Agency Giant Spoon teamed up with production company Sandwich Video for an online spot parodying 80s technology programs while promoting the HP PageWide printer entitled “Computer Show.”
Developed from an idea created by Adam Lisagor (the actor, who you may recognize from this CenturyLink campaign, also directed the effort), Roxana Altamirano and Tony Altamirano, the spot pays homage to the Jim Henson-produced Computer Chronicles, which ran on PBS from 1983-2002. “Computer Show” imagines what would happen if the presenters of such a program were confronted with modern printing technology.
It centers around a printing race between the HP PageWide and the printer host Gary Faber (played by Rob Baedeker) got from Kwikopy (a print shop he seems to have difficulty pronouncing).
You can probably guess how that turns out.
The spot ends with an overly philosophical attempt to answer the question “What does it mean” by Lisagor himself.
“We started making Computer Show in 2015 as a kind of passion project—our passion being the early ’80s, technology, time travel and awkward conversations,” Sandwich founder and actor Lisagor explained to Adweek. “It was a nice surprise when HP got in touch, saying they wanted to sponsor an episode of their own. We hope to make a bunch more episodes with other companies, just to see how our host Gary Fabert will react to innovations he’ll never understand.”
Credits:
Title: “Computer Show”
Client: HP
VP, PPS Marketing: Vikrant Batra
Head of Americas, Print Marketing, Shuchi Sarkar
US Commercial Printing Marketing Director: Flavia Paulella Kennedy
Social Media Campaign Manager, Kathleen Barrett
Agency: Giant Spoon
Co-Founder: Jon Haber
VP, Brand Management: Pierre Parisot
Associate Director Strategy: Adam Wiese
Senior Strategist: Albert Kugel
Senior Strategist: Veronica Brothwell
Jr. Strategist: Madeleine Reeves
Business Affairs: Catherine Huang
Production Company: Sandwich Video
Created by Roxana Altamirano, Tony Altamirano, Adam Lisagor
Director: Adam Lisagor
Executive Producer: Shadie Elnashai
Executive Producer: Adam Lisagor
Written by Joshua Allen, Adam Lisagor, Roxana Altamirano, Tony Altamirano, Rob Baedeker
Producer: Greg Kindra
Director of Photography: Lowell A. Meyer
—Full Creative Credits
Created by Roxana Altamirano, Tony Altamirano, Adam Lisagor
Director: Adam Lisagor
Executive Producer: Shadie Elnashai
Executive Producer: Adam Lisagor
Written by Joshua Allen, Adam Lisagor, Roxana Altamirano, Tony Altamirano, Rob Baedeker
Producer: Greg Kindra
Director of Photography: Lowell A. Meyer
Art Director: Gabe Wilson
Wardrobe: Courtney Arthur, Gabrielle Levinson-Wahl
Make-up/Hair: Regan Livingston, Andrea Steele
Production Supervisor: Dave Beglin
1 Asst. Director: Alex Comery
2nd Asst. Director: Ben Kanyusik
Head of Production: Greg Kindra
Sound Mix: George Wymenga
Cameras: Jessica Fisher, Allison Hefner
Videotape Editor: Zena Grey
Videotape Engineer: Zach Hobesh
Electronic Graphics: Jarred Hageman
Computer Music by Adam Deibert, Breakmaster Cylinder
Set Design: Chase Sata, Quill Chae-Daniel, Carlos Flores, Joshua Griffey, Larry Alberti