By Jimmy Clarity. Posted October 13, 2014 at 04:08PM on “UO Close Up,” the official Universal Orlando blog:
We all have our favorite commercials: Doritos will make you laugh, Dove will make you cry, and Jean-Claude Van Damme on a Volvo…well that was just awesome.
But do you ever wonder who gets to dream up and create those amazing ads you see on the tube every day? I actually found one of the guys responsible. Turns out he sits down the hall from me…in an office! With windows! Yeah, he’s kind of big deal.
His name is Troy Scillian and I caught up with him recently to talk about his career, where all those ideas come from, and his latest venture: The Halloween Horror Nights national television ad.
Tell me a little bit about yourself, Troy.
I am the Executive Creative Director of Advertising at Universal Orlando Resort. My wife and I are huge Walking Dead fans. Oh, and I’m from Texas.So those cowboy boots you wear to work are authentic?
Yes, they are actually real boots. But hand me downs. My son broke them in riding horses. I got them when he outgrew them. Big kid.What do you think, could a guy like me pull those off?
You just have to pull them on before you pull them off.Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Ok, back at it…Your job, from the outside at least, appeals to a lot of people. How did you get into the business of creativity?
I spent more time watching TV growing up than I did studying. That left me with limited options when I got to college. So I took an art class that lead me to graphic design, which lead me to advertising art direction, which is where all those years of watching commercials finally paid off.Where do you draw your creativity from?
I wish I knew the definitive answer. I have found the most important thing is to be super curious. Devour everything. The more you cram into your noggin, the more ingredients you have to mix together to create something new.How long did this Halloween Horror Nights ad take to create, from brainstorming to finished product?
From kick-off to completion was about four months. We worked with one of our agencies, David & Goliath out of LA on this spot. It was their creative team that helped us formulate the idea and lead the production.There are some pretty detailed (and freaky!) characters we’re seeing run amok here. Tell us a little bit about the “look” of these characters and what it takes to get it just right.
We are so lucky to be partnering with the AMC’s The Walking Dead. Greg Nicotero’s team at KNB Efx Group provided make-up artists for our commercial — members of the same team that do the make up on the series. The primary Walkers were in make-up for about 2 hours each. It’s amazingly detailed work.I heard a radio ad that sounded like it was the preface to this TV spot. A flight attendant calls air traffic control to let them know the passengers have turned on the crew. It’s really cool that you’re telling different parts of this story across different mediums, as opposed to the same story repackaged for different platforms.
Glad you picked up on that. Yes the radio spot is a prequel to the television commercial. We thought about doing a prequel to the prequel but that really starts to get silly.We notice a nod to a certain beverage brand at the beginning of the spot. What sort of nuances is used to make sure it doesn’t come off as a soft drink ad, while still pleasing your partners?
Coca-Cola is another great partner for Universal Orlando Resort and Halloween Horror Nights. When they get involved with us in a TV commercial, it’s important that the brand is a natural part of the story. Kicking back at the airport drinking a Coke while you are waiting on your flight is pretty natural. Having one of the Walkers take a drink of Coke to wash down a bite of flight attendant didn’t feel very natural.Any lasting memories you can share from your time on set?
Watching 50 Walkers sitting down eating sandwiches during our dinner break at 3:00 a.m. was a vision I won’t forget.What advice would you give to someone who’s hoping to break into a creative profession like yours?
Be insanely curious.For a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Halloween Horror Nights national ad, check out the video below then grab your tickets to experience the horror for yourself.
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