Utopic recently produced a pair of comedy-driven spots for Spartan Stores, one of the largest grocery distributors in the country. Created by Fairly Painless Advertising, the two: 30's, Hugs' and Digital Coupons,' tapped into Utopic's model of production, editorial, finishing and audio services to launch its Yes Rewards Programs' with a seamless, one-stop approach that delivered the campaign's message with humor and wit.
Utopic's comedy director, Al Wyatt, captured hilarious footage during a two-night shoot in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both spots feature two Spartan employees brainstorming about the best way to show their appreciation for their customers while improving their shopping experience. Although the initial ideas and banter plays like a comedy sketch, the employees ultimately deliver the spots' messages and introduce the Yes Rewards Program' with clarity, as well as humor.
The fact that Fairly Painless took advantage of Utopic's full-service capabilities for this job was key to the success of the project, says Wyatt. Kat Pryor (Utopic editor) and I got together before we shot a single frame to ensure we had good coverage. We were fortunate to start with such smart, funny scripts, and work with tremendous comedy actors that delivered very genuine and funny performances. Working closely with Tim Hackney, the agencys creative director and copywriter, we created the right tone for the spots quickly, which enabled us to make stop-on casting choices.
Wyatt tapped some of the brightest, funniest new talent with an assist from Paskal Rudnicke (Chicago) and Fahey-Dreher (Grand Rapids). After the shoot wrapped Hackney joined the crew back at Utopic in Chicago, where editor Kat Pryor delivered the right moments - and perfectly awkward beats - with precision.
There are directors and editors who help you make commercials, and then there are directors and editors who help you make commercials better, says Hackney. Thanks to Al, Kat, Heather and all the folks at Utopic, we got the latter.
Pryor edited the spots on Premiere, and her cuts were not only unanimously loved by all, but also approved by the client without a change. Working so closely with Al and Tim made editing these spots a pleasure from beginning to end. I had no shortage of options thanks to great writing, casting and coverage, says Pryor. You know it's a good session when you can't stop laughing.
Utopic's recently signed director of finishing, Christopher Elliott, used Autodesk Smoke to color and finish both spots.
Christopher did a great job finishing the spots and Brian Leitner added the perfect complement of sound effects to the mix, adds Pryor.
Production and post are inextricably linked, and Utopic's ability to take the job from concept through production, editorial, animation and audio allowed the company to optimize efficiency, maximize the budget and deliver a final product that exceeded the client's expectations.
Rumor has it that more Spartan Store spots with even more outlandish suggestions are already in the works for early this year.
About Utopic:
Utopic is an award-winning one-stop broadcast/digital company dedicated to providing agencies and brands with multi-platform integrated editorial, production, VFX, audio and interactive services. Its collaborative consortium of artists and producers offer a seamless approach to everything from traditional broadcast commercials and promos to complex interactive rich media, web content, mobile apps and virals. Utopic's mix of work includes broadcast spots and digital media content for clients such as Samsung, Kellogg's, McDonald's, Toyota, GM, NBC, Kraft and Jim Beam to name a few.
Credits:
Project: Broadcast Commercials
Titles: Hugs' + Digital Coupons' (:30's)
Client: Spartan Stores, Grand Rapids, MI
Advertising Agency: Fairly Painless Advertising (Holland, Michigan)
President: Chris Cook
Creative Director/Copywriter: Tim Hackney
Account Director: Craig Davis
Production Company: Utopic (Chicago)
EP: Heather Mitchell
Director: Al Wyatt
Producer: Michael Pearson
DP: Chad Terpstra
Post-Production Company: Utopic (Chicago)
Senior Editor: Kat Pryor
Asst. Editor: Christen Nehmer
Online: Christopher Elliot
Audio/Sound Company: Utopic (Chicago)
Mixer: Brian Leitner
Casting:
Chicago Casting: Casting Director Jennifer Rudnicke, PR Casting
Grand Rapids Casting: Casting Director: Maureen Dreher, Fahey-Dreher Casting
###
Most recent headlines
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
22/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
22/12/2025
Berklee Wrapped 2025: Our Top News and Stories A look back at a year highlighted by faculty milestones, major film and television projects, Bob Dylan's ho...
22/12/2025
The works of Plato state that when humans have an experience, some level of change occurs in their brain, which is powered by memory - specifically long-term me...
22/12/2025
Partnership integrates complementary satellite data and AI analytics to enhance security, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring solutions for global cust...
22/12/2025
Workflows allow you to create a sequence of planned events which may be added to your template(s) or inserted directly into your sequential or background playli...
Utopic recently produced a pair of comedy-driven spots for Spartan Stores, one of the largest grocery distributors in the country. Created by Fairly Painless Advertising, the two: 30's, Hugs' and Digital Coupons,' tapped into Utopic's model of production, editorial, finishing and audio services to launch its Yes Rewards Programs' with a seamless, one-stop approach that delivered the campaign's message with humor and wit.
