Suze Orman Chronicles Her Shoot With Backyard

Financial advice guru Suze Orman stars in a new, yet-to-air TD Ameritrade spot directed by Backyard's Don Rase.  In 'Suze's Scrapbook' on her website, she gives a shout-out to Backyard in her visual diary of the retirement-oriented :30 out of Porter Novelli.

To view the full photo set, click here: Suze's Scrapbook and view 'January'

For the Dog Days of President's Day

What good is a Backyard without any dogs sniffing around? To usher in the dog days of the long President's Day weekend, we offer you the resident companions of our own backyards:

CHARLIE

My mellow yellow Labrador Charlie recently starred in a Bayer spot I shot in Toronto.

-Phil Brown (Director)

OLIVE

Olive was a rescue, so when asked what breed she is I say "part chihuaha, part cute." Our best guess is chihuahua - dachshund - beagle.

-Karen Chen (Freelance Producer)

MAVERICK

Maverick is his own dog. You know the type.

-Roy Skillicorn, Partner

LOTUS

He is 1 year old and a true lover boy. I rescued him and got him fixed last week, but the hormones haven't quite leveled off yet. He is wonderful with people and kids but still tries to climb aboard pretty much every dog he sees.

-Virginia (Public Relations)

SYDNEY

A purebred Labrador, this girl was the runt of the litter- believe it or not. She will be celebrating her ninth birthday this May.

-Jason Wolk (Freelance Producer)

Kevin Smith Reports Non-Violent News for Milwaukee PD

Backyard director Kevin Smith delivers benign local newscasts for the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) in two new 30-second PSAs, “Non-Shooting” and “Non-Assault” out of Cramer-Krasselt, Milwaukee, WI.  The PSAs feature tongue-in-cheek newscasts about violence that never occurred to promote that there were 2,945 fewer crimes in Milwaukee last year; no laughing matter.  The “Be A Force” PSA campaign is also a recruiting tool aimed at future area police officers.

            Says Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn, “We are sharing the message that in some jobs, success is measured by what doesn’t happen.  At the MPD, we had nearly 3,000 fewer victims of crime last year than the year before.  That’s success that we want to share on a grand scale.”

Credits:

Client: Milwaukee Police Department

Titles: “Non-Shooting,” “Non-Assault” 2 X :30

Production Company: Backyard, Venice, CA

Director: Kevin Smith

DP: Randy Arnold

Executive Producers: Blair Stribley, Peter Steinzeig

Line Producer: Peter Keenan

Co-Producers: Tim Fermino, Kelsi McIntyre, Cathy Chen

Agency: Cramer Krasselt, Milwaukee, WI

Exec Creative Director: Chris Jacobs
Creative Directors: Todd Stone, Michael Fazende

Art Director: Jim Root

Editorial Company: Backyard, Venice, CA

Editor: Justin Lee

VFX Company: Transistor Studios, New York

Executive Producer: Damon Meena                                               

Head of Production: Andrea Sertz Jew                                   

Associate Creative Director: Aaron Baumle                                               

Associate Art Director: Aaron Baker                                                           

Senior Art Director: Jamie Rockaway                                               

Associate Producer: Corrine Liebe                                               

Digital Assets Manager: Andrew Adair

A Trend Worth Watching

Trend:

1.            a general tendency, movement, or direction

2.            a current fashion or mode

vi: to show a tendency or movement toward something or in a particular direction

In a recent conversation with Backyard partner Roy Skillicorn, we touched on some trends worth watching, and some that are more dubious. Each is a hot topic on Twitter and in the trades, but Roy predicts that some will be a flash in the pan while others will “stick.” Some trends like iPhone technology, change our lives forever.

We asked him about commercials and 3D. “Some people think that 3D is to HD as color TV was to black and white,” Roy says. “I hesitate because I don’t know how many people want to put [the 3D] glasses on in their own homes.” That’s seemingly a small matter, but one whose answer will ultimately determine the future of 3D. He did find a recent 3D display for the out-of-home market (at the Boards Summit) that required no glasses; provocative, but not ready for prime time.  

“Precision Marketing” is a trend Roy feels fits into the iPhone category of relevance: the movement toward marketing to individual customers rather than to a mass audience. “The whole concept of precision targeting – not blanketing the same message to thousands, but addressing people one-on-one, is more respected,” Roy explains. “Precision targeting allows you to convey a richer, more personal touch.” Ironically, the current phenomenon of Facebook actually harkens back to an earlier era where personal relationships reigned supreme. Facebook has spawned a movement – both for baby boomers and for youth – to be “much more apt to experiment with brands that have contacted them individually.”

The last trend we considered is the current movement toward personal reinvention in the marketplace. “Many people have lost their jobs because of belt tightening and/or their age, and they are re-inventing themselves.  Many, facing a dreary job search are even starting their own companies.  I see these people rejuvenated and it is inspiring.”

“There is a trend to tighten up and reduce the amount of waste in the work environment.” Perhaps in business, as in life, anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…

Star Power Amidst L.A. Showers

     Despite all the excessive rain and cold that has been plaguing Southern California over the past week, our Choice Hotels shoot pressed on.

     Backyard director Rob Pritts teamed up with John Ratzenberger, the trademark voice for Pixar Studios for one of the spots. A hero among voice actors, Ratzenberger is the only person to voice a character in each of Pixar Animation’s feature films including: John in WALL-E, Hamm in the Toy Story series, and Underminer in The Incredibles, to name a few. We are also huge fans of the star from his iconic role on "Cheers" as the bar know-it-all Cliff Clavin, a beloved character who also guest-appeared on "Frasier" and "the Simpsons."

Mac’s the word amongst our agency guests from Leo Burnett, Chicago

     By the time the spots air all this rain will be a distant memory... Stay dry!

DAY TRIP TO SWEDEN WITH DIRECTOR JESPER ERICSTAM

At work and at play, Backyard's Jesper Ericstam shares his daily routine from his home outside Stockholm to his office in the city.  The warm-blooded Swede may have a secret life as a professional ice swimmer, when he's not creating his brand of visual comedy for spots.

a dip starts the day right

inspiration from the streets of Stockholm

BBH Shanghai is Ad Age China's AGENCY OF THE YEAR

Our friends and colleagues at BBH Shanghai are getting well-deserved recognition for this past year's work, named by Ad Age China 2009 Agency of the Year.  The agency is bringing American pop culture flair and experience to advertising for major International brands in the Asian market.  ECD Johnny Tan and his team have worked tirelessly with Backyard on several campaigns including Minute Maid/Coca-Cola featuring pop singer Eason Chan, and multiple LG work including the recent "Portal" featuring scenes from blockbuster "Avatar."  Congratulations! http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=141483