Unwrapping a holiday gift can be a heartwarming experience. And this spot extends that feeling of joy to opening another box–namely one containing a dozen Dunkin’ donuts.
Directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of SMUGGLER for Leo Burnett Chicago, “Holiday Unboxing” is shot from the donuts’ perspective, looking up from a box at the happy folks–including Santa Claus himself–seeking to grab a treat for themselves.
Charmingly disarming is an inspired song which accompanies the delight of delectable donuts, created by the ensemble at Beacon Street Studios in Venice, Calif.–and in the process earning the #1 ranking in SHOOT’s fourth quarter Top Ten Music Tracks Chart for 2023.
Composed by Beacon Street’s Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau and Danny Dunlap, with Rommel Molina serving as sound designer/mixer, the song offers a taste of the holidays. And here’s a taste of the lyrics for “Everybody Loves A Donut”:
“The world’s got you feeling glazed over,
Sprinkle some love all around.
Just climb your way up, outta that hole,
And you’ll be the taste of the town.
Grab the one thing that everyone’s lovin’.
And as it happens, they come by the dozen.
Everybody loves a donut.”
Fittingly, there’s a charming story relative to the singer, Ritchie Fabello, who helps unbox the holiday for us. Feltenstein noted that Beacon Street Studios derives its name from the Beacon Street in Boston. He explained, “When we opened the studio 23 years ago, a friend of ours that asked us to name some of the streets from our childhoods and that is how we came across it. My first summer job as a 13 year-old was at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 715 Boylston St. in downtown Boston across from the public library. Dunkin’ Donuts has always had a dear place in my heart.”
That said, Feltenstein continued that while working with Leo Burnett on this job, he, Nau, Dunlap and Beacon Street exec producer Leslie DiLullo really wanted to find authentic singers. “As we had discussed creatively on that very first conference call,” recalled Feltenstein, “we wanted to find that ‘uncle who could sing’ and families around the piano who brought heart and soul to a song as opposed to purely just professionalism. We felt that it was our responsibility to track down and find those people–to find that perfect and imperfect voice. Upon some research we found that the Boston Fire Department has an a cappella group; we reached out to them but never heard back. At the same time, one of my partners, Danny Dunlap, who is a Berklee School of Music graduate, had been grooming, a young, talented composer named Sam who lives in Boston. We explained to Sam what we were looking for: the uncle next-door, kind of singer, a real guy who could sing, but was not a joke. Coincidentally, that guy lived next-door to Sam!! Sam’s wife knocked on Ritchie’s door and asked him on behalf of Beacon Street Studios on behalf of Sam to sing on ‘Everybody Loves A Donut.’ The rest is beautiful music making, donut baking history, and we are grateful we could be a part of it all.”
By the way, Feltenstein noted that Fabello is a “kind-hearted gentleman from east Boston who loves lemon filled donuts and old fashioneds.”
Click here to view the full Top Ten Music Tracks Chart for the fourth quarter of 2023.
