Kamp Grizzly Takes a Bite out of Wild Plum
The Portland-based creative and production collective, which just broke a major new campaign for Adidas titled "Originals," joins the Wild Plum roster.
Kamp Grizzly Sets Up Camp With Wild Plum
Portland-based collective Kamp Grizzly, which specializes in production, animation, branding, web design and humor, has joined Wild Plum for representation. Recent directorial credits include TV and web projects for Adidas, Target, Nike, Starbucks, and Oregon Lottery. Kamp Grizzly joins a slate of directing talent that includes Kieran Walsh, Ericson Core, Shane Drake, Mike Goubeaux, and Jan De Bont.
"When I saw Kamp Grizzly's work, I instantly knew they had a real gift for creating amazing stories, whether they're visual and epic or quirky and comedic," says Shelby Sexton, Wild Plum Executive Producer/Partner. "I love their culture - and how they wholeheartedly throw themselves into everything they do. They're a great mesh with Wild Plum."
"Wild Plum is such an honest group, and they're genuinely interested in our capabilities," adds Dan Portrait, Kamp Grizzly Owner/CD/Director. "For Kamp, our work has come very organically over the years. It's a huge deal for us to collaborate with a company like Wild Plum. Their body of work is awesome and we feel very lucky to be on the same roster as their directors."
Founded by Portrait in 2005, Kamp Grizzly consists of a core group of nine full-time employees including directors, motion graphics artists, 3D and VFX artists, designers and editors. The collective also relies on an extensive network of freelance talent based on the needs and scope of a project.
The Kamp Grizzly moniker was inspired by childhood summers spent at YMCA camps by Portrait, Senior Editor/Director Jared Evans and close friend Kyle Guyer, which included stays at a place called Camp Grizzly. The three also attended the University of Oregon together, where they met Executive Producer Jeff Harding. Guyer, a frequent collaborator on projects, passed away a week before graduation. The Kamp Grizzly name was a way to connect his initials to their vibe and pay tribute to the man who the other members say provided them infinite inspiration.
This melding of friendship, talent and tattoos, along with its rock n' roll sensibility, has been a hallmark of Kamp Grizzly's working philosophy and a huge part of its success as a creative collective. During what they term a project's "incubation period," the entire team comes together to brainstorm on an idea or treatment. During this process it becomes evident who will lead the effort; that person becomes the "captain" who'll execute the vision of the collaborative efforts of the group.
"This is outside of the mold of how most collectives work, but every project has benefited from this approach," explains Kamp Grizzly Director Michael Johnson. "There's no pecking order here; just a united spirit in an atmosphere that breeds innovation."
Kamp Grizzly recently directed an integrated campaign for Adidas for its Originals line of classic sneakers and street wear, which features Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, Mike G and Odd Future's Domo Genesis, along with pop starlet Sky Ferreira, basketball player Dwight Howard and fashion icon Jeremy Scott.
Playing on the themes of individuality, creativity and accessibility, the campaign includes a :60 national TV spot, :15, :30 and :60 teasers, as well as :40 "deep dive" digital videos, which take a closer look at the personalities seen in the campaign and plumbs their thoughts on originality.
Published 15 August, 2011
