Hennessy’s next chapter in the “What’s Your Wild Rabbit” campaign focuses on the power of the mind–an undeniable narrative that has been overlooked and discounted within multicultural communities for far too long. Whereas cultural narratives tend to focus on Black success in the context of athleticism and entertainment, this newest series of films shifts that narrative, and tell a “Never Stop. Never Settle” story of mental and intellectual greatness as reflected in chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, Jamaican born and raised in Brooklyn.
Directed by Daniel Wolfe of production company Somesuch for Droga 5 NY, the films depict Ashley’s mental development and immersion in the infinite possibilities of the game, including many key learnings and opponent styles that shaped his view of and approach to the game. The cerebral aspect of chess is highlighted, which pushed him deeper into competition with his own self to push the limits of his mind’s potential.
The films, set in the early 1990s, are meticulously detailed in their depiction of the period, with historic recreations of a Brooklyn bodega and the clothes worn by The Black Bear School based on archival photography and conversations with surviving members of the group. Black Bear is a chess club which has helped some of the most stellar Black chess Masters of all time. Parts of the films were shot on cameras and film stocks dating from the time, and the street art that appears in many of the shots are all originals, created by Brooklyn graffiti artist David CHINO Villorente, a legend of the ‘90s.
Additionally, the sound effects, music and typestyles seen throughout the films draw heavily on the influences that shaped Ashley’s mental development. References to martial arts, both visual and aural, reflect his use of these disciplines to master the craft of chess (he has a black belt in Aikido), as well as his love of martial arts films and the video games of the period.
The "mixtape" approach to the soundtrack touches not only on the hip hop of the era, but also the jazz and soul records the older members of the Black Bear School used to play during matches, before crescendoing in an extract from Mozart’s Requiem, a key element of the soundtrack to Amadeus, the study of the development of the mind of another genius, and Maurice’s favorite movie.
Created in collaboration with creative agency Droga5, Hennessy’s new campaign will be broken into three distinct storytelling strains. The first features long-form ads that dramatize the story of Maurice Ashley and his development as a champion and man through the camaraderie and harsh lessons of The Black Bear School. The second features a series of short-form ads that bring to life the “Lessons of a Grandmaster.” These stand-alone shorts illustrate the mind-expanding lessons Maurice learned through playing chess and draw a parallel to strategies everyone can employ in everyday life. The third is an in-depth documentary look at the history of Maurice and The Black Bear School. The film is a seminal piece of largely forgotten New York City Black history that will finally be given the attention it deserves.
Here’s the two-minute ad, "Maurice Ashley & The Black Bear School," that delves into the mind of a Grandmaster.
