Generating Leads with Analyst Content Webinar Slides_SJN Final.pdf
SJ Golden Associates PR Case Study: McDonald's spot - Director: Joe Pytka, Editorial + Finishing: The Colonie
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Case Study:
PDF Compilation of Press Coverage Secured For
McDonald’s Commercial - ’Good Things’
(Partial)
Sherri Golden
Director of Strategic Marketing + Public Relations
SJ Golden Associates, Inc.
300 East 34th Street, Suite 26C
New York, NY 10016
P: 212.683.1777
sherri@sjgoldenpr.com
11. Search
HOME DISTRIBUTION & EXHIBITION PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION CONTACT
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Ackerman,PytkateamuponGoodThings
Fri, 03/06/2015 - 12:13 -- Nick Dager
The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman, and renowned director,
Joe Pytka, recently paired up to create a dramatic spot for
McDonald’s, out of Burrell Communications. Driven by
realistic, gritty, cinematic style footage, the :60 commercial,
entitled, Good Things, tells the story of a group of African-
American teenagers hanging out on dark inner city streets.
At first glance it seems that they might have some
questionable plans for the evening. However, the story arc
soon reveals the group to be a force of optimism, hope and
the shared spirit at the heart of their community.
“Visual storytelling can be a difficult balance between creating a cohesive story, and withholding information to create a
compelling arc. I always try to find an intriguing way to open a spot, and then build from there,” says Ackerman. “Pytka
never fails to provide an editor with a multitude of options and this spot was no exception.”
Burrell Communications tapped the full range of The Colonie’s editorial, visual FX and finishing services for the
commercial, enabling their team to provide the kind of efficient, seamless workflow needed for a quick turnaround.
Footage was received on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and by midday Thursday Ackerman had a cut ready for
the agency, and presented it to the client on Friday.
Tom Dernulc, the head The Colonie’s VFX department, created a number of visual elements that were integral to
strengthening a few of the key points in the narrative. There were no intermediary shots of the final mural as it was being
painted, so Dernulc supplemented the footage, filling in the art work on a couple of shots, and recreating the skyline, so
the mural could be shown in various stages of completion to create a more impactful final reveal.
12. Cut to Marvin Gaye’s iconic song, Inner City Blues, the
commercial follows the young people through desolate
streets, past a wall with graffiti that reads, No Future. The
group meets up and begins hatching a plan. Then, with
spray cans in hand, they disperse, leaving the viewer to
assume that they’ll be venting frustration and negative
feelings with graffiti throughout the neighborhood.
The scenario takes an unexpected turn when the teenagers
begin to paint uplifting words – like joy, hope, and dreams –
transforming building facades and dumpsters into artful canvases with positive messages. The group of young men put
the finishing touches on a large mural of the city skyline with the word love above it. As they admire their work a friend
arrives with breakfast from McDonald’s – and sharing the meal becomes part of the celebration of their achievement.
The commercial closes as daybreak comes, bathing the city in golden light as a father and son happen upon the mural.
They smile, appreciating what these young people have created. The boy’s face appears in the center of a heart, and we
see the McDonald’s arches in rainbow colors above the tag, I’m Lovin’ It, and a link to 365.black, a McDonald’s website
hosting the Youth Awards, which was established to recognize black teens who make a difference within their
communities through vision, compassion and diligence.
“The storytelling of the edit, along with the powerful
soundtrack of the Marvin classic, we knew we had
something special. Another amazing fact is we hardly made
any changes from Bob's initial cut. That says it all,” says
Lewis Williams, CCO of Burrell Communications. "I have to
applaud our client for allowing us to produce such an
authentic idea. On reviewing the cut for the first time it
brought me and the team to tears.”
Ackerman, who collaborated closely with Williams and the
agency’s creative team, noted, “Lewis is a veteran ad man, who understands the value of a story. It’s one of the things
that elevates this type of work and it is a privilege to be part of that.”
