With offices in LA, NYC, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Sydney, 72andSunny is behind campaigns for massive entities like the NFL, Audi, Fanta, Facebook, ESPN, and more. “Google Nest” is the latest offering from this production company featuring the producer/director team of Arlene McGann & Mark Molloy. Molloy has made the inclusion of McGann a part of his process in delivering a short-film approach to commercials with immense depth. Trusting that those around you will help you achieve your best self is an idea we can all relate to. Support; it’s essential to manifesting our creations. That’s as true for the characters visible in the “Google Nest” commercial as for the professionals behind the creation of it. “Google Nest” was placed on the SHOTS Americas Shortlist for Television Commercial of the Year and has Hundreds of thousands of YouTube views. It is an incredibly moving and finely crafted work of visual storytelling which far exceeds the moniker of “commercial.”
The reasons for the acclaim of this commercial are obvious upon viewing.
McGann professes, “The foundation of any producer/director relationship is trust. The director needs to trust that the producer is motivated by a desire to produce the best creative work within the limitations given. A producer has to trust in the director’s vision and trust when they really need something done in a certain way. I think Mark and I are both committed to the job in a way that shortcuts are not an option. The success of our professional relationship is grounded in a work ethic which demands the highest standards possible from ourselves and everyone else on the production. At the same time, we both love to laugh and don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
“Google Nest” is remarkably effective in communicating the warm moments of life as well as the ones which feel defeating. It’s not unnoticed that there seems to be someone depicted in the ad whom represents every possible viewer. With more than twenty locations and eighty cast members, McGann was as taxed as any feature film producer. The sensitivity of these vignettes certainly delivers a scope as wide as any full length film. Arlene reveals, “It seems that the schedule is always tight in this profession but it was particularly so on this one as I only had one week to prepare everything. Part of the joy of dealing with a director as talented as Mark Molloy is his creativity; delivering the level of detail he requires on this scale…and in such a short amount of time…it certainly put me to the test.” Filmed in a cross section of LA neighbourhoods throughout East LA, DTLA, and Venice, the production shot at a blistering pace of twelve scenes per day with cinematographer Edu Grau behind the lens. Moving a small city of cast and crew across the metropolis that is Los Angles could certainly cultivate tension while in the pursuit of greatness. A single viewing of “Google Nest” communicates how it elicits tears and laughter but Arlene McGann is known for keeping the temperament of her sets on an even keel. Production Designer Jason Hougaard has worked with McGann on numerous productions including “Google Nest” and he states, “Working with Arlene is like working with no other Producer in the field. She is one of the most considerate, cooperative and professional leader myself or my team have had the opportunity to work with. The industry sometimes gets a bad reputation for the bad conduct of some professionals but anyone who has worked with Arlene can tell you that she creates an experience that is the very inverse of this; she makes you feel that you can’t wait to work with her again.”
