Hometown Fandom Knows No Distance In World Cup Campaign For Verizon & Fox Sports
Picture Farm pairs expat directors with their nation’s stories in docu-series.
Save perhaps being in the stadium for a FIFA World Cup match, there may be no better place to experience the passion of soccer than New York City. Home to a community from nearly every country on the planet, New York offers the ability to plug into not just one or two team’s frenzy, but nearly everyone in the tournament. In a co-branded World Cup docu-series for Verizon and FOX Sports, international production company Picture Farm Production took a look at just how deep these passions run in the Five Boroughs.
The campaign, titled “Home Turf,” celebrates New York culture through the lens of soccer and the World Cup, exploring the experience of local latin American communities, Argentinian, Brazilian, Mexican and Colombian, through emblematic characters from each. The short films showcase how individuals from each country embrace soccer in their lives as a connection to their families and heritage.
To facilitate authentic portraits of the communities and passions that surrounds the sport and the of cultural connection it provides, Picture Farm’s executive producer Chris Bren and creative director Toddy Stewart proposed to Verizon and FOX Sports the idea of handpicking directors from each of the represented communities to capture the cultural nuances and genuine understanding of the depth of devotion. “Argentina” was directed by Buenos Aires, Argentina-native Inés Gowland and directing partner Francesca Mirabella, “Brazil” was directed by Brazilian director Gabriel Rinaldi and directing partner Ilie Mitaru, and “Mexico” was directed by Mexico City-born Daniel Uribe. “Columbia” was directed by Colombia-born directing duo Neuplot.
The project was then shepherded by Bren & Stewart and the Picture Farm production and post production teams, working closely with the directors shooting in the field, guiding the conversation, setting the commercial tone and working tirelessly on behalf of the director’s vision while production continued during the FIFA World Cup itself.
Picture Farm has a firm commitment to showcase diverse communities and values-oriented branded projects, working with Nike on projects such as their Equality and Hijab campaigns, Hyatt’s “Come Together” campaign, and on thought provoking short form branded video content for Save The Elephants and with ethical clothing company EVERYBODY.WORLD.
