Integrated Studio Reel FX embraces the perks of an impromptu birthday celebration in the humorous :30 “Mistaken Birthday” for Zaxby’s out of St. John & Partners. The spot features actor Alfonso Ribeiro of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” fame savoring a Zaxby’s Birthday Cake Milkshake. When a woman passing by in the hallway is misled by his ‘birthday’ mention, she immediately launches into party mode—complete with a cheesy personalized birthday banner, a shower of balloons and even an appearance of the infamous ‘Carlton dance.’ Reel FX Senior Editor Quan Tran cut the entire campaign, including a series of spots for Zaxby’s line of “Zalads” starring actress Amy Sedaris.
Notes Tran, “I’ve had a lot of fun working with the team at St. John & Partners on Zaxby’s through the years. I always look forward to who is on the next campaign and what situations they’ve got in store.”
The campaign also includes the :30 “Brain Freeze” that features Ribeiro in a mock-PSA addressing the serious yet often overlooked dangers of consuming frozen treats as well as the :30 “Party Time” that features Ribeiro setting up for a party, complete with a bulk order of Birthday Cake Milkshakes—that turns out to be just for him. Reel FX has been working on spots for Zaxby’s since 2005, with Tran beginning to cut the spots in 2011. Past spots out of Reel FX have featured such celebrities as Wayne Brady, Duck Dynasty stars Si Roberston and Willie Robertson, Chris Elliott, Lisa Rinna, Lee Ann Womack, Calvin Johnson, Little Richard, Clay Matthews, Leigh Allyn, and Rachel Dratch.
Credits:
Client: Zaxby’s
Titles: “Birthday Mistake,” “Brain Freeze,” “Party Time”
Agency: St. John & Partners Advertising and Public Relations
VP/Account Group Director: Jennifer Harmon
VP/Executive Creative Director: Peter Herbst
Account Manager: Kendall Barsin
Associate Creative Director: Kristen Bankert
Associate Creative Director: Jennifer Domaradzki Ross
Senior Writer: Brent Davis
Senior Broadcast Producer: Bill Fannin
Production: CoMPANY
Director: John Grammatico
Executive Producer: Robin Benson
Executive Producer: Richard Goldstein
Head of Production: Robert Nackman
Producer: Robert Katz
Post Production: Reel FX
Senior Post Producer: Marcie Teague
Post Executive Producers: Marvin Robinson, Gary Banks
Senior Editor: Quan Tran
Assistant Editor: Steven Happel
VFX Artists: Jared Brower, Laychin Lee
Audio Engineer: TJ Callaway
Creative Director: Barrett Lewis
Motion Designers: Anuja Pothireddy, Kyle Craig
VFX Supervisor: Kevin Althans
Senior Executives: Keith McCabe, Dale Carman
Production Managers: Rachel Bradley, Neil Weathersbee
Production Assistants: Justin Skerpan, Julia Gibson
About Reel FX
Reel FX develops and produces animated films and short form content. The company’s feature slate, released under its Reel FX Animation Studios banner, includes The Book of Life with Twentieth Century Fox, which was released in theaters on October 17th, 2014. The Book of Life was met with critical acclaim and has received four Best Animated Feature nominations from the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, Producers Guild Awards, and Annie Awards. The title is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Reel FX’s first full-length animated feature, Free Birds, was released by Relativity Media on November 1st, 2013 and grossed over $110 million worldwide.
Based out of Dallas, Texas, Reel FX launched its feature length development and production slate in 2010 after almost 20 years of experience as an award-winning one-stop studio for the creation of animated content including films, special attraction/live venue projects, commercials, and interactive projects for companies like Fox, Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation and Universal Studios. The studio maintains a short form division focused on commercials, music videos, theme park attractions as well as virtual reality content through its dedicated VR division, Reel FX VR.
Since starting the development and production of feature films, Reel FX has aligned itself with some of the most recognized and respected names and brands in the entertainment industry for its projects including Free Birds (Jimmy Hayward, Scott Mosier) and The Book of Life (Guillermo Del Toro, Jorge R. Gutierrez). Multiple projects are currently in development.