Musikvergnuegen, Sherman Oaks, Calif., scored the spot "Motorcycle," via Grey Advertising, New York, promoting Canon’s Rebel camera and featuring tennis great Andre Agassi. Walter Werzowa and John Luker composed the jazzy, orchestral music to accompany Agassi competing in a game called "fireball" on a motorcycle. George Jecel of bicoastal The End directed the spot….A contingent of composers from Hank Smith Music, San Francisco—Blaise Smith, Mark Harrison, Michael Lande, Terbo Ted, Piero Ornelas, John Tejada and Sean Heskett—has wrapped an 11-spot Polaroid package directed by Peter Care of bicoastal/international Satellite for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco. The spots showcase Polaroid’s new I-Zone and Joy Cam cameras and sticky film in a variety of fun scenarios, including foosball games and motor scooter rides…. Monster Tracks, a division of Baker Sound Studios, Philadelphia, has produced music out of CCP, Wayne, Pa., for short promotional films touting a new line of Mattel trucks and the Mattel Car Wash….Kim Carnes sang two theme songs for the Cleveland Browns this summer: "Dawg Fever" and "Somebody Let the Dawgs Out." Both were played during local NFL broadcasts on WKYC-TV, Cleveland, and at the stadium during its home games. The tunes were written by company president Randy Wachtler and songwriter Greg Barnhill via 615 Music Productions, Nashville. Micki Barnes of WKYC-TV was the creative services director on that project….The music for food.com’s 16 spots out of Blazing Paradigm, San Francisco, was recorded, edited and mixed at One Union Recording Studios, San Francisco. The simple vignette spots for the online food delivery service feature music sound designed by Andy Newell out of Earwax, San Francisco. Melissa Bolton of bicoastal Shelter Films directed the spots….Brad Music Detroit/ Chicago’s Brad Fairman and Tommy Coster composed the music for the spot "Use Your Head" for client Shower Shine via Foote, Cone & Belding, Chicago; director was Tom Kwilosz of There TV, Chicago….Brad Music’s John Nixon and Colton Park Weatherston scored a five-spot package—"Cadillac Eldorado," "Lesson Seville," "Learning Curve DeVille," "Accelerated Program Catera" and "Don’t Let Anything Stop Your Escalade"—for Cadillac Motor Car Division out of DMB&B, Detroit….Hollywood-based Megatrax Production Music has acquired the rights to "The Unlimited Classics Collection," comprised of 105 CDs of music by composers including Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. The collection was acquired from Mazur Media in Wedemark, Germany. The deal allows the company to exclusively license the collection for use in film, TV, advertising, audiovisual and multimedia projects throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Central and South America….
Leave It To “Hundreds of Beavers”–and A Nimble Agency–To Create A Breakthrough Indie Film Campaign
On the surface it seems so nonsensical--a wordless black-and-white feature film about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (played by actor and co-writer Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) who’s waging war with a colony of beavers, portrayed by actors in mascot costumes. Yet there’s a method to this slapstick madness as Hundreds of Beavers, directed and co-written by Mike Cheslik, has gained cult hit status--an outcome that wouldn’t have been possible if the film went the conventional marketing route. In fact, without a breakout campaign, it’s doubtful if Hundreds of Beavers would have gotten the theater exposure needed to register at all. Hundreds of Beavers has screened in at least one theater a week--with a high-water mark of some 30 cinema houses at once--since its debut on January 26, 2024. Made for just $150,000, Hundreds of Beavers has at last count done some $1.3 million at the theatrical box office, another $500,000 on digital platforms, and generated $250,000 in merchandise sales. Hundreds of Beavers has happily engaged audiences in theaters across the country, recently concluding a two-week run at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema movie house in Los Angeles. The inspired campaign, which helped Hundreds of Beavers earn the #4 Best Film of 2024 ranking from the Los Angeles Times, came from Milwaukee-based boutique ad agency SRH (Sabljak, Ravenwood, Hogerton), founded in 2014 by Matt Sabljak, Kurt Ravenwood and Sam Hogerton--all of whom served as producers on Hundreds of Beavers. SRH started as a production company and over time evolved into a full-service advertising agency working with brands including the Green Bay Packers, Harley-Davidson, Sargento Cheese and... Read More