Rodeo Show’s Matt Uhry directs playful spot for TELUS

Director Matt Uhry and production company Rodeo Show partnered with Makers and Camp Jefferson to produce an ad for TELUS Health MyPet, a new mobile app that lets you visit a veterinarian from your phone. 

The lively spot MyPet, depicts a frustration that all pet owners share, coaxing your pet into a trip to the vet’s office.

Leaning into his deep experience as a director of animal and pet-related content, Uhry worked with lead set trainer Sheigh Crabtree in Los Angeles to cast 17 animals for the spot. In capturing the pet-corralling moments, the team brought forth the unique personality of each animal before resolving the action in a happy place, emphasising the ease and convenience of visiting MyPet™ from home.

“We wanted to convey the hijinx of getting pets to the vet as something that’s both endearing and comical,” says Uhry. “By basing it on behaviors I knew we could capture from our animal performers, like escaping out of an open window or hiding under the bed - we were able to put together this very relatable commercial.”

Uhry points out that the greatest challenge of the spot was humorously depicting cats and dogs resisting a visit to the vet. This meant that rather than working from a place of fear, animals performed trained behaviours with joy and precision. This required Uhry and his team to get creative in their storytelling, working with the various animals and their unique skill sets. For example, one cat was adept at shutting a door with its paw, while a 120-pound Great Pyrenees dog preferred to remain immovable.

“The Pyrenees is a guard dog by nature and can be quite stoic and strong-willed,” notes Uhry. “She just would not move, so for this spot, we didn’t have to train her to stay still, it’s just her nature. She stole the show in a way, even without having to do any tricks. Her performance is rooted in authenticity and breed-specific characteristics.”