This last October I partnered with American Ethanol (and agency: Fresh Produce) to direct and shoot three :30 spots. AE sponsors a good number of UFC fighters and I got to work with some of their more accomplished athletes.
Luke Rockhold (above) just clinched the UFC middleweight championship title in a very decisive win over his opponent. It was a bloody battle, not for the weak stomached!
Ryan Bader (below) is fighting later this month for his chance at the middle heavyweight champion spot. In short, these guys are no joke -- some of the best fighters in the world. It was an honor to work alongside them.
Challenges: We had VERY limited time with most of these athletes and were not able to choose specifics like time-of-day to shoot like we typically would. We also had several last minute location changes to juggle. My whole team was 100% engaged when it was time to shoot and we were able to get what we needed in minimal time. Big ups to them all!
My team and I shot these three pieces over 4 days in Santa Cruz, San Hose and Phoenix. From sunrise sessions on the beach to sunsets in the Arizona desert, we chased these guys around to show that much like you and I, we're all more than what we appear.
Daniel Cormier, (below) is an Olympic wrestler and current middle heavyweight champion.
I guess we weren't the first to do a video with Daniel...
These commercials are part of a bigger social media push from AE entitled #MoreThanAFuel. Dig around on social outlets if you're a UFC fan and I'm sure you'll see some fun stuff.
