
...words like "eschew", for example...
ya really gotta know the lingo.
Walk the walk.
Talk the talk.
And, if you manage to drop in the phrase "power tools" while doing said walking and talking - you've successfully drilled down to content that connects like Justin Morneau on a lame-ass hanging curveball (sports references work well too).
Such was the case the other week when we got to work on a holiday radio ad with Minneapolis advertising agency Hunt Adkins and their client, Northern Tool and Equipment. Brian Hucek, the writer, put the stated goal of the spot succinctly (of course, - we're "walking the walk" here, after all) -"...driving customers to Northern Tool + Equipment during the holiday season. Given [that] the typical Northern Tool customer scoffs at the thought of Christmas sweaters and caroling, the spot needed some attitude to offset the tinsel. The solution? One pissed off Santa. Stuck in a chimney".
This was gonna be cool. 'Course, to do this well, you need the right voice-over talent - which, we did. Local hero Mark Benninghofen was our guy at the fictitious call center while Jeff Winter, aka Pissed Off Santa In The Chimney, was brought in via ISDN Digital Patch from Studio Center in Virginia Beach. Simple.
The sound-design was going to be the tricky part - putting Santa in a chimney on his phone would be an interesting wrench to turn. Or, so we thought. In the end however, what helped sell the effect for which we were going really wasn't even an effect - we simply asked Jeff to affect trying to break free of the chimney at certain points in the copy. Ka-ching. We were able to enhance his struggling with some falling debris, a little small space reverb, a phone filter, some distortion, yada, yada, yada - effectively wrapping it up nicely and putting a glittery little bow on it - which is odd, because, y'know... we're all guys. Who knew?
Here's the radio spot, "Chimney"
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Mark Benninghofen can be booked through his Minneapolis talent agent, Wehmann, or can be hired to write and produce radio spots through his production company, SHOUT!
You showed up, felt "showed up", and then wryly observed that Webster's was missing at least one alternate definition for the term "flex time".
Punishing workout, indeed.
Our friends at Kerker, who have worked with the YMCA for years, have created a refreshing new TV and radio campaign (on which we did the radio ads) that goes after the well baby-oiled machine that is the low carb bread and tanning butter of most other fitness clubs - the beautiful people scene.
Beth Kinney, the writer for the spots offered that "All/most clubs have nice equipment, nice facilities and so on. The YMCA has worked really hard to update their branches... so, in essence, with all things being equal (in terms of fitness options), they offer an environment that other places can't; one that is open, accepting, and comfortable--where "wellness" is the goal, not just fitting into size 0. In other words, while some places make you feel like you need to get in shape before you can get in shape, the Y simply takes you as you are and helps you reach your fitness goals."
Can you feel the love? Sure you can.
The ads center around "Staycie", a character who is truly as plastic as they come - vain, vacuous, primped up, pushed out and, although she may be pink, - as transparent as can be. This delicious role fell to voice-over talent Heidi Fellner who's affectations in both the TV and radio were so spot on - you'd swear she were method acting or...perhaps related? (Wink, wink. See above). The announcer was Kim Kivens who, thankfully, lends an air of sensibility to alleviate the histrionics of, "Staycie". To fill out the sound design, we made "Staycie's" voice as thin as her waistline, added a touch of reverb for that "in your head" sound, and then mixed in a tune that aped the classic Village People hit from the 70's.
"Whateevvvvvvvvver"
Here's the radio spot, "Goodnight"
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And with full credit to our friends over at Fischer Edit (they did everything on this) here's the TV spotGet the Flash Player to see this player.
Both Heidi Fellner and Kim Kivens can be booked through their Minneapolis voice-over representative, N.U.T.S.And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
This cautionary tale from Joni Mitchell has just as solid a footing in the 21st century as it did when it first appeared on the radio in 1970. And the lyrics speak clearly to us as Minnesotans as well (seeing as we have the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area on our northern crest). Truly, it would be fair to say that, here, we have a natural proclivity towards all things natural. So, with this in mind, we recently lent a hand recording a very special radio PSA with Minneapolis Advertising Agency Martin|Williams.
Art Director Melissa Johnson spearheaded the project that's designed to raise awareness for the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island. The island, just off the Georgia coast, holds a special place in her heart due to vacations and visits there that go back to her early childhood and continue on through to this day. If you take a look at the brief montage we put together (below) of photos from the island - you'll understand its allure.
Rivers, woodlands, marshlands, and ten miles of unspoiled beaches are all a part of the island’s natural beauty and are the very elements that fulfill its reputation as “the people’s park”. The Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island seeks to maintain this natural wonder through, among other things, “the continued protection of the south end of Jekyll from further development or redevelopment.”
This point stood as the main topic of the radio spot, which leads the listener along the path of what the island is now, to what it would become - noisy, crowded, over-developed; a Georgia peach pitted by big money and special interests. Copywriter Julie Kucinski and Martin|Williams’ own Jan Pettit (as announcer) came together with Melissa to help carefully craft the message. We’re proud to have contributed. Even prouder to know that the organization loves it. Here's the spot called, "Traffic".
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This a 30 second montage of photos of Jekyll Island - some from Melissa and others we found while trolling the web.
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Wanna get involved? Visit the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island.
How could this not be successful? - let's face it, turkeys just seem like a natural comedic foil (speaking of which, be sure to tent your bird with foil for 20 minutes after roasting - and make sure the juices run clear - don't want to get grandma sick)
So, we were excited to have the opportunity to create and execute the sound-design on the next round of spots for the website jennio.com. The 2 new spots "Dryer" and "Turkey Drop" were done in collaboration with Caviar Los Angeles and director/editor Keith Schofield.
We spent the better part of an afternoon with Jamie Novak (creative) and Alicia Calderon (producer) creating sound design, first, to give the impression of a generous sized Turkey thawing in a dryer, and later, fabricating the sounds of a turkey falling heavily through the floors of several apartment units. Good times, great project!
Here's "Turkey Drop"
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and "Dryer"
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This time out, it was to record a wonderful book on tape called, The Labrador Pact - a tale penned by author Matt Haig. The tale, a Labrador's eye view, covers the endless dilemmas that our hero, Prince, must face in managing the errant behaviors of his masters, the Hunter family. Prince takes this job seriously, struggling to adhere to a stringent code of ethics called, The Labrador Pact. This is no kid's book - the themes are adult and explore even broader issues of resurrection, redemption and the powers of faith and love. Heavy? At times, yes, but there is an artful hand behind the pen and there's plenty of humor to move things along.
And, hearing a story of this nature told to you by master storyteller and Guthrie actor Simon Jones is compelling - it was all we could do not to grab a hot chocolate, park our arses on the couch and gaze out the window as Simon knitted himself around each phrase - seamlessly shifting from character to character, narrator to wry observer.
Frankly, there was concern that during the course of two sessions - each requiring six hours in the booth, that Simon might present us with a Marie Osmond moment - requiring the waving of a ham on rye sandwich under his nose just to revive him. But, that was not to happen - the word, "tank" comes to mind - armored, and with a full complement of shells in the breach - he was truly inexhaustible and, mercifully, handled the long spells in "the terrarium" with a sense of humor.
If you're interested in scoring your own copy of this wonderful book, produced by Paul Ruben Productions, it will be available through Highbridge Audio soon. Here's a small sample of the fine work of Simon Jones....
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