Inside Scoop: Behind the Scenes of an Oregon Ad

June 15, 2007

By Ashley Moran

Oregonians love to work hard, and play hard- you might even say that some of us are overachievers. The Travel Oregon team recently explored the life of a typical Oregon overachiever, by pairing with Wieden & Kennedy (our ad agency) to create an ad. Jordan Kent, one of the University of Oregon's football, track and basketball stars was chosen to model in the ad, which was shot on Hayward Field. Jordan had spent many-a-track meet at Hayward Field, as he studied at the University of Oregon. Recently drafted to the Seattle Seahawks, Jordan was clearly the perfect example of an Oregon all-star.

Join us as we take a glimpse behind the scenes of this exciting Oregon ad shoot.

I found this ad shoot particularly exciting, as I attended the University of Oregon and had heard about the infamous Jordan Kent for the past few years. I had the opportunity to meet this super star, who was incredibly modest about his achievements, and so easy to work with! The ad shoot started off with a bang at around 9 am. The weather was perfect- sunny, without a cloud in the sky.

As soon as we arrived, the crew began bustling around Hayward Field. A table was set up near the track with a variety of fashionable U of O attire for our model, Wieden & Kennedy unpacked the endless supplies and snacks from their big white van, and the photography crew busily searched for the perfect backdrop.

While the wardrobe, props and cameras were set up, I had the opportunity to interview Kari Westlund, CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Lane County Oregon (CVALCO).

She provided some fascinating information on the history of Hayward Field, the track where Pre-fontaine became famous. In addition, Kari also shared some exciting news about the upcoming Olympic Trials, which will be held at Oregon's very own Hayward Field!

I also had the chance to meet up with Wieden & Kennedy's Ginger (copywriter) and Mira (art director), to hear their vision for the ad. They chose to incorporate shots of Jordan in a variety of different outfits (including a super-hero mask!) to portray him as the sports star/Oregon Dreamer/Super-hero that he is. They also explained what they hope to portray with this ad, as well as the steps involved in telling the Oregon dreamer story.

After the photo shoot ended, I spoke with Chris, photographer for the shoot. He spoke about the different things that go through his mind while behind the camera, as well as his interactions with the subjects he has photographed.

Interested in finding out what happens next? Read Part Two of our "behind the scenes" blog.

For more information on Oregon ads, check out our Book of Oregon section.

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Comments (1)

CD:

Being a U of O student, I really like this post. Way to go overachievers!

Posted by CD | June 27, 2007 3:11 PM

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