Back in mid March, we got word from Symetra there might be a chance to shoot with the living legend that is Sue Bird. We’d get one day and it would happen—most likely—sometime in April. So Andrew Gall and I started putting together ideas and scripts, not really knowing what might come of them, or when things might happen. And since Sue has hinted this might be her last season in the WNBA as she nears retirement, it seemed like a pivotal time for her partnership with Symetra. Sue reflecting on her career, thinking about what she’d tell her younger-self seemed like a good place to start.

Then, without about 10 days to prep, we heard April 7th was our day—Sue would be available and in Seattle. So we jumped into action! Luckily, we already had a director and production company in mind (Zia Mohajerjasbi with Society), and as luck would have it, they were available! Then, our world-class CF producers (namely MacKenzie Huff) along with our clients and account team, made it all come together—and fast! It was a huge team effort by everyone involved.

It was a whirlwind tour, but everything came together great! We quickly worked out script nuances, wardrobe and found a location, which was difficult with COVID protocols and on short notice. Then on shoot day, Sue was the total pro she’s always been when we’ve been fortunate enough to work with her. And, not surprisingly, she nailed practically every shot. It’s amazing how that is when you’re working with someone who’s a master of their craft. And seriously, she wasn’t clanking them in, either. This behind the scenes GIF below shows it exactly. It was like that every take. Swish. Every time. Swish. Amazing.

Anyway, this is a long way of saying it was a very fun and rewarding production process, and we’re all very excited with how it turned out. We have a few more things that will accompany this, but for the time being, we hope you enjoy the spot:

CLIENT: Symetra Life Insurance Co. | AD: Andy Westbrock | GCD/CW: Andrew Gall | CCO: Mike Hayward | PRODUCER: MacKenzie Huff | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Zia Mohajerjasbi | PROD CO: Society | EDIT: Heidi Black at Whitehouse Post | AUDIO: HearBy | COLOR: Bryan Smaller at Company 3

Last week our team at Wexley School for Girls launched our very first campaign for Taco Del Mar. We’ve been working super hard over the past few month on this, and it’s extremely rewarding to finally see this stuff out in the real world. And basically, here’s the idea behind it all:

AHHH...Tommy what happened? Can you fall into a giant burrito at TACO DEL MAR®? Of Course, Of Course!

Does Taco Del Mar have the biggest burritos on the planet? Of course. Does Taco Del Mar have the greatest Fish Tacos on earth? Of Course. Does Taco Del Mar make your food exactly like you want it with the most tantalizing ingredients? Of course. Does Taco Del Mar make your food fast? Of course. Is it filling and satisfying? Of course. And when your friend calls and asks, “Hey man, want to go grab some Taco Del Mar?” you’ll love it so much the answer isn’t just a single “Of course.” It’s an emphatic, “¡Of Course! ¡Of Course!”

Is this gorila eating a Mondo Burrito??? "Of course, Of course!"

It’s not often that one of your favorite pieces from a campaign happens to be a billboard, but it’s hard to see the “Cougar Fight” billboard and not smile. It still gets me, even though I’ve looked at it a thousand times. And as we roll out more work in the next few weeks for the campaign I’ll be sure to keep adding in the new stuff. So be on the look out for it. The whole campaign is going to be super fun and stupid in a good way.

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If you can’t read the copy, or don’t feel like turning your head because your neck is actually just for looks, here you go:

“To a magazine, the binding is the most important part. Everything depends on it to hold it together. Kind of like fishing line to a fisherman. Everything you depend on starts and ends with the line that holds it together. This explains why more fisherman choose the most dependable fishing line in the world.”

Anyway, this is an ad I did a while ago at a little agency back in my hometown of Minneapolis, by the name of Kerker, now known as Preston Kelly. At the time they had Pure Fishing as a client, which had a ton of great fishing brands under their umbrella, Stren being one of them. So to a Minnesota boy who had grown up fishing since the age of two, I absolutely loved the prospects of working on all this stuff. And this was an ad I always liked for its simplicity, and the point it made using the media.

As for Preston Kelly, they’ve actually been getting some notoriety lately. They won AdAge’s Midwest Small Agency of the Year award, and have been showing up in the CA Ad Annual and Archive as well. They’ve probably been winning a lot of other things too, but either way, I’m glad to see my friends back at PK doing great stuff.