Long story short, some antenna users may have lost one of our two channels, and would need to re-scan their channels to find it again. In an effort to bring them back, I produced this commercial (which obviously airs on the station that they DIDN'T lose).
Bo the Discount Dog
A few years back, we brought a little mutt into our home. Bo, a lab/beagle mix, seemed like a cool guy, and since another family had brought him back, he was 50% off. Can't beat that!
Since then, he's starred in several CBS13 and Good Day commercials, including this promo that just aired over the weekend.
It took a lot of treats to just get him sitting still, but the little guy pulled it off! Plus, I can now add professional animal handler to my resume.
Halloween's Almost Here
Good Day always goes big on Halloween! Here's a promo for the show that I produced and edited, including building the intro/tag graphics using Illustrator and After Effects.
Halloween Spirit
What better day to premiere the Good Day "Halloween Spirit" campaign than on Friday the 13th? Here's four promos that I wrote/directed/edited.
Learning Animation
We have an amazing art department that regularly makes me jealous of their abilities. Wish I knew how to create cartoons like these guys do! So I decided to roll up my sleeves and learn the basics of animating using Illustrator and After Effects.
Since I needed something to create, I took a story that my 3-year-old daughter made up and turned it into a cartoon for her. I built all the characters and environments in Illustrator, and yes, I did the voices too.
I've still got a lot to learn, but I'm making progress!
We're Fans Too, Round Two
A few months back, I came up with the idea for the "We're Fans Too" campaign, which started with this promo for the Arrow season finale:
Now, the cross-promotion continues with three new commercials promoting the premiere dates of everyone's favorite DC superhero shows. Check them out:
Yes, that was me running in a red sweatsuit for The Flash (it was 105 degrees out). Also I produced, directed and edited the spots. Oh, and my leaf blower got some good use too!
Gold Rush Days
Gold Rush Days are coming to Old Sacramento this Labor Day Weekend! Here's a commercial I produced for it using the Good Day cast.
But that's not all. I also put together a separate "director's cut" that they used on Good Day. Here's the now infamous Spittoon Edition!
Chris the Reporter
My last couple of years at FOX40 were spent as a "Multimedia Journalist", or someone who does it all. Reporter + Photographer + Live Truck Operator. Yeah, it used to be three jobs, but that was in the golden age of news. Now, it is what it is, so I evolved and learned to wear several hats at once.
Here's a fun story I covered a few years back. Get a degree in video games?! If only that was around when I was in college! Instead I followed the journalism path, and got stuck working three jobs (with one paycheck). Lesson learned!
And just for fun, here's another "Chris Nelson Special Report":
As Seen on TV
Infomercials are terrible. Low budget, bad graphics, overacting, ridiculous claims, etc. So why are they so hard to parody? Here's my attempt for Good Day. You'd think it'd be easy to create bad commercials, but it was a bit of a challenge!
Awards Season
No, we don't do this job for awards. We do it because of the pride it brings us at the end of the day. The knowledge that we did a good job representing our client is all we really need. But hey, since there's awards to be had, might as well get in on the action! I mean, we did some pretty good this stuff this year. Just ask our client!
So here we go... Let's begin the 2017 AWARDS SEASON!
11 ENTRIES
8 NOMINATIONS
3 COMPETITIONS
WHO WILL TAKE HOME... ANYTHING? Here we go...
ROUND 1: THE CW'S APEX AWARDS
Nominations: 1
The CW presents THE APEX AWARDS!!! It's an internal competition among CW affiliates for a variety of categories that are mostly based around sales. This year I produced a 90 second presentation on creative ways we're promoting the CW's primetime lineup. It was a finalist in the "IDEA SHARE: PROMOTIONS" category, which was the first time the station's been nominated in this competition.
Wins: 0
Better luck next year. Now on to...
