Note: You'll need to have Quicktime installed to view the videos on this page. If you prefer, you can click on the logo over there to view them (and many more) on my Ad Agent YouTube Channel.BAPTIST HEALTH SYSTEMS: Bernard!
Baptist Health Systems wanted to produce an educational video to prepare children for surgery. Together with art director Joe Barnes at GodwinGroup and commercial director Jim Smith at Key of Blue, I wrote and produced this video featuring their longtime hospital puppet, Bernard—brought to life by professional puppeteer Keri Horn. Surgery can be a frightening process for a child. This video uses brightly colored numbers and lots of repetition to walk them through the entire process in an entertaining way. The video was designed to be amusing and educational for parents as well.Watch "Bernard: Surgery 1-2-3" Video (9 min)
HORNE LLP: College Recruitment Video
HORNE LLP, is a different kind of accounting firm. They're anti-necktie, pro-fun and every bit the polar opposite of every accounting firm I've ever had experience with. As a result, they want to hire people as "different" as they are – people who will fit in with their unique corporate culture. I wrote and produced this college recruitment video to help put that the idea of "different" into the heads of college students—on a rather low budget. Enjoy!Watch HORNE's College Recruitment Video (4 min)
HANCOCK BANK: Branding Campaign
When Hancock Bank asked my creative team at GodwinGroup for television spots to galvanize its branding campaign, I wrote the following spots to communicate the bank's commitment to small businesses and local communities. The spots were a true team effort. Special thanks to my art director Patrick Leary and broadcast producer Jay Losset at Godwin as well as director Peter Petro at Cavu and animator Mathew Beale at TrinitiFX.Watch Hancock Bank "Small Business" TV (:30)
Watch Hancock Bank "Consumer" TV (:30)
ARKANSAS HEART HOSPITAL: Branding Television
Arkansas Heart Hospital came to GodwinGroup wanting to communicate their extreme commitment to family, embodied by their specialty, their attitude toward healthcare and their unlimited visiting hours. With the help of art director Joe Barnes, I wrote the following spot which had to be produced on a rather a tight budget. I thought it turned out rather well and hit all the points the hospital wanted to communicate in a heart-warming, family-centric way.Watch Arkansas Heart "Every Heart Matters" TV (:30)
SOUTHERN MISS FOOTBALL: The Favre Spots
These are come cool old spots from 2002-2004. I co-wrote and co-produced them with my fellow GodwinGroup writers Allan Carver ("Around the World" and "The Hole") and Tal McNiell ("Win a Date with Brett" and "Favre's Skybox"). They starred NFL All-Star Quarterback, Brett Favre, who graciously donated some time off from the Green Bay Packers to help his Alma Mater sell some season tickets. I got to catch a few passes from him during the "Around the World" shoot. He told me he wasn't going to pull any punches and I still caught all but one pass—and Brett admitted that it was a little off target. How cool is that? Production for the spots were lovingly donated by director Jim Smith at Key of Blue ("Around the World" and "The Hole") and director Philip Scarborough ("Win a Date with Brett" and "Favre's Skybox").ABNER'S: "Chickens Don't Have Fingers"
Abner's Famous Chicken Tenders faced the challenge of mounting competition in a rather homogenuous category. They wanted a TV campaign that would really stand out and make a strong statement about the superior quality and freshness of their product. I came up with the idea of using a real, live, talking spokes-chicken to send the message. But as you can imagine, talking chickens are few and far between, so I had to rely on the amazing talent and ingenuity of my friends at Lathe Productions to fake it. No, really. I know it looks real, but it's all fake.HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE: "College 101"
Even as the largest community college in the state of Mississippi, Hinds Community College was having trouble convincing high school students that Hinds is a viable choice for continuing their education. When it comes to choosing a college or university, research shows that teenagers couldn't care less about things like value and quality. Instead, they focus on "the college experience." So the following spots were designed to illustrate that Hinds offers the kind of experience teens expect from college, in addition to great value and a quality education. The campaign was also designed to cater to their parents, as well as adult learners. The spots were directed by Key of Blue's Jim Smith.Watch HCC "College 101 - Students" TV (:30)
Watch HCC "College 101 - Parents" TV (:30)
Watch HCC "College 101 - Adults" TV (:30)
Check out the multiple award-winning College 101 Radio on the Radio page.
Check out the College 101 print campaign on the Print page.
Mississippi Department of Transportation: "I'm Not Your Mama"
The Mississippi Department of Transportation contracted with GodwinGroup to create their long-range anti-litter initiative in 2001. I was intrumental in developing the strategy for the campaign, as well as the tag line, I'm Not Your Mama, a uniquely Southern way of saying, "Clean up after yourself." And I wrote the following TV spots to communicate the idea to the masses. They star former First Lady of Mississippi, Pat Fordice, and they won First Place in the National Keep America Beautiful Awards, beating the most recent campaign from a perrennial favorite with a familiar tag line, Don't Mess With Texas. Thanks to Director Gary Noren at Noren Productions.Watch MDOT "Bubbas" TV (:30)
Watch MDOT "Tow Truck" TV (:30)
Watch MDOT "Long Arm of the Law" TV (:30)
Mississippi Department of Transportation: "Myrtle The Turtle"
When the Mississippi Department of Transportation wanted to develop a children's program built around the "I'm Not Your Mama" message, I created a character named Myrtle the Turtle to deliver it. I wrote and produced an eight minute video starring Myrtle (and her animal friends) which was later adapted into a couple of television spots that aired on public television as well as Boomerang, Nickelodeon and other kid-friendly cable channels. The program continues to be successful, as seen here on MDOT's website. Click the links below to witness Myrtle's epic struggle against litter!Watch "Myrtle the Turtle" Video (8 min)
Watch Myrtle the Turtle "Music Video" TV (:30)
Watch Myrtle the Turtle "Anti-Litter" TV" (:30)
BONUS MATERIAL! Early "Myrtle the Turtle" Screen Test
TIME WARNER CABLE: "iControl"
In 1999, Time Warner Cable turned to GodwinGroup to introduce iControl, its interactive television product that allowed customers to pause, fast-forward and rewind On Demand programming. To launch the product on TV and communicate its rather complicated features (at least for back then), I came up with the idea of putting a guy (or three) in a remote control suit so that "iControl" could talk directly to the audience about all the things "he" can do. To overcome the low budget, we shot the spots on video, documentary-style. The result was a very entertaining and impactful campaign consisting of about 10 spots. Watch a couple of examples below.Time Warner Cable "iControl Training" TV :60
Time Warner Cable "Meet iControl" TV :60
BONUS MATERIAL! My Nephew Walker as iCONTROL on Halloween
MORE TO COME! Check back soon.