“The Burrell team is always generous with its trust, and the relationship we have built over the past couple years has led
to some outstanding work… especially for my reel,” says The Colonie editor and partner.
Credits:
Product: McDonald’s
Title: Good Things :60
13. Type of Project: National Broadcast Spot
Agency/Client: Burrell Communications / Chicago
CCO: Lewis Williams
Producer: Debra Dale
GCD: Rebecca Williams
CD/Write: Lisa Mconnell
ACD/Art Director: Winston Chueng
Production Company: Pytka Commercial Production Company / Los Angeles
Director: Joe Pytka
DP: Joe Pytka
Producer: Gretchen Siss
Editorial Company: The Colonie / Chicago
Creative Editor: Bob Ackerman
Finishing: Tom Dernulc
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
Visual FX/Animation Company: The Colonie / Chicago
Color Correction: Filmworkers Club / Chicago
Color Grader: Michael Mazur
Audio + Sound Company: Mix Kitchen /Chicago
Mixer: Sam Fishkin
Music Licensing Track: Inner City Blues
Performed by: Marvin Gaye
The Colonie www.TheColonie.com
Tags:
32. The Colonie Editor Bob Ackerman Cuts Pytka’s New McDonald’s Spot
VIEW EDIT
11 February, 2015 - 05:12
The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman, and renowned director, Joe Pytka, recently paired up to create a dramatic spot for
McDonald’s, out of Burrell Communications. Driven by realistic, gritty, cinematic style footage, the :60 commercial,
entitled, ‘Good Things,’ tells the story of a group of African-American teenagers hanging out on dark inner city streets. At
first glance it seems that they might have some questionable plans for the evening - However, the story arc soon reveals the
group to be a force of optimism, hope and the shared spirit at the heart of their community.
“Visual storytelling can be a difficult balance between creating a cohesive story, and withholding information to create a
compelling arc. I always try to find an intriguing way to open a spot, and then build from there,” says Ackerman. “Pytka
never fails to provide an editor with a multitude of options - and this spot was no exception.”
Burrell Communications tapped the full range of The Colonie’s editorial, visual FX and finishing services for the
commercial, enabling their team to provide the kind of efficient, seamless workflow needed for a quick turnaround.
Footage was received on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and by midday Thursday Ackerman had a cut ready for the
agency, and presented it to the client on Friday.
Tom Dernulc, the head The Colonie’s VFX department, created a number of visual elements that were integral to
strengthening a few of the key points in the narrative. There were no intermediary shots of the final mural as it was being
painted, so Dernulc supplemented the footage, ‘filling in’ the art work on a ciouple of shots, and recreating the skyline, so
the mural could be shown in various stages of completion to create a more impactful final reveal.
Cut to Marvin Gaye’s iconic song, ‘Inner City Blues,’ the commercial follows the young people through desolate streets,
past a wall with graffiti that reads, ‘no future.’ The group meets up and begins hatching a plan. Then, with spray cans in
FilmContact.com Sherri Golden Insider Member Find Film Jobs 7474 Film Directory
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33. hand, they disperse, leaving the viewer to assume that they’ll be venting frustration and negative feelings with graffiti
throughout the neighborhood.
The scenario takes an unexpected turn when the teenagers begin to paint uplifting words - like ‘joy,’ ‘hope,’ and ‘dreams,’
transforming building facades and dumpsters into artful canvases with positive messages. The group of young men put the
finishing touches on a large mural of the city skyline with the word “love” above it. As they admire their work a friend
arrives with breakfast from McDonald’s – and sharing the meal becomes part of the celebration of their achievement.
The commercial closes as daybreak comes, bathing the city in golden light as a father and son happen upon the mural.
They smile, appreciating what these young people have created. The boy’s face appears in the center of a heart, and we see
the McDonald’s arches in rainbow colors above the tag, ‘I’m Lovin’ It,’ and a link to 365.black, a McDonald’s website
hosting the Youth Awards, which was established to recognize black teens who make a difference within their communities
through vision, compassion and diligence.
