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Advertising
On May 13th, Miller Genuine Draft will launch a seltzer brand…into oblivion. Director Pete Marquis helps Mischief with it’s first work for brand new client, Miller Genuine Draft. The spot and story were picked up in Adweek. Click above to view the teaser video and click below to read the article in Adweek.
Directing duo Pete & Jamie of World War Seven nab today's bragging rights in both Creativity [Editor's Pick] and AdAge with a unique campaign for Dollar Shave Club featuring actual customer service reps answering actual FAQ's [Frequently Asked Questions for anyone born before 1980] from 'fictionalized' characters
Sibling RIvalry + Acura /[divided by] Van Halen = Super Bowl. Any questions? Yes, just one...how is it possible that this track has never been used in an ad before?!?
Client: Audi // Agency: PMK*BNC // Edited by: John Bradley // Editorial Company: Cosmo Street
After their highly publicized break up, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy meet to discuss their new show at a power lunch spot in LA. See what happens when they find themselves amongst Emmy nominated actors - from Miss Piggy's confrontations with Julie Bowen and Viola Davis to a friendly consolation of Kermit by Joel McHale.
Client: HelloFlo // Directed by: Pete & Jamie // Production Company: World War Seven
Continuing their successful awards season, directing duo Pete & Jamie are being recognized for their female empowering "First Moon Party", part of a multi-spot campaign for HelloFlo. SheKnows Media coined the term 'Femvertising' and will be recognizing the creators and giving awards at the company's 'BlogHer' conference this weekend.
Yes you're the same person after the draft, but there is a certain swagger that happens after the draft as we see in these spots for Foot Locker starring Emmanuel Mudiay, directed by David Shafei.
Incoming NBA rookie Emmanuel Mudiay discovers that everything changes after the draft. Even gift giving.
Incoming NBA rookie Emmanuel Mudiay discovers that everything changes after the draft. Even relationships with family members.
Incoming NBA rookie Emmanuel Mudiay discovers that everything changes after the draft. Even listening to music.
The answer is...yes. Yes Frank, you can wear coral. The NBA changes you as we see in this new campaign featuring Frank Kaminsky for JCP Men's Store out of Victors & Spoils and EVB
He's the same old Frank, doing the same old Frank things. But now, there's just something different about him. Did Frank change, or did Frank just change? #FrankChanged
Obsidian is proud to welcome production & interactive studio Pet Gorilla to our roster for representation. Pet Gorilla was founded by Minivegas founder Luc Schurgers as well as Minivegas EP Dominic Bernacchi.
On top of this great news, the "Now We're Newtons" web series concepted by agency Weber Shandwick/Chicago and directed by Luc Schurgers has gained some press in Fast Company / Co.Create. The series was created in order to move the brand's iconic cookie away from "Fig Newtons" because they are offering more flavors and the "Fig" just felt old. Hilarity ensues in this Office-esque spoof when the 'Newtons' join the ranks at the office [much like Millenials joining the workforce...a favorite topic of ours here at Obsidian. Below you can view the trailer for the series as well as the first episode. Click below for the full article in Fast Company as well as the Newtons' YouTube channel.
From the creators of your favorite fruit chewy cookies comes the unfiggetable office comedy NOW WE'RE NEWTONS. This season, the figs are hitting their breaking point, the fruits are hitting their stride, and an unlikely pair is hitting it off. WATCH the first 3 episodes NOW!
As James starts a new project, he's forced to face the fact that things at Newtons are changing for good. From the creators of your favorite fruit chewy cookies comes the unfiggetable office comedy NOW WE'RE NEWTONS. WATCH the first 3 episodes NOW!
Los Angeles, CA -- Wildlife, a Los Angeles based interactive & design shop nabs yet another FWA Site of the Day nod for their most recent live action, interactive trailer for EA's new game title, Battlefield: Hardline [an Obsidian favorite].
This activation has received a lot of press over the past few weeks and justifiably so. It is the first of it's kind live action, interactive experience created in 360 degrees specifically for a seamless experience on your Oculus or GearVR. Even if a user has neither headset they can still get a fantastic 360 experience because this was also developed to take advantage of mobile devices' accelerometer.
Claire Thomas, principal and director at Currant Films
Meet Claire Thomas, director AND owner at Currant Films which 'officially' opened it's doors yesterday. Prior to Currant, Claire was at Green Dot which spring boarded her into the advertising world. Ursula Gabel Baird, Claire's EP from Green Dot followed her to Currant:
“Claire not only has a prolific body of work, but she has a laser like knowledge of social media in so many areas - food, fashion, lifestyle... We’ll be shooting spots for broadcast, and she’s recommending to clients additional shots they’ll want for other media platforms. Because she has a consistent, successful presence as an online influencer herself, she knows what works.”
When she's not shooting commercials, you can find her updating her blog, The Kitchy Kitchen or sharing new recipes and 'life hacks' on her YouTube channel.
To celebrate International Women's Day [yesterday] as well as Women's History Month [March], Microsoft urges and challenges young girls to get interested and in a lot of cases stay interested in Math & Science. Cosmo Street's Aaron Langley edited this spot. For more information on programs you can visit DigiGirlz which is Microsoft's diversity recruiting initiative as well as the ever-popular Girls Who Code, which Microsoft also sponsors.
