Client: Comedy Central/Sabra
Project: “Hand Of Humanity”
Production Company: Kids At Play, Los Angeles (in association with Humongous Productions, Los Angeles)
Director/Writer: Josh Miller
Co-Executive Producers: Josh Miller, Erich Lane
DP: Pat Notaro III
Producer: Amy Lasslet, Sarah Dignan
Editorial/Post Company: Union Editorial, Los Angeles
Editor: Daniel Luna
Assistant Editor: Kimberly Landry
Description:
Comedy Central Premieres New Episode Of Writer/Director Josh Miller’s Ground-Breaking
LOS ANGELES, CA – Writer/Director Josh Miller and real-life hand model Erich Lane are back for a new episode of “Handy,” the branded content series seen on Comedy Central that offers a comedic take on the day-to-day travails of a working hand model trying to make it in hyper-competitive Hollywood. The latest episode, which premiered on Saturday, May 13, finds Lane’s character, Erik Thomas Layne, plying his craft on set of a commercial for Sabra Hummus, who sponsored the episode.
Produced by content production company Kids At Play (in association with Miller’s company for branded content, HUMONGOUS Productions, Los Angeles) for Comedy Central, the latest episode “Hand of Humanity” marks the fifth in the Handy series. Prior episodes have featured sponsors Casio, Black & Decker, Joe’s Crab Shack and Zales Diamonds.
For Miller, who began his career as an advertising Copywriter and Creative Director with such top agencies as Cliff Freeman & Partners and Team One, before turning to directing full-time, “Handy”, and branded content, have proven to be an excellent vehicle for his full range of story-telling and marketing skills.
Case in point, in the new episode Erik is on the set of a g new Sabra Hummus commercial where he faces several challenges; to not only nail the “swoosh and scoop” product shot, but also portray the hands of an entire family, including a boy and a mom, which involves the humiliation of red nail polish.
Miller explains the whole idea of the “swoosh and scoop” (as opposed to “dip and scoop” as the director in spot, acclaimed comedic actress Annie Sertich, mistakenly calls it) was inspired by an actual script note from Sabra.
“With ‘Handy,’ I can embrace any brand attribute or client note and incorporate it into the episode in way that’s authentic - and entertaining,” Miller says. “In this episode, the food stylist actually corrects the director and launches into a detailed description of the ‘swoosh and scoop’ method in which you ‘dip the carrier in a full semi-circle, twisting at the end’ while Erich looks on intently, offended that someone’s telling him how to “practice his art”. In the initial script, I referred to it as ‘dip and scoop,’ and Sabra corrected it instead calling it ‘swoosh and scoop.’ I thought that distinction was funny, so I used it in the episode. It’s funny and perfectly on-message for the brand.”