“The storytelling of the edit, along with the powerful soundtrack of the Marvin classic, we knew we had something special.
Another amazing fact is we hardly made any changes from Bob's initial cut. That says it all,” says Lewis Williams, CCO of
Burrell Communications. "I have to applaud our client for allowing us to produce such an authentic idea. On reviewing the
cut for the first time it brought me and the team to tears.”
Ackerman, who collaborated closely with Williams and the agency’s creative team, noted, “Lewis is a veteran ad man, who
understands the value of a story. It’s one of the things that elevates this type of work and it is a privilege to be part of that.”
“The Burrell team is always generous with its trust, and the relationship we have built over the past couple years has led to
some outstanding work… especially for my reel!” continues The Colonie editor and partner.
About The Colonie:
The Colonie is an award winning Chicago-based creative editorial, motion design, visual FX and finishing boutique with a
seamless, full-service approach to creating spots and cross-platform content that engage, entertain, inform and move
audiences.
Our multi-disciplined collective of creative, technically skilled storytellers work as a creative partner with clients,
following a shared vision - from rough-cut through completion – and consistently delivering a final product that exceeds
expectations. A wide range of national and global clients, such as Nintendo, McDonald’s, Pepisco and Bayer, rely upon our
accomplished team of talent to consistently deliver compelling creative content that elevates the viewer’s experience and
connects them to brands.
For more information about The Colonie and its services, visit www.TheColonie.com, or contact executive producer Marry
Caddy at 312-225-1234, or Sonia Blum or Hillary Herbst at Hilly Reps, 312.944.1100.
CREDITS:
Product: McDonald’s
Title: “Good Things” :60
34. Type of Project: National Broadcast Spot
AGENCY/CLIENT: Burrell Communications / Chicago
CCO: Lewis Williams
Producer: Debra Dale
GCD: Rebecca Williams
CD/Write: Lisa Mconnell
ACD/Art Director: Winston Chueng
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Pytka Commercial Production Company / Los Angeles
Director: Joe Pytka
DP: Joe Pytka
Producer: Gretchen Siss
EDITORIAL COMPANY: The Colonie / Chicago
Creative Editor: Bob Ackerman
Finishing: Tom Dernulc
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
VISUAL FX/ANIMATION Company: The Colonie / Chicago
COLOR CORRECTION: Filmworkers Club / Chicago
Color Grader: Michael Mazur
AUDIO + SOUND DESIGN COMPANY: Mix Kitchen
Mixer: Sam Fishkin
MUSIC LICENSING: Track: ‘Inner City Blues’
Performed by: Marvin Gaye
42. TV ad: McDonald's: 'Good Things / McDonalds' !
TweetTweet 0 Recommend this on Google
The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman, and renowned director, Joe Pytka, recently paired up to create a dramatic spot
for McDonald's, out of Burrell Communications. Driven by realistic, gritty, cinematic style footage, the :60
commercial, entitled, 'Good Things,' tells the story of a group of African-American teenagers hanging out on dark
inner city streets.
Category: Restaurants & fast food
Agency: Burrell Communications
Group Creative Director: Rebecca Williams
Art Director: Winston Chueng
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
Visual Effects: Tom Dernulc
Editing Company: The Colonie/Chicago
Agency Producer: Debra Dale
Editor: Bob Ackerman
Other credits: Agency CCO: Lewis Williams Color Correction: Filmworkers Club/Chicago Audio Company: Mix
Kitchen/Chicago Mixer: Sam Fishkin
SEE ALSO
Best ads: TV, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio
Best ads: TV, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio Subscribe
"
# 2015-03-12 $ %
0LikeLike ShareShare
NewsCentral
11,745 people like NewsCentral.
Facebook social plugin
LikeLike
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150,000 PUBLISHERS | 1,500,000 DAILY NEWS
51. TV ad: McDonald's: 'Good Things / McDonalds' !
TweetTweet 0 Recommend this on Google
The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman, and renowned director, Joe Pytka, recently paired up to create a dramatic spot
for McDonald's, out of Burrell Communications. Driven by realistic, gritty, cinematic style footage, the :60
commercial, entitled, 'Good Things,' tells the story of a group of African-American teenagers hanging out on dark
inner city streets.
