The Ask
Build awareness and increase emotional connection to the Adventure Grade RAV4 Toyota by telling stories that push boundaries in food, travel, and adventure.
What We Did
We created a short form, three-episode documentary series called Rugged to Refined featuring chefs who create refined cuisine amid rugged locales. Bringing together an A-list camera team who specializes in executing with a luxury lens, we produced visuals worthy of a commercial with an editorial story that celebrated each chef’s process and environmental influence.
Our Alchemy
With purposeful integration, we brought a storytelling and cinematic lens to this branded series, which translated to its performance—collectively garnering 6MM views (and counting) across channels.
Credits
Creative Director & Film Director: Sara McDowell
Executive Producer: Nicole Van Straatum
Director of Photography: Mike Marasco & Kasandra Baruch / RAW Media House
Steadicam: Thomas Dean
Drone Operator: Michael Kretovics
1st AC: Taylor Dean
Grip: Stefan Vleming
Sound: Ken Pries
Picture Car Driver: Angel Alvarado
Editor: Molly Holtzinger
Color House: Irving Harvey