USTA - “Connect”
When the USTA (US Tennis Association) reached out to us to pitch ideas for some commercials about community tennis to run on ESPN for the US Open, we looked backward for ideas.
Both of us grew up playing tennis - forearms slick with sweat in the North Carolina summers, willing the stumpy kid across the net to whiff it out of the fence so we could swan dive into the deep end of the questionably-clean neighborhood pool. We remembered the drooping nets, flaky backboards, and peeling grips normal to any pre-teen hitting around at their local public courts. We remembered crotchety old players who yelled at you to move, coaching kids who weren't much bigger than their rackets, and praying to a higher power the imposing hulk across the net would double fault. We set out across the country to observe and capture traces of what we remembered. What we found - in small southern towns, rollicking public courts in Brooklyn, palm-tree lined parks in Inglewood, CA, and the open sky midwest - was something much more than an activity or a social call - but pointed toward those threads that make up a street, a neighborhood, and a city.
Far away from the professionals who stretch our human limits at grand slams around the world, the heart of tennis lies between the rusty fences of public parks the nation over and that's what we really wanted to find.
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE - “Sensory Auction”
Only the wealthy can afford bidding on art. Bombay Sapphire wanted to challenge that model by creating the world’s first Sensory Auction. We were along to capture what happens when you auction art by measuring one’s sensory reaction rather than the size of their wallet.
This project took us on a deep dive into the art, tech, and mixology world- from Texas to New York. We had the opportunity to visit and interview the incredible artist Dan Lam, as well as the talented tech team at Volvox Labs to make this come to life.
2022 SXSW Innovation Award Finalist // 2022 CLIO Silver Award // 2022 Webby Award Nominee - Advertising, Media & PR - Best Event Activation + Experience Marketing // 2022 The One Show Nominee - Design
AGENCY: BBDO NY
EVENT: TXG
EDITORIAL: WAX
BANK OF AMERICA - “The Portos”
Bank of America knows that certain businesses serve a deeper, more integral part in their communities. In this case, it’s a family of immigrants who brought their home country with them to America.
We worked with Bank of America to highlight a very special chain of family-run bakeries in Los Angeles called Porto’s. The founders fled from Cuba in the 1960’s and have gone on to establish what Yelp deemed the #1 place to eat in America. We holed up in one of the bakeries, listened to the families' stories and pored through their old photographs, trying to figure out who they really are and what they stand for. The result is a story as old as America itself, one of hard work, love, and family.
behind-the-scenes photos taken by Ginger Q
PREGO - “Welcome to the Family”
Prego knows that communities are made with meals. With the power to comfort and connect people, meals are the heartbeat of families, old and new.
"Haha! Oh my gosh, I totally thought you'd be old white guys in your 40’s" This was said with a wry smile by one of the high school senior cast members we drove to San Diego to meet in person. We laughed, were relieved, and got to work.
When Anomaly approached us about doing a commercial for Prego involving first generation college students - we jumped at the chance, intrigued at the prospect of learning their stories, and hopeful we could earn a close rapport with the high school seniors. What followed was a dive into the experiences of four high school graduates as they reckoned with their ambitions for the future, the sacrifices of their parents, and their place in the world.
The focus for us, Anomaly and Prego was connection and authenticity. The goal: provide a big family-style meal for first-generation college students to connect over shared ambitions, anxieties, and excitement as they experience what it's like to be the first to leave home and enter the college world. We didn't want to bring a bunch of students together simply to create a film-able moment, but to actually dig into their lives and form connections; to really find out what they are going through and provide an environment where, cameras aside, bonding could happen.
We were humbled and inspired by the drive and grit of the students and hope the work represents their stories even in a small way.
COMMUNITY HEALTH PLAN OF WASHINGTON - “Kiara”
Community Health Plan of Washington is a not-for-profit healthcare provider to low-income Washingtonians.
We worked with the Vida Agency in Seattle to pull off a shoot made much more complicated in the midst of the pandemic: 'shoot with a real family, inside their home'. It was our first Covid-era-shoot and one that went smoothly despite the many precautions - temperature checks, distance-guidelines, masks, monitors, etc.
The main goal was to achieve a deep level of intimacy with the families, something that runs counter to the isolation many of us feel during this locked-down year. That meant being privy to family arguments, tears and frustrations - but also to real moments of tenderness and joy.
DUKE CANCER INSTITUTE - “Lori”
With state-of-the-art treatments for early and advanced stage diseases, Duke’s Breast Oncology Program is one of the best in the world. They offer a complete range of service from diagnostics to genetic and prevention counseling.
It was a great privilege to work so closely with Lori and her family as she underwent breast cancer treatment. She was crucially collaborative with the process - insisting on transparency and rawness. Duke was wonderfully supportive of the production, trusting the story to unfold and opening the right doors.
It was so important for us to be able to see into their lives and not create a caricature of what a breast cancer patient is or is not. We wanted to show the joy and sadness that accompanies such a difficult journey. And further, to make that journey accessible to everyone - cancer means wigs and tears but it also means jokes, laughter and family soccer in the front yard.
“Woodwalk followed Lori and her family on their cancer journey, capturing the raw emotions associated with such a diagnosis. The short video is beautifully done. I recommend Woodwalk to any organization wishing to tell a moving story of triumph over tragedy.”
