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
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
10/06/2026
DAZN-owned digital-media company launches three fan-first series leaning into cr...
10/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager USA, covering Southern California and the Southwest region. Dino joins...
10/06/2026
An 11% decrease in number of global broadcast deals reflects the organization...
10/06/2026
The Women Without Boundaries Awards recognize women whose work is advancing the future of media, broadcast, AV, workplace technology, digital experience, and re...
10/06/2026
Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...
10/06/2026
SES is supporting broadcast distribution of the world's biggest football tou...
10/06/2026
NDI has announced that BirdDog has become the first hardware manufacturer to achieve full NDI 6.3 compatibility across its complete lineup of cameras, encoders,...
10/06/2026
Vince Caputo and Scott Carter, winners of the 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Post Produced Audio have been announced as presenters for the 2026 SVG Advanced A...
10/06/2026
FOX One today unveiled a slate of new product features and enhancements designed to elevate the viewing experience for fans on the official streaming platform o...
10/06/2026
Primary production partners Dome Productions and Raycom Sports once again played...
10/06/2026
The Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship is an immersive professional devel...
10/06/2026
The league has expanded its HSAN architecture for the NBA Finals to manage more ...
10/06/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The event will strea...
10/06/2026
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announce...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released TR-06-4 Part 8, a new specification for RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method. The specification creates a mecha...
10/06/2026
Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, supporting live medical proc...
10/06/2026
A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
By Lucy Spicer
Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet...
10/06/2026
Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands
If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...
10/06/2026
November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco
Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...
10/06/2026
Debut instrument free for limited time
deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...
10/06/2026
Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast
10 June, 2026
Media releases
WATCH THE TRAILER
Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...
10/06/2026
DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...
10/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...
10/06/2026
MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
10/06/2026
Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...
10/06/2026
Accedo, Humans not Robots, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have announced the launch of Ecoflow X. Formerly an IBC Accelerator project, ...
10/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced that James Smith has joined the company as General Manager...
10/06/2026
At the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for live medical procedures s...
10/06/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media, and entertainment managed services, today announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform powered by Or...
10/06/2026
Klvr will showcase how venues, integrators and production teams are rethinking disposable battery usage at InfoComm 2026 (Las Vegas, June 17-19, booth #N6311). ...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hyb...
10/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/06/2026
10 Jun 2026
VEON's Banglalink Brings Every World Cup 2026 Match to Football...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports
Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...
10/06/2026
Wuppertal June 10, 2026
Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC
Product
10 June 2026
GlobalSouth KoreaJapan
Link copied to c...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions
Business
10 June 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download all assets
N...
10/06/2026
Chemists snap together complex 3D molecules from highly reactive radicals-without losing their shape Scripps Research team develops stereoretentive radical-radi...
09/06/2026
Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...
09/06/2026
SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...
09/06/2026
EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...
09/06/2026
Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...
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.
