A couple of months in the past, the parents on the McCann Erickson (one the biggest promoting businesses on the planet), reached out to us. They mentioned they have been engaged on a Microsoft tv marketing campaign, showcasing how actual folks use PCs to realize their ardour, and so they thought HoneyTrek might be a superb match. Flattered and flabbergasted, we began an intense interview course of, and three months later we’re on nationwide TV! The entire expertise from begin to current has been extremely humbling and completely surreal…right here’s the way it all went down.
HoneyTrek started as a grand concept to honeymoon around the globe, immerse ourselves in different cultures, search life-changing adventures, and encourage different folks to suppose past their nation’s borders. Having ditched our desk jobs to observe our dream, we run HoneyTrek from our “satellite tv for pc workplaces” (aka. seashore chairs, bus stations, housesits, ferry boats, jungle huts, and so forth.) All we’d like is a laptop computer and one another to arrange HoneyTrek HQ.
After a couple of rounds of Skype calls with then McCann and Microsoft groups, they mentioned they wished us to check out the brand new Dell XPS 13, loaded with Home windows 10. Attempting to comprise our pleasure, we despatched them our mailing handle in Mazatlan, Mexico. Their e-mail reply (on a Friday) mentioned, “Thanks for the handle. The Senior Supervisor and Director of International Promoting can be arriving on Tuesday.” Wait, what? They flew their higher administration from Seattle to Mazatlan (completely loopy aspect observe: Seattle & Mazatlan are literally Sister Cities…have to be destiny!) to hand-deliver and arrange our computer systems in individual! We spent the subsequent three weeks exploring the newest Home windows options (Microsoft Edge, Cortana private assistant, Common Apps, 3D Maps…to call a couple of) and placing the laptops via the HoneyTrek ringer (7-hour bus rides, sun-drenched work areas, running a blog marathons, and so forth.) and it handed with flying colours. One factor led to the subsequent and earlier than we knew it, we have been on a firstclass flight to LA to shoot a TV industrial.
We pulled as much as the gates of Common Studios, and it was buzzing with digicam crews, set builders, present runners, and glamorous folks. A person with a RSA Movies badge walked as much as us, “Are you guys HoneyTrek?” With a mega model like Microsoft we knew this wasn’t going to be a ragtag crew, however we didn’t understand they employed among the best manufacturing firms on the planet. RSA stands for Ridley Scott Associates; he’s the Academy Award Profitable director of Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, The Martian, and a dozen extra acclaimed movies. He has an unimaginable crew, together with his son and director for our industrial, Jake Scott. You’ve seen Jake’s work…the Budweiser “Merely Put” Tremendous Bowl advert with Helen Mirran, Johnny Walker’s “Gentleman’s Wager” with Jude Legislation, and music movies for U2, REM, Radiohead, and lots extra. No strain, HoneyTrek.
We have been escorted to Wardrobe for a becoming with the 2 costume designers. Kim and David had been learning our “model” from pictures and movies over the previous week and deciding on outfits to match. They’d us attempt on and {photograph} a dozen totally different appears to be like, incorporating a few of our favourite private equipment, till we had strong choices to point out Jake. Pink linen costume, a beaded bracelet from Mazatlan, and leather-based sandals for Anne and a few weathered Carhartts, a short-sleeve button-down, and the signature inexperienced hat for Mike.
We tried to get a superb evening sleep however all of the nerves and pleasure woke me up at 4am, so I made a decision to go to the health club. I stroll out of our lodge room on the seventeenth ground of the Common Sheraton and I almost jumped out of my pores and skin…and so did Bernie Sanders’ aides. It was election day in California and The Bern was staying two doorways down from us! However I digress…I did some yoga, had some breakfast, then we received picked up at 6am for hair, make-up, and nails. How glamorous!
Primped and preened, the Assistant Producer escorted us to Stage 4. In an area the dimensions of an airplane hangar, there have been over 100 folks…organising lights, sound, cameras, and props for the “HoneyTrek Impressed” set. We rounded the nook, and everybody paused to stare at us. Gulp.
It was fairly intimidating having all these folks and large cameras round, however Jake, along with his laid-back vibe and disarming English accent, someway made us really feel relaxed. He sat on the fringe of the stage and simply requested us questions on HoneyTrek and the way we use our tech. They didn’t give us a script…the truth is, they barely gave us any information about what we’d be doing to maintain our responses further pure. We simply riffed on journey and walked them via how we edit pictures, compile movies, do social media, and publish blogs. Not gonna lie, it was nonetheless fairly intense however so cool that they trusted us to shoot from the hip.
We made it to lunchtime, phew! We don’t understand how individuals who work on these high-profile units don’t get fats. Lunch was a smorgasbord, the meals truck was all the time open, and the crafts service crew delivered connoisseur snacks each couple hours…and we cherished each minute of it.
As soon as we accomplished the shot checklist of nitty gritty stuff, they’d us share the tales behind a few of our favourite journey treasures. With Maasai spears, Japanese Kabuki masks, Bolivian miners lamps, and Tibetan Cow Bells, we had a bit of enjoyable with props…if solely I knew they’d use the footage of my bell booty shake on TV!
Because the movie crew deconstructed their gear, a 12-person photograph crew arrived for the nonetheless photographs. Along with what’s on Microsoft’s web site proper now, we is perhaps in some print advertisements around the globe. (They’d me placed on a sweater so it might run within the Center East.)
Our Home windows 10 TV Industrial
After we shot the industrial, McCann advised us there was no assure it could air on TV. They requested us a couple of follow-up questions over the subsequent two months however nonetheless gave no indication if and when it could run. Then final week, we get an e-mail saying: “It’s airing on Monday, don’t inform a soul!” We have been bursting on the seams and in a state of complete amazement that 10 hours of intense filming might be culled into 30 stunning seconds.
With a lot footage and so many platforms to share it on, the crew truly made three variations of the spot. Right here’s one of many 15-second clips you may even see round social media or Hulu.
We’re so grateful for this chance to work with such a proficient crew and revered model. We hope we did everyone proud!
