BABY, IT'S WARM OUTSIDE

Backyard staff and directors met on our Venice rooftop last week to celebrate the holidays with a few friends, lots of delicious food and good cheer.  With Blair manning the grill, revelers feasted on steaks, shrimp and portabello mushrooms.  Shawn decorated for the occasion, creating an inviting space for relaxation and reflection.  Everyone is grateful for a solid year, and looking forward to a better year ahead.

And if the person who brought the incredible apple pie can share the source, we'll be back for more...

BACKYARD’S PRITTS JOINS THE BATTLE FOR AVATAR AND LG

Backyard director Rob Pritts brings one cell phone shopper knee-deep into the alien world of Avatar in a new :30 “Portal,” for LG out of BBH, Singapore. Promoting the new LG Chocolate phone and the upcoming James Cameron sci-fi epic, the spot features in-movie action as the shopper flees from a vicious creature on the planet of Pandora. Avatar opens nationwide this Friday, December 18^th.

“Portal” opens inside a suburban mall at an LG kiosk. A young man approaches the kiosk where a new LG Chocolate is on display, playing a scene from Avatar in beautiful HD. He picks up the phone, marveling at the HD LCD screen, and is suddenly thrust into an intergalactic wormhole. Transported almost instantaneously to the jungle planet of Pandora, the man stands stunned—and still holding the phone—amidst lush ferns and towering trees. From out of nowhere, a dinosaur-like creature of skyscraper proportions rises above him, ready to pounce. Two azure skin-toned characters from the film appear to scream, “Run! Definitely run!” The young man does, hurling himself off of a waterfall, back through the wormhole returning to the mall kiosk where he stands panting and soaking wet. Passersby stare, unaware of his split-second intergalactic journey. A voiceover concludes, “Feel like you’re there with the 4-inch, HD LCD Chocolate. See things differently.” The Avatar and LG logos appear, accompanied by LG’s tag, “Life’s Good,” closing out the spot.

Credits:

Client: LG

Products: LG Chocolate phone and “Avatar”

Title: “Portal” :30

Airdate: December 13, 2009

Where Shot: LA

Production company: Backyard Productions, Venice, CA

Director: Rob Pritts

DP: Christophe Lanzenberg

Producer: Carr Donald

Exec. Producer: Kris Mathur

Advertising Agency: BBH, Singapore

Executive Creative Director: Johnny Tan

Head of Production: Rebecca So

Creative Director: Kelly Pon

Producer: Krystie Koh

Editorial Company: N/A

Editor: Bob Mori, Santa Monica, CA

Visual Effects Company: Radium, Santa Monica, CA

Exec Prod: Jeff Blodgett

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MURAKAMI and McG TEAM UP WITH BACKYARD TO TURN ART INTO POP

Japanese artist/producer Takashi Murakami and Hollywood heavyweight director McG join forces in a new, Tokyo pop art-infused short film, “Akihabara Majokko Princess,” installed at the Tate Modern’s current exhibit, “Pop Life: Art in a Material World.” Produced by Murakami and Venice, CA-based Backyard, the short features an effervescent Kirsten Dunst “turning Japanese” in Tokyo’s assault-to-the-senses Akihabara shopping district. Daniel Rappaport of Management 360° and Backyard’s Eriks Krumins executive produced this unique, smile-inducing project.

            Like an anime character brought to life, Dunst is the blue-haired embodiment of eye candy, dancing in the streets and singing “Turning Japanese” by 80’s new wave/pop band, The Vapors. Brimming with colorfully clad Japanese hipsters, “Majokko Princess” takes viewers on a whirlwind tour of Akihabara where karaoke, video games, plush toys and animé rule. ###

Backyard Talks China at the Boards Summit

Owner Blair Stribley, Director Rob Pritts and Producer Carr Donald were joined by Exec. Creative Director Johnny Tan of BBH, Shanghai to present a workshop on "Four Things You Need to Know About Working in China" at the 2009 Boards Summit conference in NYC.

The panel gave the audience of prodcos and post attendees a snapshot of the necessary ingredients for a successful venture into this increasingly important market. Transcending cultural differences requires a well-connected local partner and an understanding of the determined work ethic the Chinese advertising industry exemplifies. The result is respected relationships with Chinese agencies -- plus campaigns with American flair for brands including Coca-Cola and LG.

PHIL BROWN’S AMBIEN WINS TOP PRIZES AT CLIO HEALTHCARE AWARDS

Venice-CA based Backyard director Phil Brown and Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness took home the top honors for Ambien “Silence Your Rooster” at the first-ever Clio Healthcare Awards held last month in New York. Winning Gold and the Grand Clio, the visual spot features an insomniac attempting to ignore a needy rooster hounding her in the middle of the night.  For a complete list of winners: http://www.cliohealthcare.com/winners/pdfs/2009_CLIO_Healthcare_Winners_Book.pdf