NFL QBs Mahomes, Rodgers and Wilson Find Flow State With Bose

Bose floods the zone with NFL quarterbacks in fresh ads touting its Quiet Comfort Earbuds.

Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson weave amid shifting spotlights, performing in a high-pressure fishbowl that demands the highest level of concentration and commitment. They find their focus, with help from directors Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Oscar winners for the climbing documentary Free Solo) and the empowering beats of Vo Williams’ “Greatness.”

“When elite athletes are about to compete, they block everything else out and dive into their own flow state of ultimate concentration,” says Nick Martini, founder and creative director at Stept Studios, which developed the initiative with Ace Content. “Bose noise-canceling headphones allow them to block out the madness of the locker room and envision what they want to happen on the field.”

Next, Mahomes—who does use music as a pre-game ritual—goes it alone:

Ace Content tapped Vasarhelyi and Chin in large part because the latter could personally relate to the concept and talent. “Jimmy is known for climbing the highest peaks in the world, and Bose’s talent excels on 100 yards of turf, but the concept of the flow-state is mutually understood and respected by most world-class athletes and artists,” Martini says.

The work continues Bose’s “Rule the Quiet” campaign, which launched over the summer, conveying the effort it takes to tune out external noise and distractions in a quest to be the best. (ESPN tried something similar a few months back to hype the NBA playoffs.)

As for the soundtrack, Bose picked ‘Greatness’ “because of its unique blend of classical and what Vo calls, ‘epic hip-hop,’ ” Martini says. “The violins set a calm tone, putting you in their headspace. Then the lyrics and bass pick up and drive the action. That combination, along with the lyrics referencing achieving greatness, helped reinforce the idea of players focusing before the game and then applying what they’ve visualized during play.”

CREDITS

PRODUCTION: STEPT STUDIOS

HEAD OF PRODUCTION, Mac Hedges
EP, Alexis Celic
HEAD OF MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT, Meredith Rodriguez
MARKETING MANAGER, Vanessa Wasano
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, Nick Martini 
DIRECTOR, Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, Paul Theodoroff
PRODUCER, Sean Lyness
PRODUCTION MANAGER, Ryan Blitzer
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR, Celine Bot 
STEADICAM OPERATOR, Josh Pickering
1ST AC, Joshua Cote
2ND AC, Brennan Freeze
2ND AC, Joseph Alford
2ND AC. Graham Kennedy
BTS VIDEOGRAPHER, Joshua Fortuna
PHOTOGRAPHER, Matthew Coughlin
Specialized Lighting Designer, Darien Koop
Specialized Lighting Lead, Bobby Grey
GEMINI LEAD, Jason Cain
Specialized Lighting, Daniel Dawson
GAFFER , Brian Cwiakala
BEST ELECTRIC, Mark Herman 
ELECTRIC, Barry Smith
ELECTRIC, Mark Stinner
ELECTRIC, Daniel Mcgarvey
ELECTRIC, Marcus Laws
SWING, Joe Kaid
KEY GRIP, Tony Thomas
BEST GRIP, Trey Garrison
GRIP, Dean Harbour, Stephen Walters, Ben Cheatham, Devin Servis, Forrest Dean, Blake Steel, Jordan Stitt, Thomas Whiteside, Morgan Sanderlin
REMOTE HEAD TECH, Mike “Aussie” Reynolds
CRANE TECH, Greg Favret
CRANE OP, Morgan Davis
AUDIO MIXER, Ferris Shaheen
SENIOR PRODUCER – VFX, Jeff Lichtfuss
VFX COORDINATOR, Lyn Caudle
VTR, Alex Ybarra
DIT / MEDIA MANAGER, Todd Barnett    
LOCATION MANAGER, Kim Davis
LOCATION SCOUT, Peggy Moore
TRAVEL COORDINATOR, Crystal Chinea
HMU (NON CELEB), Heather Henry 
HAIR (AARON RODGERS), Christian Marc Blazy
MAKEUP (AARON RODGERS), Jenna Nelson
HAMU (PATRICK MAHOMES), Melvone Farrell 
STYLIST (PATRICK MAHOMES), Suna Kwak 
WARDROBE STYLIST, Arami Amos
WARDROBE ASSIST, Aneesah Woolfolk
MAHOMES BARBER, Armond Jacobs
CCO, Kristen Katai at Total Set Solutions
Medic: Noah Raney at Total Set Solutions
ART DIRECTOR, Geri Schary
SET DRESSER, Dawn Taylor
PROPS MASTER, Sean McCord
ART PA, Jennifer Spurlock
ART PA, Caleb Packer
CRAFT SERVICE, Katherine Hill
FOOTBALL COORDINATOR, Beau Thompson
CONTRACT COORDINATOR, Kate Blasco
CAMERA RENTALS, Vault Rentals

POST PRODUCTION: LOCKT EDITORIAL 
HEAD OF POST PRODUCTION, Connor Scofield
POST EP, Eric McCasline
POST PRODUCER, Tim Baldini
EDITOR, Alex Morrison
ASSISTANT EDITOR, Dakota Giglio, Liam Tangum, Christian May, Cam Doherty
ONLINE EDITOR, Loren Creer
SOUND DESIGN & MIX, Eric Crepeau
ASSISTANT AUDIO EDITOR, Manuel Rivas
AUDIO INTERN, Jack Larkin
COLORIST, Bryan Smaller
VFX SUPERVISOR, Ruel Smith
FLAME ARTIST, Jerry Speivick Unleashed Effects
VFX PRODUCER, Shelli Jury at Unleashed Effects
ROTOSCOPE & COMPOSITE ARTIST, Jason Miller

VFX: INGENUITY STUDIOS
SENIOR PRODUCER, Jeff Lichtfuss

Executive Producer: Imagine Entertainment, Ace Content 

Agency: ACE Content 
Justin Barocas – Executive Producer
Carlos Naude – Executive Producer 
Jon Zast, – Executive Creative Director
Dani Dufresne – Producer
Gabrielle Schaefer -Business Director
Brand: Bose
Jim Mollica – Chief Marketing Officer
Karen Goodman – Executive Creative Director
Martin Dluzansky – Creative Director
Billy Krolick – Copywriter
Jorge DeCorral – Art Director
Nichole Hynes – Executive Producer
Chris Gumm – Director, Product Planning
Courtney Delude – Marketing Campaign Planner