The “Goodness from Grit” campaign from agency Venables Bell & Partners tells the incredible untold story of the SIMI Winery’s fearless leader, Isabelle Simi. A woman pioneer in Sonoma Valley, Calif. winemaking, she overcame personal tragedy to successfully lead and grow her family’s winery through Prohibition, opening the company’s first tasting room in Sonoma Valley in 1934 when most other wineries were foundering after a decade of legalized temperance. She continued to develop the business and set its course for over 70 years. “Goodness from Grit” celebrates the connection between hard work and excellent wine by chronicling Simi’s challenges and ultimate triumphs that led to the success of the SIMI Brand today. It’s a timely message for those who share her spirit, and also cuts against a category that is defined by cliches of leisure and luxury.
SIMI and Venables Bell collaborated with MJZ director Nick Ball and two-time Academy Award-nominated (Atonement, Anna Karenina) cinematographer Seamus McGarvey to craft Simi’s story with the same attention to detail she poured into every bottle of her wine. The centerpiece of the campaign is this four-and-a-half-minute film which features an original cinematic score written, recorded and produced in Melbourne and Berlin by music house Stare Crazy.
Credits
Client SIMI Winery Agency Venables Bell & Partners Paul Venables, chairman; Will McGuinness, chief creative officer; Gus Johnston, creative director; Ryan Hoercher, associate creative director; Aisha Hakim, sr. art director; Megan VanDagens, art director; Alyssa Lee, jr. art director; Marisa Valente, jr. copywriter; Dani Saputo, sr. designer; Hilary Coate, head of integrated production; Sasha White, sr. producer; Jenna Van Deventer, producer; Livia Biedermann, associate producer; Michelle Spigner, strategy director; John Principe, social & content strategist. Production Company MJZ Nick Ball, director; David Zander, president/exec producer; Emma Wilcockson, exec producer; Natalia Mussolana, producer; Seamus McGarvey, DP; Matias O’Donnell, production designer; Sol Montalvo, wardrobe stylist; Max Morales, 1st assistant director. Production Services, Chile Labhouse Finishing & VFX Method Studios Jesse Bradstreet, VFX supervisor; Scott Boyajan, exec producer; Hiltesh Solanki, CG supervisor; Laura Duncan, producer; Matt Welch, lead Flame artist; Cecile Tecson Broas, Cody Edwardson, Kelly Bumbarger 2nd Compositor: Chad Buehler, Alex Gitler, Flame artists; Matt Conway, Ed Mustaros, matte painting; Bradley Morris, Julie Jaros, animation; Kendrick Khoo, Sudipto Nath, Santosh Kumar k Modeling Artists: Sachin, Ilamkar, Abhishek Soni, Avijit Biswas, texture artists; Rick Fornek, rigging; Aswathi S, production coordinator; Kartiki C. Patil, production manager. Editorial Stitch Editing Leo King, editor; Chris Wilson, assistant editor, UK; Lawrence Ng, assistant editor, L.A.; Angela Hart, managing director, UK; Mila Davis, managing director, L.A. Music Stare Crazy Final Mix, Longform Stare Crazy Sound Design RNDM ORDR Sound Design Henryboy Bill Chesley, sound designer; Kate Gibson, exec producer. Telecine Postworks Peter Doyle, colorist; Eric Waldorf, Katy Gilmore, Brian Woos, color assistants; Patriciana Tenicela, finishing producer. Casting Fenner Casting (Santiago), Saigon (Buenos Aires)
When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the agency turned to AI and other magic to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its “Holiday Hugs” video. The heartwarming four-minute video, benefitting the D.C.-based Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC), parallels recent findings from a Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey commissioned by Klick.
The poll found 74 percent of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish they could over the holidays. And like those in the video, survey participants cited geographical distance and loved ones having passed away as the leading factors preventing their hugs.
“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” says teary-eyed New York Klickster Kari Bocassi watching her AI-generated hug with her sister Marlene, moments before she bursts onto the set for a long in-person embrace. The siblings have spent the past 14 years caring for their mother since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but haven’t been together for the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia. Similarly, Toronto’s Fred Duarte gets the bear hug of his life when his brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walks into Klick’s production studio for their first holiday reunion in seven years.
Directed by James Cooper via Cooper Films, “Holiday Hugs” also taps into the fact that hugs don’t just make people feel better emotionally, they also have numerous health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, hugs can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” said Klick’s chief creative officer Rich Levy. “With ‘Holiday... Read More
