistant: Miles Verweel, Production Assistant: Alex Brown, Set Medic: Breanna Jones, Driver: David Omondi, Driver: Francis Irangi
Video Post Facility/Editing Company: Zulubot Editor: Jay Baker, Assistant Editor: Jessie Posthumus
Post Production: Alter Ego Compositor/Online/Senior VFX Artist: David Whiteson, Colourist/Transfer: Eric Whipp, Post Producers: Julie Neff, Hilda Pereira
Commercial production company Explore and director Jeremy Pinckert went to a familiar well to pull inspiration for their latest production for Go RVing. "Hotel Hassle" was initially conceived as an audio-only campaign, but Go RVing's SVP/CMO Karen Redfern asked Explore to adapt the script into a new, live-action commercial. The adaptation from audio ads to digital commercial spots involved adding re-written lines and a few iconic scenes from Pinckert’s ideas that provided anchor moments for the ads. In particular, 'Hotel Hassle' features a room key that just won’t open the door. The visual he added (a round sensor on the door where the key unlocks) not only modernized the ad into the age of tap, but also gave the spot a technology vs. human undertone, invoking the AI-character Hal from Stanley Kubrick’s '2001 A Space Odyssey.'
Explore and Pinckert also added a visual hook to the ending of the spot that leaned on his own experiences traveling with his family. He found his hands were always full, clutching a few bags, random loose objects, his phone, and of course, his coffee. In the commercial, there is a moment where all of the frustrations are just too much for the protagonist and he almost curses in front of the family. What if the director added an action where the protagonist accidentally spills their coffee and the camera freezes precisely at this moment?
"Hotel Hassle", part of Go RVing's larger Don't Go There! campaign, is currently being broadcast nationwide via strategic digital channels.
