One At Optimus Gets Fired Up for New Johnsonville Spot

One at Optimus Directors Mark Pallman and Amanda Speva recently teamed with GMR to helm “Get Fired Up” for Johnsonville. The 30-second spot, edited and finished by Optimus, is airing now on ESPN and the SEC Network. It will continue to air throughout the college football season.

“Get Fired Up” is part of a larger campaign focused on building the Johnsonville brand across the Southeastern U.S. Written by GMR Creative Director Kurt Sievert, the spot is designed to introduce Southeastern Conference (SEC) football fans to the 70 year-old family-owned Johnsonville company and the members responsible for making a variety of sausages ideal for tailgating. It sets up the notion that Johnsonville plans on earning SEC fans’ trust one bite at a time.

“We’ve worked with Mark and Amanda on several spots and felt that their combination of humor, aesthetics and passion was a great fit for this project,” said GMR Head of Content Development and Production Andy Hayman. “And, we chose to edit with Optimus because we appreciate their ability to provide a one-stop shop on a project with a very quick turnaround. Editor Nathan Cali did a fantastic job, as did Marina Bacci on the sound, which was critical to the spot’s success.”

“’Get Fired Up’ was driven by sound design, starting with the recording of a drum line led by The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, a world-class drum corps,” commented Speva. “We cut between the band on the field and footage we shot at the Johnsonville factory, including real-life Johnsonville employees and brothers Brett and Nick, who were so charismatic and fun to work with because of the passion they have in making a high quality smoked sausage.”

Meant to kick off college football promotions and get fans psyched for the season, the spot features an original song created by The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps with direction from Mark and Amanda. The final product evokes the excitement of game day by interlacing highlights of the band’s energy on the field with scenes from making the smoke cooked product in the factory.

“We’ve been fortunate to have collaborated with GMR on several projects,” said Pallman. “We worked very closely with Andy, Kurt and the rest of the GMR team from composition through production to bring the spot to life. And, the Optimus post team worked seamlessly with us to edit and finish the spot, including stellar sound design to make the drums come to life.”