Park Pictures brought home the prestigious 2015 TV/Cinema Cannes Lions Grand Prix for the GEICO “Unskippable” campaign through The Martin Agency. Directed by Terri Timely, the spots take a hilariously realistic approach to pre-roll ads, halting the action in the first few seconds to poke fun at the fact that few viewers stick around to see what happens next.
“We are very proud of Terri Timely for this Grand Prix. It shows off their comedic genius and their great sense of design,” says Park Pictures Co-founder/Executive Producer Jackie Kelman Bisbee. In addition to Terri Timely’s Grand Prix win, Lance Acord’s GE spot “The Boy Who Beeps” also won Film Craft Bronze in Direction and Script. The diversity of these wins showcases our roster’s wide range of storytelling talent. Lance and I work hard to foster an environment where directors from a variety of sensibilities can hone their craft at the highest level,” notes Bisbee.
Acord, Park Pictures’ Emmy-winning Co-Founder, directed the GE spot out of BBDO New York. In addition to their Grand Prix win, Park Pictures took home an additional 9 Lions, earning them the fourth spot on the 2015 Palme D’Or production company list.
GEICO “Unskippable: Family” finds an enthusiastic family sitting down to dinner when they all freeze after the mom delivers the first line, with the voiceover noting “You can’t skip this GEICO ad, because it’s already over.” The group remains frozen in the background as the family dog climbs onto the table, helping himself to several plates of spaghetti.
The spot has already earned numerous international accolades including a Yellow Pencil in Digital Marketing from the D&AD Awards, a 2015 AICP Award for “Editing” as well as an additional four Silver Lions for Online Film Campaign, a Bronze Film Craft Lion for Script and two Bronze Cyber Lions for Use of Video. Additionally, the clever pre-roll ads have garnered widespread viral attention, nabbing nearly 26 million combined views for both the short form and long form versions of the four vignettes. The campaign has also earned praise from such noted publications as AdWeek, Creativity, Fast Company, Huffington Post, Forbes and USA Today. The spot was featured on The Today Show, with Carson Daly noting, “This is a brilliant scheme from GEICO to keep you focused on this ad.”
Directing duo Terri Timely is comprised of Northern California natives Ian Kibbey and Corey Creasey. The duo has crafted short films, music videos and commercials in their own unique visual style since meeting while studying at the University of California, Berkeley. Passionate about storytelling at the core of any creative work, the duo has helmed music videos for the likes of Joanna Newson, St. Vincent and Modest Mouse as well as short films including “A Persistent Vision,” “Cecil,” and “Synesthesia.” Terri Timely’s commercial work includes spots for such brands as Mitsubishi, Nissan, Amazon, Comcast, and the irreverent “Gali the Aligator” spot for France’s 13th Street Crime Channel, which was awarded at the 2008 Cannes Lions.
In 2011, the duo signed with Park Pictures and has since directed a wide range of spots, including the inaugural campaigns for Square and eMusic, as well as spots for IBM, Xfinity, Honda, Whole Foods, the 2013 Smokey Bear campaign, GEICO, and Moto 360.
Lance Acord’s touching spot for GE “The Boy Who Beeps,” through BBDO New York, earned two Film Craft Bronze Lions, once for Direction and for Script. The spot sheds an emotional light on the power of technology through the story of a little boy who can only communicate through beeping.
About Park Pictures
Founded in 1998 by Executive Producer Jacqueline Kelman Bisbee and acclaimed filmmaker/cinematographer Lance Acord, Bicoastal/London-based Park Pictures has an auspicious track record of discovering and mentoring new talent in both the commercial and film spheres, and infusing all projects with big screen production values. Park Pictures has forged strong partnerships with agencies, studios and clients worldwide by engaging all members of its team in creative problem solving.
Park Pictures has earned the highest accolades for their international work, including an Oscar, an Emmy, and 18 Cannes Lions. Lance Acord has earned three DGA nominations for his commercial work and newly-signed directing duo The Mercadantes received a 2015 DGA nomination. Known for their story-driven film work, Park Pictures has been selected for Creativity’s “Production Company A-List” for nearly ten consecutive years. In 2015, co-founder Jacqueline Kelman Bisbee was selected for the 2015 Cannes Lions Film Craft jury and Advertising Age’s prestigious ‘Women to Watch’ honor.
Park Pictures’ feature division, headed by Producer Sam Bisbee, Jacqueline Kelman Bisbee and Lance Acord, has produced four features, all of which were selected for the Sundance Film Festival within a three-year timespan. In 2010, Park Pictures won an Academy Award for the company’s first narrative film, live-action short “The New Tenants,” starring Vincent D’Onofrio.