In 2008, amid a successful snowmobiling career, Mike Schultz was involved in a crash that led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee. A standard prosthetic leg helped Schultz get back on his feet, but it wasn’t built for the action sports he loved. So Schultz designed and built his own prosthetic leg from scratch, not only getting himself back into competition but also eventually transforming the high-tech idea into a successful business. Today Schultz is a U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist, and more than 20 Paralympians have used Schultz’s prosthetics to compete in the Paralympic Games.
Goodby Silverstein & Partners teamed with director M. Blash of The Directors Bureau to tell Schultz’s story in this spot, "Ready for Anything," which will launch during the Winter Olympic Games. It’s a tale of perseverance and resilience that appeals to business owners and viewers of the Olympics and Paralympics alike.
Jim Elliott, executive creative director of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, said, “Every athlete has a story. But not all of them have one like this–an inventor and entrepreneur, running his own business while competing in the games against people using his own products. Mike’s tenacity and mindset are exactly what Comcast Business stands for. It’s an honor for us to share his story with the world.”
CreditsClient Comcast Business Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jim Elliott, executive creative director; Tristan Graham, Felipe Lima, creative directors; Jennifer Fisher, art director; Anthony Pagaza, copywriter; John Thorpe, director of brand strategy; Katie Coane, group brand strategy director; Shaza Elsheshtawy, sr. brand strategist; Jane Warren, deputy director of research strategy; Nick Reggars, group content stratgy director; James Horner, executive producer; Cindy Epps, DP Odishoo, producers. Production The Directors Bureau M. Blash, director; Karina Silva, DP; Sloane Skala, Jenni Sprunger, exec producers; Stephanie Bruni, producer. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Haines Hall, editor; Jack Kanner, assistant editor; Kevin Gottlieb, producer; Shada Shariatzadeh, exec producer. Color Primary Gregory Reese, colorist; Jenny Bright, color producer; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer. Design Studio Elastic Duncan Elms, creative director; Jean Hwang, designer; Jordan Booker, Steven Do, Brian Hayes, Cindy SooHoo, Eugene Hyun, animators; Gabriel Caste, graphics editor; Kevin Daly, producer; Hannah Rowswell, production coordinator; Luke Colson, exec producer. VFX a52 Dan Ellis, lead Flame artist; Adam Flynn, Michael Vaglienty, Rod Basham, Sam Kolber, Chris Riley, Flame artists; Everett Cross, producer; Patrick Nugent, Kim Christensen, exec producers. Sound Lime Studios Joel Waters, sound designer/mixer; Collin Thomas, assistant mixer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Music “Dusk” by Carly Comando
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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