- Friday, Jun. 25, 2021
Nike and Wieden+Kennedy’s landmark “You Can’t Stop Us” ad, which made waves for its clever and visually riveting editing in Summer 2020, has won a Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix. Co-edited by Academy co-founder Peter Wiedensmith while at JOINT alongside Jessica Baclesse, the spot splices seemingly disconnected sports and globally distant communities together to forge a show of unity and perseverance. The ad also earned a Bronze Lion in Film Craft.
As the campaign was largely made from found footage, its magic relied heavily on the edit bay. Notes Peter, “I love documentary storytelling because it gives me the chance to say something truly emotionally authentic. Copywriter Dylan Lee and Art Director Naoki Ga drove the concept to the highest level possible, and I have never seen such a huge post team as we had at JOINT to find and license the footage and make the pairs! The support from the CDs Alberto Ponte and Ryan O'Rourke, W+K, Nike, Oscar Hudson and Pulse Films, as well as A52 were all necessary. We had several editors, many assistants, producers, footage researchers, VFX artists, and every single one of them was necessary to make this happen. It was a huge collaboration, and the way that reinforces the central theme of the spot is so perfect.”
Peter left JOINT in Summer of 2021 to found Academy alongside former JOINT editor Tommy Harden. The new Portland-based editorial shop is focused on working with creative agencies and directors, while nurturing up-and-coming editors with education and experience. The duo joined forces after an extensive tenure with JOINT, where Peter served as founder for 25 years and Tommy as editor for 14. The work of the two talents at JOINT earned three Emmys, for the 2011 Chrysler “Born of Fire” spot, P&G’s “Best Job” campaign celebrating Olympic athletes and their mothers, and the more recent awards-sweeping Nike “Dream Crazy” ad. Wiedensmith and Harden were additionally nominated for three Emmys combined, including the famed Nike spot “Hello World” starring Tiger Woods and Chrysler’s “Half Time in America” with Clint Eastwood.
Client: Nike
Agency: W+K Portland
Executive Creative Directors: Jason Bagley, Eric Baldwin
Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O'Rourke
Copywriter: Dylan Lee
Art Director: Naoki Ga
Director of Production: Matt Hunnicutt
Executive Producers: Jake Grand, Krystle Mortimore
Senior Producers: Katie McCain, Byron T. Oshiro
Associate Producers: Samson Selam, Shani Storey
Global Brand Director: André Gustavo
Brand Director: Kate Rutkowski
Brand Manager: Paanii Annan
Creative Operations: Managers Saba Spencer, David Ramirez
Global Group Strategy Director: Andy Lindblade, Paula Bloodworth
Media Team: Danny Sheniak, Reme Debisschop, Emily Dalton, Vivian Zhang, Graham Wallace, Claudia Iraheta
Brand Strategy Directors: Nathan Goldberg, AJ Blumenthal
Business Affairs: Karen Crossley, Edith Ortiz, Emily Kahn
Broadcast Traffic: Sabrina Reddy, Billy Mucha
Design Ops Manager/Design Producer: Alicia Kuna, Michael Rosenau, Michael Frediani
Studio Designers: Joan Comellas, Jamon Sin, Mitch Wilson
Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Oscar Hudson
DP: Logan Triplett
Executive Producers: Darren Foldes, Davud Karbassioun
Managing Director: Hillary Rogers
Line Producer: Dennis Beier
Production Designer: Adam Wilson
Key Costumer: Chris Araujo
Editorial Company: JOINT
Editor: Peter Wiedensmith, Jessica Baclesse
Cutting Assistant: Jasmine McCullough, JC Nuñez
Assistant Editors: Charlie Harrington, Kris Faris, Luke Buckley
After Effects: Ben Corbin, Damian Riddell
Footage Researcher: Izzie Raitt
Post Executive Producer: Leslie Carthy
Post Producer: Kathleen Russell
Post Production: Coordinator Aubree VanDercar
VFX Company: A52
VFX Supervisor: Patrick Murphy
Lead Flame: Patrick Murphy
2D VFX Artists: Urs Furrer, Stefan Gaillot, Matt Sousa, Steve Wolff, Hugh Seville, Richard Hirst, Adam Flynn, Michael Vaglienty, Enid Dalkoff, Kevin Stokes, Dan Ellis, Chris Riley, Rod Basham, Shauna Prescott, Susanne Scharping
CG Supervisor: Andy Wilkoff
CG Modeler: Dustin Mellum
3D Trackers: Joe Chiechi, Michael Cardenas, Mike Bettinardi
Online Editor: Kevin Stokes, Chris Riley, Sam Kolber
Managing Director: Jennifer Sofio Hall
VFX Executive Producers: Patrick Nugent, Kim Christensen
VFX Producer: Everett Cross, Andrew Rosenberger, and Jillian Lynes
Color Company: A52
Colorist Daniel: De Vue
Color Assists: Corey Martinez, Dylan Bursick
Color Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson
Color Producer: Jenny Bright
Music Artists: Cowboys in Japan | Song: 'Daylight'
Sound Design Company: JOINT
Sound Designer: Noah Woodburn
Audio Assistant: Natalie Huizenga
Executive Producer: Leslie Carthy
Mix Company: JOINT
Audio Mixer: Noah Woodburn
Audio Assist: Natalie Huizenga
Executive Producer: Leslie Carthy