Synergy Accepts NBC Sports Dare For Winter Olympics Spot
As athletes from all over the world entered Beijing’s National Stadium, or “The Bird’s Nest,” on February 4th for the opening ceremony of this year’s Winter Olympics, Americans watched Team USA on NBC.
Narrated by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, U.S. audiences watched NBC Sports’ Team USA Open introducing the country’s standouts. This year our client,Jack Felling (NBC Sports/Olympics),wanted to add a relatable element of story.
What if, instead of The Rock simply reading a script to camera, with all of the expected Olympic highlights, we imagine the exact moment an Olympian sets their sights on becoming a champion?
That led Felling and his team at NBC Sports to reach out to Synergy Films in Atlanta, GA with the concept, “I dare you.” Since Olympians typically begin training as kids, it makes sense that their first point of exposure might be serendipitous encouragement in the form of a dare.
“As Jack noted, everyone’s been in that place growing up as kids,” said Chad Watkins, President and Executive Producer at Synergy. “The ones that make it to the Olympics are the kids that always take the dare.”
It was at this point in the creative process that producers from Synergy Films traveled to Lake Placid, NY, the historic location of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic games, to help dramatize those seminal moments in each of our lives when we are put to the test.
In the video’s final form, premiering to NBC on the occasion of 2022’s opening ceremony in Beijing, young NYSEF trainees easily “skied down the black diamond slopes” and performed a “death drop” while figure skating. Footage of these prodigal athletes at Lake Placid next to B-roll of this year’s Winter olympians allowed audiences to adjust their perspective to consider the journey these athletes take over the course of their lives. Guided by The Rock’s chill-inducing voice over, audiences recall the wonder of childhood and the power of a single moment.
“A dare might start off as just a dare. But it can be a turning point. A moment in time that can change the course of a person’s life and take them to the greatest stages the world has to offer.”
