Alkemy X Celebrates Real-Life Champions of The Christ Hospital

Creative content company Alkemy X recently joined forces with ad agency ReviveHealth to help produce a regional Super Bowl spot for The Christ Hospital Health Network, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. An homage to iconic pre-game coach speeches, “Champions” (30-seconds) spins the uplifting and inspirational message towards the hospital’s own champions -the doctors, nurses, medical staff, and patients who show up and fight every day. The spot premiered regionally during the Super Bowl on Sunday and will continue to air during the Winter Olympics throughout the month of February. 

“Let me tell you something about champions,” the voiceover says as a powerful montage of hospital scenes depict the relentless heart and dedication that it takes to be a caretaker of any level. “They don’t just show up on gameday. They show up every day. In the darkest moments, that’s when they shine the brightest.”

“The Super Bowl is simply one moment in time, but what our healthcare professionals do is nonstop, 365 days a year,” says Shelley Spencer, CMO at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “It takes passion, commitment, and even grit to do what they do and we are so very proud to share their story. It’s because of these ‘everyday champions’ that we are the most preferred hospital for 21 years in a row in the greater Cincinnati region. ReviveHealth and Alkemy X are a wonderful, talented team that helped us capture this vision and sentiment so perfectly.” 

For ReviveHealth Creative Director Paul Hackett, the goal was to use the Super Bowl as a platform to bring more awareness to The Christ Hospital in a creative way, while celebrating the unwavering dedication and compassion of its staff and patients.

“We didn’t want the typical imagery for a hospital, which is oftentimes cliched and sugar-coated,” explains Hackett. “It was important for us to express the honesty and authenticity of what it means to be in a hospital and fighting for yourself or your family. At the same time, we wanted to keep the message positive by juxtaposing the images with a motivational voiceover. [Alkemy X Director] Rob Adamo and [Editor] Dave Bradley’s sensibilities were an exact match for this project. They not only bring world-class production-to-post capabilities, but their vision for the spot also integrated seamlessly with ours. Their attention to the small nuances, such as the locker room feel of the voiceover -- which really gives the piece a gritty quality -- added so much to the overall effect.”

The one-day on-location shoot at The Christ Hospital included a cast comprised of actual staff and actors. 

“You can’t quickly teach an actress how to hand a newborn baby to its mother in a delivery room,” explains Adamo. “So for scenes like this, we engaged real nurses and doctors from Christ Hospital to appear in the spot. Surrounding them with some great Cincinnati cast talent proved to be the right combination to convey what we were after.”

This idea carried over beyond casting as well. All footage was shot on handheld, creating a subtle drift in camera movement to simulate the intimate point-of-view that someone would have during the very personal and profound real-life moments the scenes represent.

From there, Alkemy X Editor Dave Bradley was tasked with finding the moments that felt genuine to track against the voiceover, building a visual rhythm that emotionally connected the “champion” copy with the real “champions” on the screen. Musically, they landed on a sparse, delicate track, which brought more impact to what was being said. 

“I think this is a compelling piece that achieves the idea that, when all is said and done, these unsung nurses, doctors, and patients truly are the real champions,” concludes Bradley.