Some Good Ideas I Couldn’t Sell
Whether it was budget, client needs, or I just went a bit too far, I couldn’t get these ones made. I’m proud of them anyway.
Indy500 Pitch Concept
I pitched this to a major network as a concept to promote the Indy500. I knew it was a stretch, but had to give it a shot anyway, just on the off chance it would result in the opportunity to squeeze Adam Driver into a tiny car.
“IN NEED OF A. DRIVER”
In this tongue-in-cheek campaign, we see Adam Driver return to his home state of Indiana, after an invite from {major network}, who are looking for “A Driver” to help them promote the Indy 500.
The famously intense and prepared actor is excited to fulfill his boyhood dream of driving around the Indy track, and throws himself 110% into training up for what he believes will be a promotional ring around the track for fans.
We see him back at home at his parents’ house, sleeping in his much too small childhood racecar bed. He trains the best he can in his mom’s minivan and at the local go-kart track, where his huge legs stick up out of a tiny vehicle. He finds a quiet moment at the track in the days before the race, and dreams of squeezing his giant body into an Indycar, then winning the Indy 500.
When race day finally arrives, it turns out there was some confusion. NBC doesn’t need “a driver” to go “back home again to Indiana.” They need “A. Driver” to sing the traditional Indycar theme song, “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the race. (This is what happens when your agent skims the email.)
Furious that he didn’t spend the month of May preparing his singing voice, he angrily quits the promotion in a parody of Adam Drivers’ reputation for storming out of places.
Kansas City Mask Stunt
In early summer 2020, people were already feeling fatigue around public health messaging. We were tasked with creating a fun and attention-grabbing way to encourage people in Wyandotte Cty. Kansas to wear their masks, I pitched the idea of a gonzo “mask-ot” that people wouldn’t be able to ignore. In the end, we instead created a series of fun videos starring local citizens (see above), and my dream of creating a mascot remains unfulfilled…for now.
“KC MASK-OT”
In the spirit of chaotic, lovable mascots like the Philadelphia Flyers’ Gritty or Japan’s Chiitan, we’ll introduce a fun, unpredictable “Mask-ot” to promote Wyandotte County’s mask initiative. He’s cute, yet vaguely threatening, in a funny way. He loves people who wear a mask and is... displeased with those who do not.
We can film our Mask-ot on the streets of Wyandotte Cty, high fiving (or elbow bumping) those in masks, good-naturedly confronting those not following the order, handing out masks, and generally creating merry mischief, such as blasting a t-shirt cannon filled with masks over outdoor bar patrons.
HOTEL BRAND VIDEO SCRIPT
We were asked by a major hotel brand to pitch some ideas for an internal video that would highlight the power of the brand, and excite their 80,000 employees. We won the job based on our initial ideas, but ended up pretty far from where we started after combining a few of our concepts. I still enjoy this original version, which was pitched as a tongue-in-cheek, retro-inspired “How To” video complete with cheesy graphics and a traditional TV pitchman-style VO. (I’ve removed the name of the brand because I fear the wrath of corporate America).
SCRIPT:
[VO] Becoming a beloved global powerhouse hospitality brand doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hard work and dedication. Our step by step plan can show you how.
Step one - Be everywhere.
[VO] This part is easy. You simply build 2,700 hotels, strategically placing them in prime locations in all the places people want to go, all over the world. 31 countries is a good start, but really, why stop there?
Step two - Be friendly.
I mean really friendly. Act like you’re happy to see your guests because you are. Give them the kind of personal service that keeps them coming back. (And it’s easy for them to come back because if you remember, you have 2700 hotels in 31 countries now).
Step three - Be reliable.
Now this is a bit trickier, because what we really mean is... reliably go above and beyond for your guests, in every way, every day.
It starts with ingeniously designed rooms that include everything they need to get it all done, from business to adventure, then extends through to delightful things like delicious hot breakfast you just can’t get anywhere else. Fresh waffles are a nice touch. People love waffles.
Last, guarantee their happiness. Yes, really. If for some reason the friendliness, the above-and-beyondness, the lovely rooms and hot waffles don’t make them happy, you keep going. You do whatever it takes to make them happy. You do this because it’s guaranteed, but also because you love making people happy.
Afterall, making people happy is what makes [Hotel], [Hotel].