Client: Microsoft // Agency: m:United // Edited by: Aaron Langley // Editorial Company: Cosmo Street
Art Basel is an event I’ve always read about, but never gave much thought to attending until a few years back. I suppose I never really thought I belonged there…I’m not a billionaire and therefore don’t collect art. Also, the only artists I can name are the ones you typically learn about in high school or college 101 classes, but in December 2014 I was in for a real education.
When I first sat down to write this post, I wanted to simply talk about Miami - how I had never really been to Miami and how I was basically expecting to be walking amongst throngs of these tools. The fortunate reality is that Miami is really nothing like what Chicago, namely the “Chiami” crew would lead you to believe…yes, fuck you @ChiamiLifestyle you’re ruining not one, but two perfectly good cities.
I digress.
"Ravenheart" by Curtis Wehrfritz
Art Basel is pretty gnarly; for one week in December people from all over the world descend upon the relatively small city of Miami - all in the name of 'art'. Some come to purchase, some to look, while others simply come for the party. Basel itself is held at the convention center and is difficult to describe without using words like ‘enormous’ or ‘overwhelming’. There is so much stimulus - paintings, sculptures, photography, interactive exhibits, film, etc that museum fatigue [yes that’s a thing] sets in within about 2 hours. It took me two days to navigate Basel itself and I still didn’t come close to seeing everything.
In addition to Basel there are other exhibitions that are held all over Miami during the same time frame such as: Pulse, Scope, Design Miami, NADA, and Aqua to name just a few. I was lucky enough to have procured a pass from my friends at Artsy that would allow me access to all of these exhibitions. For the next 4 days I shuttled [and UBER'd] around Miami trying to dedicate a ‘morning’ to one particular exhibition and an ‘afternoon’ to another. This method worked for a few days, but the deeper I went, the longer I stayed…I was on to something. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but every exhibition I went to was slightly more ‘underground’ than the last - if there isn’t a designated shuttle then that is ‘underground’.
"The Death of Love 2" by Katsutoshi Yuasa
After a few days of soaking it all in [including the aloe for my sunburn] I thought I should get some of these thoughts down. Art Basel is the 'Main Event' with famous people like Jay-Z, Leo D, Pharrell Williams, etc. looking at [and tweeting about] famous pieces from famous artists, but you never read about any famous person popping by the smaller exhibitions where in my humble, non-celebrity opinion the real art is. Is it because they haven’t heard of the artists that are showcasing at the smaller exhibitions or [more likely] is it because it's not 'The Main Event'? As much as I’d like to believe it’s the former, odds are it’s the latter and that’s totally fine. Each of the above mentioned celebs are artists in their own right and have earned the right to go to whatever they want.
The point here is not to say that one [exhibition] is better than the other and it certainly is not to position myself as an art critic. The point here is simple…OPEN YOUR EYES and find what you like. If you fancy yourself creative then DON’T BE LAZY and go with what you know or with what everyone "says" they know - there are so many beautiful, fascinating, intricate, creative things out there and while it’s so easy to simply go to ‘The Main Event’ the REAL tastemakers & trendsetters won’t be found there. And if they are, they're probably not the ones posting every single piece they pass by to their ‘insta’ [that’s Instagram, people] feed to show how cultured and cool they are. This is my challenge to you, creative industry. 2015 is around the corner. There is some really amazing stuff out there, but there's also a lot of bullshit so open your eyes, put down your 'insta' and let’s see what you’ve got.
Love.Matt.
ULTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU'S TO: Stas @ Artsy, Apollonia @ Gallery on Wade, Yuki @ Yuki-Sis Gallery and UPS
Here are a few SFW images from the event.
The North Face See For Yourself cab drove around New York City giving unsuspecting passengers a choice - go on with their normal day or let us take them on an epic outdoor adventure. Would you #SeeForYourself? When's the last time you just stopped...and went? Get out there and #SeeForYourself.
Client: The North Face // Agency: Anomaly [ACE Content] // Directed by: Adam Donald // Production Company: Decon
Click below for the full credits from Agency Spy!
Watch as we bring a military dad closer to home using the power of scent. For 11 months, Kearen's been away from his wife and kids in North Carolina. So we partnered with his family to create a special gift to make him feel at home even while he's away.
