DIRECTV has launched its “GOATbusters” national campaign featuring baseball legends Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson, highlighting the company’s streaming product, DIRECTV STREAM.
Launching just in time for baseball season, the foursome comes together to combat supernatural forces and other would-be foes through the 2022 MLB season, just like the Ghostbusters.
The campaign builds on the first iteration of DIRECTV’s “Get Your TV Together” ad series–also from TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles–which shows how entertainment and sports come together on DIRECTV.
The new work contains nods to fan-favorite elements form the Ghostbusters movie franchise, with MLB mascots reimagined as ghosts, new baseball bat-style proton pack weaponry and the GOATs’ choice of transportation, a Ghostbusters Ecto-1 replica car.
In this :30 spot directed by Jim Jenkins of O Positive, we see GOATbusters Rodriguez, Ortiz, Griffy Jr and Johnson take on a huge MLB ghost mascot who towers over a stadium.
Credits
Client DIRECTV Agency TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles Renato Fernandez, chief creative officer; Jason Karley, group creative director; Mark Winters, Ryan Buckley, creative directors; Tyler Archibald, sr. copywriter; Will Holmes, sr. art director; Andrew Bae, jr. art director; Bruno Regalo, head of art & design; Jake Skirving, sr. designer; Andrea Nazario, jr. designer; Guia Iacomin, director of content production; Alicia Portner, sr. producer; Dena Moore, executive art producer; Elisabeth Fried, sr. art producer; Ryan McDonald, art producer; Jen Costello, chief strategy officer; Jesse Unger, group strategy director; Laura Gorder, sr. strategist; Hannah Schweitzer, jr. strategist. Production O Positive Jim Jenkins, director; Ralph Laucella, exec producer; Marc Grill, producer; Devon Clark, head of production; Gyula Pados, DP; Jason Edmonds, production designer; Greg McCollum, AD; Michelle Martini, costume designer. Editorial Arcade Geoff Hounsell, editor; Paulo Miramontes, assistant; Alexa Atkin, Tom Barnett, producers; Crissy DeSimone, exec producer. VFX The Mill New York Nathan Kane, executive creative director, shoot supervisor; James Mulholland, shoot supervisor; Clairellen Wallin, exec producer; Jack Williams, sr. producer; Chanelle Larios, producer; Kyla Graham, production coordinator; Siggy Chojnacki, production support; Justin Kurtz, Yong Chan Kim, 3D lead artists; Andre Vidal, Krissy Nordella, 2D lead artists; Jay Lee, Jeeun Lee, Yoon-sun Bae, Hailey Akashian, Felipe Passarani, Rajesh Kaushik, Noah Catan, Jiin You, 2D artists; John Wilson, animation lead; Jessica Castillo, animation; Matt Mcdonald, Anton Anderson, finish artists; James van den Elshout, graphic animation art director; Chris Szeto, designer; Maxim Kozhevnikov, concept design. (Toolbox: Houdini, Zbrush, Substance, Polycam, Maya, Arnold, Nuke, Flame) Audio Post/SFX String & Tins Culum Simpson, sound designer; Joe Wilkinson, additional sound design; Cobblestone Foley, foley; Laura-Leigh Smith, audio producer. Music Walker Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, sr. producer. Audio Mix Lime Studios Matt Miller, mixer; Ian Connie, mix assistant; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Baseball Footage Stalkr Diego Speroni, retouching, digital artist; Francisco Speroni, digital assistant; Freddy Fabris, digital producer.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
