With Trevor Jones Producing and Greg Swartz Directing, the creative team at Blacksmith & Jones are experiencing a colossal success with their first-ever Super Bowl commercial “The Spirit of Community.”
It’s The Botanist Gin’s first U.S. television commercial and doubled commitment to the U.S. market in collaboration with the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC). The pairing chose Blacksmith & Jones to helm their U.S. debut in an important effort to urge all Americans to show support for the bar and restaurant community. According to Jones, “having worked in hospitality, having family and friends in hospitality and watching what the global pandemic did to an already difficult industry, it was a welcomed opportunity to try and help.”
Jones and Swartz also chose to feature real-life bar and restaurant staff in their commercial, amplifying the need for support and encouraging viewers to get involved. The collaboration has been a huge success. The commercial’s teaser blasted its way across social media – bringing in over 4 Million views in just a couple days leading up to the Super Bowl.
Blacksmith & Jones are well-known in the Industry for their powerful storytelling talent. They have developed a distinctive brand around this core which comes through all their creative endeavors…
As Swartz says, “We are storytellers first and foremost and we approach every project that way. We surround ourselves with incredible craftspeople and technicians — whether it’s DPs, Editors, composers, or drone pilots — and we trust them to do their jobs so that we can focus on the story. Whether it’s a commercial, a documentary, or a narrative film, story is the beating heart. Without that, you have all flash and nothing else.”
Jones adds, “Greg’s relentlessness in pursuing the story is born out of a need to honor the people involved and not just the subjects of the film or commercial, but crew as well. He takes his responsibility as the creative driver of a project very seriously. Blacksmith and Jones started as a vehicle for my and Greg's passion projects so we approach every project from a place of emotional connection.”
The backstory to Blacksmith & Jones winning partnership began with a chance meeting at a Halloween Party. Swartz was preparing to direct the feature film Another Harvest Moon and was still on the hunt for a good line producer. After a 30-minute conversation, Swartz offered the job to Jones on the spot, without asking about his credits or even his surname. Despite having a large cadre of veteran stars and a tight shooting schedule, Jones brought the film in on time and on budget. They’ve enjoyed a great friendship and an extremely successful partnership ever since.
Source: YouTube
Most recently Jones produced and Swartz Directed the documentary “The Water of Life” which Forbes Magazine called, "The most ambitious piece of media ever made about whisky!”
About Blacksmith & Jones
Blacksmith & Jones is a motion picture and commercial content concern focused on story driven filmmaking. They are committed to deliver the best film, show, or commercial product possible, without regard to budget or logistical constraints.
About Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones is a Partner in Blacksmith & Jones and a Producer with numerous credits. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Jones moved to Los Angeles where he quickly gained work as a producer. Jones has been invited onto podcasts and panels to discuss his groundbreaking digital distribution of The Water of Life necessitated by the global pandemic.
Jones has also produced docu-series for Nat Geo, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet and Refinery29's Shatterbox series. He has produced or line-produced many independent feature films most notably Another Harvest Moon, the first collaboration with his longtime business partner Greg Swartz. He has produced award-winning commercial spots including, The Botanist Gin (Aired during Superbowl LVI), Apple, Heineken, Coors, Polaris, Indian Motorcycles, Dolby and Activision and music videos for such artists as Devendra Banhart and Gogol Bordello.
About Greg Swartz
Greg Swartz is a Partner in Blacksmith & Jones, a Producer, Director and Writer with numerous credits. He grew up in Camp Hill, PA, outside of Harrisburg and after working as a newspaper reporter for six years in Lancaster, PA, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film. Swartz credits include commercials for Kia, BMW USA, Rebbl Drinks, and Mattel and the current Super Bowl spot “The Spirit of Community” among many others. His Documentary “The Water of Life” is in negotiations with a major Distributor. He also directed the award-winning short film “Betsy.”
Greg lives with his wife and two kids in Los Feliz, California.
