Red Robin - Sophina

Upworthy and Red Robin came to us looking to tell an uplifting human interest piece celebrating inclusivity in time for their “Burger Month” campaign. After searching all over the country, we fell in love with a story about a young girl from St. Cloud, Minnesota with Down syndrome who became an instant fan of the University of Nebraska at Kearney softball team after their chance encounter at a Red Robin.

We worked with the family, the NCAA, and the head coach of the Lopers to help hatch the idea of inviting Sophina to their final home game of the season to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Documenting the journey from there, we followed the Lindquist family, who had never been on a true family vacation together, as they drove over 10 hours from their home to Nebraska, stopping at a Red Robin along the way. Sophina’s emotional reunion with the players, and her successful first pitch were only topped by the Lopers winning the game in her honor.

The clients fell in love with the mini-doc on the first pass, approving the rough cut as-is, and the video surpassed 1M views, 9k likes, and 4k shares, accompanied by an outpouring of love and support for the team, family, and Red Robin.