Category: Restaurants & fast food
Agency: Burrell Communications
Group Creative Director: Rebecca Williams
Art Director: Winston Chueng
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
Visual Effects: Tom Dernulc
Editing Company: The Colonie/Chicago
Agency Producer: Debra Dale
Editor: Bob Ackerman
Other credits: Agency CCO: Lewis Williams Color Correction: Filmworkers Club/Chicago Audio Company: Mix
Kitchen/Chicago Mixer: Sam Fishkin
SEE ALSO
Best ads: TV, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio
Best ads: TV, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio Subscribe
"
# 2015-03-12 $ %
0LikeLike ShareShare
NewsCentral
11,745 people like NewsCentral.
Facebook social plugin
LikeLike
Join for free to discover more
150,000 PUBLISHERS | 1,500,000 DAILY NEWS
52. 0 0
Production Company: Brand New School
Creative Director: Robert Bisi
Designers: Waka Ichinose, Sakona Kong, Mara Smalley,
Brandon Minton
CG Leads, Technical Directors: Robin Kim, Adam
Newman
3D Animation: Robin Kim, Hao Cui, Ian Mankowski, Kim
Im, Leo Juarez
3D Modeling, Rigging: Robin Kim, Hao Cui, Ian
Mankowski, Kim Im, Gabriela, Gorostieta, Leo Juarez
3D Lighting: Adam Newman, Hao Cui
3D Particles, VFX: Eric Rosenthal, Thomas Briggs, Ian
Mankowski
Storyboard Artists: Max Forward, Tristyn Pease
Compositors: Adam Newman, Scott Uyeshima, Maithy
Tran
Editor: Sean U’ren
Executive Producer: Paul Abatemarco
Producer: Beth Vogt, Amy Russo
Music, Sound Design: Circle of Sound
Executive Producer: Guillermo de la Barreda
Mix: Lime Studios
03/08/15--07:33: McDonald’s
Delivers A Compelling Cinematic-
Style Story In Latest Ad by Burrell Communications
The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman, and renowned
director, Joe Pytka, recently paired up to create a
dramatic spot for McDonald’s, out of Burrell
Communications. Driven by realistic, gritty, cinematic
style footage, the :60 commercial, entitled, ‘Good
Things,’ tells the story of a group of African-American
teenagers hanging out on dark inner city streets. At first
glance it seems that they might have some questionable
plans for the evening - However, the story arc soon
reveals the group to be a force of optimism, hope and
53. the shared spirit at the heart of their community.
“Visual storytelling can be a difficult balance between
creating a cohesive story, and withholding information to
create a compelling arc. I always try to find an intriguing
way to open a spot, and then build from there,” says
Ackerman. “Pytka never fails to provide an editor with a
multitude of options - and this spot was no exception.”
Burrell Communications tapped the full range of The
Colonie’s editorial, visual FX and finishing services for
the commercial, enabling their team to provide the kind
of efficient, seamless workflow needed for a quick
turnaround. Footage was received on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, and by midday Thursday
Ackerman had a cut ready for the agency, and presented
it to the client on Friday.
Tom Dernulc, the head The Colonie’s VFX department,
created a number of visual elements that were integral
to strengthening a few of the key points in the narrative.
There were no intermediary shots of the final mural as it
was being painted, so Dernulc supplemented the
footage, ‘filling in’ the art work on a couple of shots, and
recreating the skyline, so the mural could be shown in
various stages of completion to create a more impactful
final reveal.
Cut to Marvin Gaye’s iconic song, ‘Inner City Blues,’ the
commercial follows the young people through desolate
streets, past a wall with graffiti that reads, ‘no future.’
