"Lenny" TV Commercial for Mothers Against Drunk Driving by Tbwa\toronto

MADD Canada has launched Campaign 911 - a nation-wide campaign designed to encourage and empower the Canadian public to call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.

There have always been those who believe that they can get away with driving impaired. But even more dangerous are those who share their theories about how to drive impaired at parties, gatherings, and, more recently online.

To raise awareness for Campaign 911 and to stress how important it is that people call to report impaired drivers, we created a talk show were so-called impaired driving “experts” could share their theories about how they beat the system.

The ads culminate by reminding the audience “there are a lot of idiots out there” and ask them to help us keep them off the road by calling 911.

Client: MADD

Titles: Lenny, Rob, Hal, Ryan

Agency: TBWA Toronto

Executive Creative Director: Anthony Wolch

Creative Director/Writer: James Ansley

Art Director: Denise Cole

Agency Producer: Nadya MacNeil

Account Director: Helen Winfield

Director: Adam Massey

Production Company: Holiday Films, Toronto

Executive Producers: Derek Sewell, Josefina Nadurata

Line Producer: Tim Corrigan

Director of Photography: Barry Parrell

Editor & Company: Brian Noon, Traffik Edit, Toronto

Q&A with Holiday Films director Adam Massey on the MADD campaign

Q: Tell me about how this job came to you and what attracted you to it.

A: Anthony Wolch, the creative director on this campaign, said to me, "Massey, I have a wicked campaign here for MADD and I would love you to do them." I met with him and his creative team, they told me the spots, I agreed they were wickedly funny and we went from there.

Q: These spots are a funny way to discuss something very serious. Care to comment?

A: I think that is what was so exciting about these from the beginning. I knew these spots were making light of a very serious issue, drinking and driving, but in a very clever way. The first time people see these spots they feel a bit uncomfortable, not knowing how to react to them, are they funny, or sick? But after a second viewing they start laughing, and they get the obvious message from these spots. I feel these spots are like old Monty Python skits, that are funny, yet twisted but most of all impressionable and very memorable.

Q: What did you bring to this job creatively?

A: An understanding of the subtleties needed with this type of concept, great cast, great performances, and the need to make these seem oddly real, not staged. As well finding the right ensemble cast, actors who work well with one another, with an ease between them, this really contributed to some of the great unscripted moments in the spots.

Q: There are some pretty funny moments, tell me about the shoot.

A: Yes, some very funny moments. There was a lot of improv going on on set and in the edit we had a hard time cutting the spots down to 30 second spots because of all those great moments. That’s why we also ended up finishing 45 second versions as well. The actors became the characters and there was a lot of priceless moments between them.

Q: Anything else I should know?

A: This campaign was very fun to work on. The creative team, James Ansley and Denise Cole, were great and we all worked really well as a team to bring these spots to life. We are all very proud of how they turned out.

I’d also like to mention the talented team of filmmakers who helped bring these spots to life. Barry Parell, the DP, wedged shooting this campaign in between two other shoots. The art director, Elisa Sauve, did a great job for such a simple set and and Andrew Hayes at Powerhouse who found us some great talent.