Client: AirWick // Agency: Droga5 // Edited by: Mark Potter // Editorial Company: Cosmo Street
Client: Under Armor // Agency: Droga5 // Directed by: Johnny Green // Edited by: Tom Lindsay // Editorial Company: Trim
Under Armor's commercial featuring ballerina, Misty Copeland was honored in AdWeek as being #6 in the Top 10 best commercials of 2014. Congratulations to all involved, especially editor Tom Lindsay at Trim! Click below to see all the winners!
your patience has been rewarded. obsidian’s quarterly newsletter is back highlighting the best of our clients’ work in the third quarter. this issue features news and work from Cosmo Street Editorial, Gifted Youth, Humble TV, and some sick interactive tricks from Wildlife
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Last weekend Riot Fest invaded Humboldt Park. For the un-initiated, Riot Fest is a 3-day music festival/carnival that typically caters to the punk & alternative rock scene. Anybody that knows me at all knows full well that I wait all year for Riot Fest and this year was no exception. The line up was [in my humble opinion] considerably better than Lollapalooza and completely blew Pitchfork out of the water
*NOTE TO HATERS: I attended both those festivals as well and they sucked*
Riot Fest has a history of being able to book bands that [a] don’t necessarily tour a lot [b] broke up 10+ years ago [c] re-unite for the first time in the aforementioned 10+ years [d] maintain a cult following despite all of the above. I want to give credit where credit is due to the event coordinators, but this 'alchemy' that is performed in putting these epic lineups together requires an X-Factor and that’s what I want to talk about for a minute. How is it that a band that faded into obscurity in the late 90’s / early 2000’s can take a stage at a festival in Chicago and draw a crowd that gives ANY Lollapalooza performer a run for their money? Emotion.
The Used
Let me explain why this one-word answer is so important. At some point, probably in or around high school [at least for myself] we discovered music that we thought would shape the rest of our lives. It doesn’t matter if it was Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, Mineral, or Nickelback - actually if Nickelback emotionally resonates with you, just…stop. ANYWAY, that was the music that we connected with; could have been right place/right time; could have been the lyrics, there are no right or wrong answers. My point is that there was a connection that went beyond having a crush on the lead singer and his too-perfect application of guy-liner…an emotional component. That component is what makes you feel like that lead singer is singing directly to YOU and that they’ve been through the things that you are/were going through - in other words there is a bond.
Rise Against
The emotional bond that is created between you and a particular performer, band, song, etc. is something that doesn’t go away. You may have ‘grown up’, but when that song plays you remember EXACTLY where you were the first time you heard it, why? Because that bond isn’t broken by age, time, distance, etc. That bond, although pushed to the back of the mind re-emerges, unbroken as soon as you hear the first chord of that one song - it’s just as powerful as olfactory [scent] memories. That feeling, that emotion is the X-factor that I’m trying to explain, the intangible that Riot Fest planners see. Once that connection is made, it’s nearly impossible to forget it - it’s the reason I was singing/screaming every word of every song during New Found Glory’s set. Do I still listen to them? On occasion, but I do remember that initial connection from my Freshman year at Wheaton North High School. The alchemy that Riot Fest has been performing is nothing more than bringing in bands that have been able to create those types of bonds with their fans - it does not matter in what year that bond was created because those fans REMEMBER and they will show up in droves [even in the driving, sideways rain] to collectively remember.
Saosin w/ Anthony Green
You can call me Emo. That’s fine, I definitely was [and still kind of am], but as an advertising agency, isn’t the goal to engage viewers/users in a way that resonates with them; a way that creates the kind of bond that these 'old punk bands' have created so effortlessly? Ask your clients, I’m fairly certain I know the answer. Perhaps there *is* something to be learned from punk rock & emo culture - two genres of music that are unapologetically geared toward eliciting an emotional response from listeners. Yes punk has become commercialized and yes emo is all but gone, but Riot Fest demonstrates one very important thing: we CANNOT discount the effect of emotions. These bands make what they make and they never gave a shit about who was going to like it. They sang/screamed [off key] with all their hearts and you know what? People connected despite the lack of polished, produced, sonic perfection. Maybe it’s time advertising got a little more punk.
Die Antwoord
Riot Fest 2014 Spotify Playlist
Client: Honey Maid // Agency: Droga5 // Edited by: Stephen Mirrione // Editorial Company: Cosmo Street
The blended family is celebrated in this long form piece for Honey Maid also touting the #NotBroken and #ThisIsWholesome hashtags [:30 TV spot breaks tonight]. The spot was edited by Cosmo Street's Stephen Mirrione [IMDB] who has also worked on the Chevy business for the World Cup this year.
Client: Campbell's Chunky // Agency: Y&R // Directed by: Fatal Farm // Production Company: Gifted Youth
Directing collective Fatal Farm just launched their latest spot for Campbell’s Chunky Soup featuring Seattle’s Richard Sherman and of course…his mom. The spot, care of Y&R which is part of a longer format web-only version was featured in Creativity, AdAge and all our favorites, AgencySpy. Click here for the Creativity write up.
Client: Pepsi Max // Directed by: Peter Atencio // Production Company: Gifted Youth
Funny or Die commercial production unit Gifted Youth emerges victorious in the extremely competitive Humor category at this year’s AICP in New York. Director Pete Atencio, best known for his work with sketch comedy duo Key & Peele was tapped to follow up Pepsi Max’s incredibly successful “Joyride” campaign. When a Jalopnik blogger calls BS on Pepsi’s original execution, Jeff Gordon suits up as a cab driver in this elaborate prank to prove once and for all that his driving is no laughing matter.
![Art Basel 2014 [or] "I'm in a Gallery, Bitch!"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52701b9be4b0147930303fda/1420155631291-EZNXPUJBO4K2G4WMJ3PI/image-asset.jpeg)