The group meets up and begins hatching a plan. Then,
with spray cans in hand, they disperse, leaving the
viewer to assume that they’ll be venting frustration and
negative feelings with graffiti throughout the
neighborhood.
The scenario takes an unexpected turn when the
teenagers begin to paint uplifting words - like ‘joy,’
‘hope,’ and ‘dreams,’ transforming building facades and
dumpsters into artful canvases with positive messages.
The group of young men put the finishing touches on a
large mural of the city skyline with the word “love”
above it. As they admire their work a friend arrives with
breakfast from McDonald’s – and sharing the meal
becomes part of the celebration of their achievement.
The commercial closes as daybreak comes, bathing the
city in golden light as a father and son happen upon the
mural. They smile, appreciating what these young
54. people have created. The boy’s face appears in the
center of a heart, and we see the McDonald’s arches in
rainbow colors above the tag, ‘I’m Lovin’ It,’ and a link
to 365.black, a McDonald’s website hosting the Youth
Awards, which was established to recognize black teens
who make a difference within their communities through
vision, compassion and diligence.
“The storytelling of the edit, along with the powerful
soundtrack of the Marvin classic, we knew we had
something special. Another amazing fact is we hardly
made any changes from Bob's initial cut. That says it
all,” says Lewis Williams, CCO of Burrell
Communications. "I have to applaud our client for
allowing us to produce such an authentic idea. On
reviewing the cut for the first time it brought me and the
team to tears.”
Ackerman, who collaborated closely with Williams and
the agency’s creative team, noted, “Lewis is a veteran
ad man, who understands the value of a story. It’s one
of the things that elevates this type of work and it is a
privilege to be part of that.”
CREDITS:
Product: McDonald’s
Title: “Good Things” :60
Type of Project: National Broadcast Spot
AGENCY/CLIENT: Burrell Communications / Chicago
CCO: Lewis Williams
Producer: Debra Dale
GCD: Rebecca Williams
CD/Write: Lisa Mconnell
ACD/Art Director: Winston Chueng
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Pytka Commercial Production
Company / Los Angeles
Director: Joe Pytka
DP: Joe Pytka
Producer: Gretchen Siss
EDITORIAL COMPANY: The Colonie / Chicago
Creative Editor: Bob Ackerman
Finishing: Tom Dernulc
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
VISUAL FX/ANIMATION Company: The Colonie / Chicago
COLOR CORRECTION: Filmworkers Club / Chicago
Color Grader: Michael Mazur
55. according to Chris Preston Creative Director at Preston
Kelly, "Or worse, a sea of smiling doctors and
preternaturally happy patients. We wanted to do work
that reflected the authenticity of the relationships
Gundersen Health has with the regular Midwestern
people it serves--and we needed a director who could
portray the touching reality of care, without the usual
saccharine the category is known for."
“When it was first presented, I was struck by the
fearlessness of the creative and the originality of
perspective,” says atkins. “I was drawn to the rawness
of the moments and the sense of care demonstrated in
these retold stories.”
Throughout the process, atkins and the agency creative
team enjoyed a close collaboration and a shared a vision
for how the stories would unfold. For “Baby,” which
features a real baby born at Gundersen, atkins and the
agency team sought actors whose voices could come
together in a quiet performance of Bob Marley’s “Three
Little Birds” rather than a bombastic, Broadway delivery.
In “Therapy Dog,” shot in part from the dog’s POV, the
starring canine is an actual healing hound.
Director atkins, who is known for extensively pre-
visualizing her projects, says she was able to satisfy her
location wish list at the hospital, thanks in part to the
institution’s interior designer who was on hand during
the shoot. This added a layer of authenticity throughout
including the ability to create the illusion of an outdoor
family adventure that unfolds to reveal a hospital room
in “Camping”.
Credits:
Client: Gundersen Health System
Titles: “Baby,” “Therapy Dog,” “Camping”
Ad Agency: Preston Kelly
Creative Director: Chris Preston
Copywriter: Charlie Tournat
Art Director: Anne Taylor
Producer: Anne Swarts
