Reinvigorating their persuasive finesse, Stevenson and Thompson secured a substantial leadership contribution from FCB Chicago after making a pitch to President Kelly Graves at the agency’s office in the Hancock Center. He has tapped a number of contemporaries to appear in the film, including former FCB Executive Creative Director Mike Rogers and industry legend Bruce Bendinger. The action moves to a soundtrack composed by Darryl Duncan featuring lyrics written by Thompson.Ĭhannels Changers’ intimate vibe is a hallmark of filmmaker Cotton Stevenson ( SJSU: Diversity University, Stand, The Good Brothers ) who guides the conversations off-camera.Ī Chicago ad veteran turned documentarian, Stevenson is teaming up with Thompson to co-executive produce Channels Changers. In Chicago post-production boutique Utopic, Glover describes the challenge of making McDonald’s legendary Morning Glory campaign - the one that introduced the breakfast menu - while he was “the only Black person in the creative department.” In a booth at Shaw’s Crabhouse, Young tells the story about McDonald’s groundbreaking Mama’s Date commercial starring a single mother, her daughter and a suitor. Along the way, they often share intimate personal details about toil and success. Thompson introduces the journey with outspoken charm and natural charisma before joining his fellow Ad-Makers to trade stories about campaigns, coworkers and creative efforts. “The beauty is that we colorized them from the inside.”
“Our Black hands and minds are behind some of America’s whitest ads,” says Thompson. The ads and commercials they created are familiar, but the stories behind them have never been told. The Ad-Makers themselves - a group that includes Emma Young, Jim Glover, Al Hawkins and Lowell Thompson ( pictured at top) - boast a legacy of renowned work for brands like Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Ford, McDonald’s and Pillsbury, compiled while working in shops like DDB, FCB and Leo Burnett. Starting in the mid-1960s, the film celebrates Chicago-based industry leaders and innovators who were largely shut out of mainstream advertising until the Civil Rights Movement opened the doors a little wider. Channels Changers is a documentary-in-progress about the advent of the African American Ad-Maker.
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