Optimus Helms and Cuts Rush University Medical Center Spots
One at Optimus Directing duo Mark Pallman and Amanda Speva recently teamed with Optimus Editor Dana Huiras and SPM Marketing & Communications to create five unique spots for Rush University Medical Center. They are airing now on all major networks as well as cable networks including Food Network, HGTV, TNT, TBS and Lifetime.
The spots tell the stories of real patients, showing their individual struggles and the impact on their families. SPM’s vision was to balance the excellence of Rush’s academic medicine with the impact Rush has on patients. By mixing in the patient benefit with teams of doctors and nurses, the viewer sees another side of Rush – the warmth, dedication and drive of the teams, and how those qualities help everyday people.
“Every day on the set, at some point, the cast and crew were moved to tears,” said Huiras. “SPM was extremely smart in its instincts and approach to this new campaign. They identified what people truly connect to, and approached it in such a graceful and delicate way. It was important to tell the whole story – not just focus on the ailment, but the joy in recovery.”
“Optimus has an incredible reputation, and their work speaks for itself,” said SPM Executive Creative Director Jim Larmon. “The team there not only brought our vision to life, but also added their creativity to round it out. Mark and Amanda’s approach was all about authenticity, right from the beginning. They made a point to get to know the patients and doctors before the shoot to create a sense of comfort, which really came through during filming. And Dana is a storytelling genius, which is what everyone needs in an editor. She came to the shoot, put cuts together quickly and seamlessly problem solved when challenges arose.”
The Optimus and SPM/Rush teams collaborated from start to finish on the work, focusing on telling patient stories in a heartfelt way. “The stories were so inspiring, and the patients really wanted to tell them because they had such great experiences and shared amazing bonds with their doctors,” said Pallman and Speva. “From doctors to patients, everyone we featured spoke so highly of Rush. The interview and documentary-based approach of these spots was incredibly exciting to us. We were thrilled that the client and agency trusted us to lead the process of pulling the script from authentic patient stories.”
View Mark and Amanda’s full reel at http://www.optimus.com/reels/m
