The Los Angeles Rams are already world champions, having won Super Bowl 56, and now the team is going full Hollywood. The Rams are gearing up for this week’s NFL draft with an explosive Hollywood-style movie trailer called “On the Clock,” featuring stars from the team along with some Hollywood elites.
The short film plays like a summer blockbuster but is really a piece of branded content directed by Paul Hunter with cinematography by three-time Academy Award winner Bob Richardson. The Rams went all-in last year by trading away its top draft picks to assemble what became a championship team. That means that this year the Rams have a big challenge during a draft that doesn’t give them a pick until the third round. The solution is an elaborate, nearly three-minute film that plays like a heist film trailer.
Rams owner and chairman E. Stanley Kroenke assembles his team to infiltrate the high-profile affair in Las Vegas, where the draft takes place, to essentially steal the draft. But can this crew pull off a “Hail Mary” and get the job done?
Starring Dennis Quaid—in a ridiculously silly wig and mustache—as Kroenke, Josh Holloway as general manager Les Snead, Scott Eastwood as head coach Sean McVay and Tyrese Gibson as defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, “On The Clock” also features members of the Super Bowl LVI championship squad, including Kendall Blanton, Terrell Burgess, Aaron Donald, Tyler Higbee, Jordan Fuller, Van Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, David Long Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Nick Scott, Ben Skowronek and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The action features helicopters, tense music and overly dramatic dialogue in a stylishly thrilling, high-intensity heist film.
“On the Clock gives a bit of insight into why the Rams are different from other NFL teams, from our approach to team-building to the content we deliver around key moments,” said Rams chief marketing officer Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick in a statement. “This project combines the best of the NFL with the best of Hollywood—Super Bowl winners, celebrities, thrilling action and an award-winning production team. Coming off our historic Super Bowl win, we decided to collaborate with Paul to bring to life the idea of “The House Always Wins,” celebrating not only our success at the Rams House but also the NFL Draft taking place in Las Vegas.”
The trailer was created by the Los Angeles Rams in partnership with Ventureland, an independent creative studio and idea accelerator that develops standout entertainment for brands to connect with their audience on any media platform. Ventureland was founded by PRETTYBIRD partners Kerstin Emhoff and Ali Brown and producer John Battsek.
“I’ve been a Rams fan since I was a kid,” said Hunter in a statement. “This was one of the best projects to be a part of. What an amazing experience.”
As part of their multi-day film shoot in Los Angeles, the Rams returned to the scene of their big Super Bowl win at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. But the key location of “On the Clock” is the organization’s new Rocket Mortgage Draft House in the Hollywood Hills. Building on the success of last year’s Rocket Mortgage Draft House in Malibu, the Rams converted a luxury Hollywood home into a unique location to serve as Snead and McVay’s draft headquarters from April 28-30, as well as host other team business throughout the month of May.
“On the Clock” will live on the LA Rams’ digital and social channels, and the NFL Network is planning to run 30 seconds of the film before the Rams’ first pick on night two of the draft during the broadcast.
CREDITS:
Los Angeles Rams
Chief Marketing Officer: Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick
Chief Commercial Officer: Jennifer Prince
VP, Brand Strategy: Lexi VonderLieth
VP/GM Rams Studios: Marissa Daly
Executive Creative Director: Eric Kaufman
VP, Corporate Affairs: Joanna Hunter
VP, Marketing Strategy and Operations: Margaret Plouffe
VP, Legal: Todd Davis
Player Marketing: Emma McVay
Strategy & Operations, Rams Studios: Michelle Runch
Photography Lead: Brevin Townsell
Manager, Brand Strategy: Rachel Zisman
Creative Strategy: Zambezi
Sr. Director, Partnership Marketing: Brittany Ramos
Director, Partnerships: Tyler Potts
Sr. Creative Director: Cory Befort
Manager, Retail Marketing: Gabe Jimenez
Coordinator, Retail Marketing: Maddie Bridges
Manager, Marketing Strategy & Operations: Cameron Malakoff
Manager, Corporate Communications: Chase Isaacs
Ventureland – Creative Studio
CEO: Kerstin Emhoff
President: Ali Brown
Creative Director: Mike Rosen
Executive Producer: Natasha Wellesley
Creative Consultant/Co-Writer: Susanna Fogel
Co-Writer: Zander Coté
Producer: Marissa Mackel
Director of Production: Tracy Hauser
PRETTYBIRD – Production Company
Co-Founder/Executive Producer: Kerstin Emhoff
President/Executive Producer: Ali Brown
Director: Paul Hunter
Director of Photography: Robert Richardson
Producer: Jeff Tanner
Director of Production: Tracy Hauser
Head of Production: Rika Osenberg
Production Designer: Justin Dragonas
Production Supervisor: Brian Lierk
Editorial: Monster Creative
Senior Editor: Doug Brandt
Editor: Jason Myers
Assistant Editors: Josh Hawks, Nick Appelbaum, Caroline Bonamico
Color: Conpany3
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Producer: Blake Rice
Audio: Stampede
Sound Mixer: Mark Herscovitz
VFX Artists: Gabe Emmons, Alex Brodie
Online Editor: Steve Muenkel
Post Supervisor: Bobby Bullon
Post Producer: Benjamin Arnold
Music: Phantom Power Music and Sound Design
Sound Designer: Russell Total
Composer: Arvīds Saulītis
Visual Effects: Stampede Post
Footage & Image Research: The Director Studio
Head of Production US: Jamie Sewell
Cast:
Josh Holloway as Les Snead
Scott Eastwood as Sean McVay
Tyrese Gibson as Raheem Morris
Dennis Quaid as Stan Kroenke
Rams players (as themselves):
Kendall Blanton
Terrell Burgess
Aaron Donald
Jordan Fuller
Tyler Higbee
Van Jefferson
Cooper Kupp
David Long Jr.
Jalen Ramsey
Nick Scott
Ben Skowronek
Matthew Stafford
Cameos (as themselves):
Big Boy
Bre Z
Brody Jenner
Daniel Ezra
Michael Evans Behling
Nelita V
P Rod (Paul Rodriguez)