Where’d you go from there?
The walls of our war room were covered in Post-it notes with story names and montage ideas so The Mark’s editor (who had never done anything like this before), our senior creative team, and our director of production could shape the narrative. The challenge was to make professional doc footage fit with amateur filmmaker footage, as well as maintain the story, all while keeping a close eye on the authentic delivery of Scotia’s brand throughout. After three months of editing, we began sharing rough and fine cuts with our Scotia clients for their feedback and legal approval. Film coloring, sound mixing, original music are all standard parts of pre-production. But in this case, they had to be relied on to bind footage from many different sources, leaving the viewers feeling like they watched a cohesive narrative.
Any unexpected challenges or headaches?
In the week leading up to Nov. 17, one of our “stories” decided they didn’t want to take part. We respected it. But we had to replace that story in somewhat of a panic. I won’t tell you which one, but the replacement ended up being one of my favorites.
Which stories really stand out for you?
Darian Louie and his grandma, Ann, are Indigenous Canadians who live on the Williams Lake Indian Reserve. Darian’s family has been plagued by mental health, addiction and abuse issues. His grandma’s love and commitment has helped keep Darian on a positive path. Hockey has helped, too. And now, through his hard work and natural talent, Darian is being scouted for higher levels of hockey.
The Cey family from Wilkie, Saskatchewan. Bill Cey and his late wife had 18 kids. Those kids have many kids. This immediate family includes over 80 people! Every year, they get together for a family-only hockey tournament. Last year, it happened to take place on Nov. 17.
Nicole Durand from Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, is wheelchair bound. She grew up watching her able-bodied brother play hockey. When she decided she wanted to play, she not only found her way onto a team playing on a “sledge,” but she actually created an entire sledge-hockey league. On Nov. 17, she played a sledge hockey game with her team which includes her able-bodied dad as the coach. This woman is not famous. But she should be.
The emotional power of Ainslie Bien-Aimé’s story. His parents escaped Haiti to give him a better life in Quebec. But in a Cool Runnings kind of Hollywood story, he overcame racial challenges and led Team Haiti to the 2015 World Street & Ball Hockey Championship. When he tells the story of meeting his father at the airport after the victory … my eyes well up each time. The desire to make your parents proud and to give them back whatever you can for everything that they’ve done for you. Hugely powerful.
What’s the brand boost for Scotiabank?
Canadians widely recognize Scotia as a big supporter of the thing we all love most: hockey. It’s through awareness of this shared passion that Scotiabank sees lifts in key brand metrics like willingness to consider and recommend. Hockey 24 further ingrains Scotia as a key supporter of hockey in Canada, but it does so in such an authentic way that it deepens the connection with its audience.
