Tim Hortons Celebrates Diversity and Loyalty with Toronto Raptors Superfan Spot

Tim Hortons has launched a touching new campaign from GUT Miami to celebrate Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia. 

Produced by Spy Films and edited by School Editing's Mark Morton, 'Courtside Seat A12' proves why people are proud to be Canadian as the Toronto Raptors reach the NBA finals. For 24 years, Nav has attended every single Raptors home game, typically watching in courtside seat A12.

Spy Films and director Lucas Dabrowski were extremely well prepared to get a great performance out of Nav Bhatia, a non-actor, while achieving a sophisticated film aesthetic. They wanted this particular sports spot to stand out with its look as well as its poignant message. While finding the film’s structure and crafting the story, it was of primary importance to showcase the humanity of Nav’s story, choosing shots and reads that held truthful impact.

Editor Mark Morton visited the set and was able to take copious notes while Nav was doing his on camera performance. The spot had to be shot, edited, approved and finished in a whirlwind schedule to be able to air before the Toronto Raptors’ Game 5 possible NBA championship win.

Mark says: “The concern with cutting a spot like this is tone…you have a lot of talking from a non-actor spokesperson and you don’t want it to come off contrived or phoney.  Director Lucas Dabrowski managed to capture the warmth and sincerity of Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia that I was able to help structure in a cinematic and super-engaging way. Nav’s personality shines through and he becomes the anchor of the film.  This was a true collaboration between production and post to get a meaningful film shot-cut-and delivered in a radically contracted timeline!”