Agency Dead As We Know It releases first national campaign for Pendleton Whisky
Tapping RSA Films' award-winning director Jake Scott, counting on his knack for storytelling with visual impact and humanity.
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After winning the account in a creative pitch at the end of 2018, Dead As We Know It launches its first work for Pendleton Whisky, in the first national marketing campaign for the brand.
Pendleton Whisky, a premium blended Canadian whisky, was purchased by Proximo Spirits from Oregon-based Hood River Distillers in 2017. Created to honor the traditions of the American cowboy, Pendleton Whisky is the official whisky of the Pendleton Round-Up, one of America’s oldest rodeos, held each and every year in Pendleton, Oregon, since 1910.
In Everybody Falls, Dead As We Know It aimed to capture the unique culture of the Pendleton Round-Up, and to highlight the intense athleticism of the sport of bull riding. There are no sports that demand greater perseverance, agility, or courage from its practitioners.
Credits
powered by
- Agency Dead As We Know It/Brooklyn
- Production Company RSA Films
- Director Jake Scott
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Credits
powered by
- Agency Dead As We Know It/Brooklyn
- Production Company RSA Films
- Director Jake Scott
- Executive Creative Director/Art Director Mikal Reich
- Senior Copywriter Jesse Adelman
- Executive Creative Director Steve Mottershead
- DP Chris Soos | (DP)
- Executive Producer Tracie Norfleet
- Head of Production Elicia Laport
- Editor Alex Hagon
- Senior Producer Donna Lee
- Creative Director Lee Towndrow
- Head of Production John Skeffington
- Colorist Tom Poole
- Producer Alexandra Lubrano
- Creative Director Mike Jurasits
- Composer James Leibow
- Composer Morgan Visconti
- Senior Producer Craig Caniglia
- Sound Designer Mike Jurasits
- Sound Design Sloan Alexander
- VFX Supervisor Justin Blaustein
Credits
powered by
- Agency Dead As We Know It/Brooklyn
- Production Company RSA Films
- Director Jake Scott
- Executive Creative Director/Art Director Mikal Reich
- Senior Copywriter Jesse Adelman
- Executive Creative Director Steve Mottershead
- DP Chris Soos | (DP)
- Executive Producer Tracie Norfleet
- Head of Production Elicia Laport
- Editor Alex Hagon
- Senior Producer Donna Lee
- Creative Director Lee Towndrow
- Head of Production John Skeffington
- Colorist Tom Poole
- Producer Alexandra Lubrano
- Creative Director Mike Jurasits
- Composer James Leibow
- Composer Morgan Visconti
- Senior Producer Craig Caniglia
- Sound Designer Mike Jurasits
- Sound Design Sloan Alexander
- VFX Supervisor Justin Blaustein
With a focus on authenticity, Dead As We Know It shot the commercial at and around the Pendleton Round-Up’s 101-year old, 17,000-seat stadium, and cast the campaign exclusively with bull riders — all of whom are competitors in the grueling professional rodeo circuit, participating in over 100 rodeos per year.
Starring up-and-coming bull rider Dalton McMurtrie and veteran Pro Rodeo champion Douglas Duncan, the commercial tells the story of a young prospect’s tough road to the Pendleton Round-Up. We watch as he repeatedly falls off practice bulls and doggedly gets back on. Finally, surrounded by his mentor and friends, the young cowboy climbs onto a 1,500 pound bull at the Round-Up and hangs on for eight harrowing, victorious seconds. The moment is celebrated with glasses of Pendleton Whisky under the stands, just inches away from the bull pens.
Dead As We Know It tapped award-winning director Jake Scott (RSA Films) for this assignment, counting on his knack for storytelling with visual impact and humanity. His care for authenticity and love of western culture was key to balancing the modern-day world of rodeo with the drama and romance of the Old West.
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Mikal Reich, Executive Creative Director of Dead As We Know It: “Coming to The Pendleton Round-Up was like being dropped into another time. The care and love that this town has poured into the Round-Up and its rodeo traditions could not have been clearer, as they have been passed down from generation to generation. Winning this assignment was a huge honor and responsibility — and we did not want to screw it up. We hope the campaign brings attention to this delicious product, as well as to this national treasure, the Pendleton Round-Up.”
The campaign launched April 12th, and is set to run on a range of national networks, cable and streaming channels, including: NBA Playoffs on ESPN, ABC, TNT, NBAtv, NHL Playoffs and Premier League Soccer on NBC Sports, and The Daily Show on Comedy Central.
The campaign comprises 15-, 30- and 60-second spots. The 60-second film has two endings - one in which the hero hangs on, and another in which he doesn’t fare as well. Such is life in the rodeo.
