Video agency Hayden5 has launched a new musical ad to introduce its remote production service, Crew+, which brings all of its local production teams around the world online.
In a nod to its New York roots, and in celebration of the reopening of Broadway, Hayden5 decided to introduce its Crew+ production process in musical form, featuring L. Steven Taylor (Mufasa in Broadway’s The Lion King), as well as other Broadway stars (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).
With Crew+, every time one of Hayden5’s crews deploys, anywhere in the world, clients and stakeholders can view a high-resolution stream of their shoot from the main camera feed in real time. The company also innovated the virtual set experience to solve two important needs:
- A wider view of the set: Remote stakeholders need the ability to see outside the camera frame, in order to identify different possible angles and setups or opportunities to add a prop.
- A face to the voice: Many remote sets have “off-camera” voices communicating with virtual stakeholders, which can be a confusing process. One of the features of Crew+ is Crew Cam™, which enables face-to-face conversations with primary contacts on the ground.
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Crew+ builds on Hayden5’s ethos of remote production with a global network of local crews since its inception in 2009. With 3,000 shoots deployed annually, the company has evolved its offerings, leading up to the launch of Crew+, including creating the Drop Kit™ in 2020, a hardware/software solution assembled by local crews, which made contactless production possible during the pandemic.
For Crew+ The Musical, Hayden5 Founders Todd Wiseman Jr and Milos Silber, having recently invested in Medusa the Musical, hired creator Wes Braver to bring the Crew+ lyrics to life. Wiseman, a member of a fledgling Florida boy band in 2000, wrote the jingle and initial lyrics, which Braver then expanded on and produced into a full song. Braver also led the casting process, bringing on the various Broadway stars. The music was recorded at the Found Objects studio.
“We’re the first video agency with our own jingle (see the end of Future of Production), and we thought, ‘What better way to introduce Crew+ than with our very own musical number?” says Wiseman Jr. “We’ve always embraced very non-traditional methods when it comes to our own advertising, from fortune cookies to billboards in L.A. Because we productize services unlike any company in our space, we think our advertising should nod to products and services.”