ROUND 2: THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL EMMYS
Nominations: 3
The first nomination is for Promotion - Campaign. "Good Day Christmas Wand" is a two part campaign that we made right before Christmas. I wrote/directed/edited the first one, while another producer created the second. Two different takes on the same idea. Here's my contribution:
The second nomination is for Promotion - Single Spot - Spanish. Yes, KMAX received it's first ever Spanish Emmy nomination! I produced/wrote/edited this spot promoting our SAP translators.
Finally, CBS13 was nominated for Overall Station Excellence. That's right, the grand-daddy of them all! I was in charge of assembling the entry, focusing on the Getting Answers brand and original reporting. Many of our promos helped sell these points.
Wins: 1
Yes, we brought one home this year! Well... sorta. CBS13 won Overall Station Excellence based on my entry! Unfortunately, that doesn't really do much for me. My name wasn't on it and I don't get a little gold statuette. My prize: I get to create a promo advertising the win.
Maybe next year I can get a pretty little statuette of my own. I mean, you know, another one.
ROUND 3: PROMAX BDA LOCAL AWARDS
Nominations: 4
First, the Christmas Wand promo was nominated in the Holiday/Special Event Program Spot (see above).
Second, Ju's at Court was nominated in Funniest Promo. This was my favorite one of the year. I produced and shot it.
Third, the hilarious (by some standards) Shark! PSA campaign. People either loved them or hated them. I loved them because they were the silliest thing I've produced, but I hated them because I was wearing that shark costume in the summer heat. It's nominated in the Daytime Program Spot category.
Finally, the CW Prime Parodies campaign was nominated for Program Promotional Campaign. I produced, wrote and directed all of these spots.
Wins: 1
Yes, I finally won something! The Christmas Wand campaign brought home gold. I was getting nervous that out of 8 nominations, I'd leave empty handed. I'll take it!
#TBT Anchor Tapes
Where'd the Good Day anchors get started? It was a fun idea for a segment that offered up plenty of laughs. Made for a good promo too:
And to be fair, my college reporting tape is a little rough as well:
Now you see why I stayed behind the camera all these years.
Yeah, We're Fans Too
Here's a fun cross-promotion I did for Good Day and the Arrow season finale. We just happened to have a Deathstroke cosplay guy on our staff, and with Deathstroke returning for the finale, it all came together!
Camp Cool!
Summer camp doesn't have to be lame! This is a promo I produced for a story on cool summer camps. The excellent acting skills of a local comedian helped make this one of my personal favorites.
Days of the Good
One of the many things that makes Good Day unique is its live S.A.P. translators, who not only translate the show into Spanish, but act as members of the cast. There is a camera set up in the S.A.P. booth so they can interact with the main anchors regularly. No other morning show in the market offers this service.
But if you don't watch the show, would you know that? In an effort to reach a new audience, we created an all-Spanish promo last year advertising the S.A.P. service. It was a hit, so I was asked to create a second one, which could potentially air on Spanish cable channels. Here's what I came up with: Days of the Good.
March Madness!
As March Madness kicks off (go Ducks!) on CBS, we created a pair of promos to air during the games. I edited both.
Love & Marriage
Here's a pair of fun animated promos I wrote (but relied on our impressive art director to animate).
Office Sledding!
If I come up with the idea, I have to find people to be in it. Also, I have to clean up. Here's an example of a promo that I wish someone else produced. (Yeah, that's me in it...)
From the Archive: The Homeless Rodeo Bartender
This may be my favorite story from my days as a news photographer. A homeless bull rider helps repair a bar, then opens the unfinished bar while the owner is out of town, and... well, it gets pretty ridiculous from there!
2016: What a year
Well, 2016 was one heck of a year. Aside from all the wackiness in the world and celebrity deaths, we churned out some quality stuff here at the farm. I compiled and cut this year's department reel, which is full of whimsy and glee. Enjoy!
The Good Day Christmas Promo
Creating a Good Day holiday promo is a tradition that our department doesn't take lightly. This year I got to produce it (as well as write, direct, shoot and edit it). Check it out!