case study: gaylord hotels
Gaylord Hotels: So Much Christmas
The challenge wasn’t just producing great holiday content for one of the country’s most iconic hotel brands. It was doing it at scale – across multiple properties, multiple productions, multiple years – with the consistency and quality that a brand like Gaylord demands.Gaylord needed more than a production company. They needed a creative partner embedded in their process – someone who understood the brand, could manage the complexity, and showed up ready to lead every single year. That’s the relationship we built.
Scope: Create an “Elf Movie” themed commercial for Gaylord Hotels ICE! experience for nationwide broadcast delivery.
Hurdles: We had 2 weeks of pre-production and in that time we needed to; art design for wardrobe and sets, scout the 5 Gaylord properties to find the best location for our needs, casting, hire crew of about 20, set construction, wardrobe fabrication, plan the logistics for a “oner” shot – on top of that almost everything was done remotely. Our budget only allowed for a two day shoot so planning was essential for a successful production!
Results: We not only had a successful shoot but the finished spot received rave reviews from the brand stakeholders and viewing audience. Because this was on the backend of the Covid pandemic the hotels saw a significant jump in attendance (even with the restrictions) and when surveyed, was largely in response to the commercial.
Services Provided:
Creative Consultation
Concept & Visualization
Budget
Casting
Location
Scouting
Scheduling
Permits & Insurance
Directing
Cinematography
Production Management
Lighting
Field Audio
Art Direction
Wardrobe
H&MU
Craft & Catering
Voice Over
The Details
Executive Producer: Gaylord Hotels
Producer/Director: Bobby Marko
Assistant Director: Bernie Cassar
Production Manager: Summer Howell
Cinematographer: Brian Murie
Art Director: Bob Hubbard
Gaffer: Martin Everett
Key Grip: Shiloh Eck
H&MU: Roxie Stice
Wardrobe: Lori Loftis
Lead Elf: John Connon
Editor: Brandon Tucker