When Belizean bottling tycoon and once Senator, Sir Barry Bowen, passed away unexpectedly in a tragic plane accident in 2010, a majority of his wide-ranging business interests were willed to his son, Michael Bowen. Faced with the incredibly daunting decision of becoming President and CEO of Bowen & Bowen, Ltd., Michael stepped up bravely and pledged to continue his family’s dedication to the community as the leading production and distribution company of beverages and food products in Belize.

Under Michael’s leadership, a new vision for the company was introduced, one that would revitalize its principles and refresh the management of its brands. With ambitions to increase the production level of one of their most popular products, Belikin (known locally as “the beer of Belize”), Michael and his team expanded their marketing effort to achieve a first-of-it’s-kind visual experience for the country; a commercial campaign that celebrates Belizean pride while calling out to frosty mugs everywhere.

When Michael and his execs‚ shared their notes and hopes for the campaign, we were honored by how receptive they were to our ideas. Creatively, we quickly found the same page and Michael’s team placed an encouraging faith in us to deliver on choice concepts and themes.

It was extremely important to everyone that we showcase Belize, it’s people, and the beer in a more unpolished and truthful way. From the heights of the Mayan Mountains to the depths of the Caribbean Sea, we spent many moons nailings down logistics so that we could immerse ourselves in the culture and explore, with spontaneity, all that this beautiful Central American nation had to offer.

Utilizing two separate camera units, we were able to shoot in each of Belize’s six districts over a two week production period. Although the schedule was tight, we gave ourselves enough flexibility to linger in places and spaces that felt authentic. Instead of working with actors, we took a “fly-on-the-wall” type approach and simply observed, letting the true charm of the country’s multiculturalism inspire the direction of our lenses.

This is the first of twelve (12) commercials we’ve completed for Belikin, each contributing toward the greater journey in understanding why Belikin really is the beer of Belize.

Thank you Michael Bowen and the whole Bowen & Bowen Ltd. family, and thank you Belize for keepin’ it so incredibly real!

This past November we laced em up‚ and racked up some air miles on a jet-lagging two day excursion to Mombasa, Kenya. We were back at it again with the Race4Change team, rallying up awareness and funding for microfinance institutions that empower women to generate economic development in developing countries. We were part of a much bigger team this time around and the journey was much more demanding, but this meant we’d have a greater opportunity to make a difference.

The Race4Change effort inspired some notable new team members including American motorsports superstar and Nitro Circus stunt devil, Travis Pastrana, and his equally impressive, pro skateboarding wife, Lyn-Z Pastrana. And then there was GoPro!

GoPro was so amped about Race4Change, Pastrana, and the East African Safari Classic Rally (E.A.S.R) that they enlisted us to capture footage for a new GoPro promo. Our commitment was to shoot the commercial entirely on their rugged mini HD “HERO” cameras while maintaining a focus on the high-octane action of the rally race. They shipped us a crate of their camera goodies and we took it deep into the trenches, discovering endless opportunities to capture the E.A.S.R like never before.

For those of you who aren‚t familiar with E.A.S.R., please allow us to share a little run down. Racers and enthusiasts alike call it the toughest road race in the world with over 3000 competitive miles of corrugated machine-killing bush roads. Each section presents unique challenges and hazards with varying elevations from sea level to over 7000 feet. The beautiful backcountry stands in sharp contrast to the treacherous roads that rattle race cars and their passengers to the very core. The rally unravels over 8 long days of unpredictable conditions and becomes a true endurance test from which the successful are not merely finishers, but survivors.

We were privileged to be the first production team to employ GoPros during this historic and classic rally. It was a spectacular experience and we hope you enjoy the short commercial. It was one heck of a ride.

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But it still made us… http://t.co/Vnnylxpg

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