Hennessy's Latest Opus Celebrates a Forgotten Cycling Legend in This Dark, Inspiring Film

Marshall "Major" Taylor was one of the most renowned track cyclists of his time—and arguably one of the most celebrated athletes in history. By 1901, he was considered the greatest athlete in the world and was the first African American world champion in any sport. But somehow, history forgot Taylor over the years … until now. Hennessy is celebrating Taylor in its latest Wild Rabbit campaign, created in partnership with agency Droga5. Over the years, the body of work has featured celebrities and forgotten heroes alike, all of whom embody the brand's "Never stop. Never settle" mantra. Examples of past iterations of the campaign have focused on father/son explorer duo Auguste and Jacques Piccard and rapper Nas (who makes an appearance in this latest campaign). Giles Woodyer, SVP Hennessy at Moet Hennessy USA, said that each of the individuals they've featured in the campaign "exudes a drive, a determination and an ongoing quest to break down barriers, an attitude aligned with our own brand philosophy." He added that Taylor inspired the team for this iteration, adding: "In his own words, 'I was a pioneer. And therefore, had to blaze my own trail.'" [kickout id="5"] The campaign includes a 90-second, 60-second and 30-second cut of the ad, as well as shorter 15-second spots. [kickout id="4"] Like past installments of the campaign, Taylor's "Wild Rabbit" treatment is flawless and exciting—but with a slightly darker edge. The film starts with Taylor in a heated race against stiff competition, but that quickly morphs into a deep, dark vortex where it seems Taylor is up against his toughest adversary yet. "Through the end of this dream sequence, before we come back to reality, it’s almost like the pinnacle of loneliness," said Alexander Nowak, ecd, Droga5. "He’s balancing on this one wooden plank looking into a complete void, which is an interesting image and then seeing himself and seeing this guy in front of him and just realizing it himself. We tried to keep it simple, but at the same time, as usual, quite entertaining." Derek Cianfrance, of Blue Valentine and Place Beyond the Pines, directed the film, which the team shot in Ukraine. An unnamed professional cyclist stars as Taylor in the spot. "The cyclist raced flat-out for four days straight in these awe-inspiring settings. He was so inspired that he raced from dawn to dusk to make certain that he did justice to Taylor's story. That was a truly moving experience," Woodyer said. Droga5 and Hennessy tapped Nas to do a voiceover for the 60-, 30- and 15-second cuts. The artist starred in a spot entitled "The Ride" for the brand back in 2014 and has continued his relationship with Hennessy throughout the years. He also lent his voice to a 60- and 30-second cut of "The Piccards" work from 2016. [kickout id="3"] Outside of the incredible films, Hennessy found a few extra ways to honor Taylor and celebrate his achievements as part of the campaign. First, Hennessy will celebrate the life of Taylor through an ESPN documentary tribute to the cyclist. The documentary will feature commentary from BMX influencer Nigel Sylvester and road cyclist Ayesha McGowan. While Droga5 was not involved in the production of the documentary, Nowak noted that his creative team helped inform pieces of it because of the extensive research they conducted to create the film for Hennessy. Taylor's great granddaughter, Karen Donovan, also provided insights—some of which even made it into the work. In a teaser for the campaign below, Taylor approaches his bike, surrounded by fans and media, in a hoodie. Some may see that as a nod to boxers, but in reality, it was because Taylor typically got cold before a big race and needed something to keep him warm. Hennessy also commissioned artist (and cycling enthusiast) Kadir Nelson to create "The Major," a modern bronze statue in honor of the athlete. Additionally, designer Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss created a line of cycling apparel, "MMT 140 by Pyer Moss for Hennessy." That line will roll out for a limited time in June at PyerMoss.com. [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="1"] For more on how the whole film came together, check out this behind-the-scenes clip. [kickout id="8"] CREDITS Client Moët Hennessy Agency Droga5 NY Creative Chairman David Droga Creative Partner Duncan Marshall Executive Creative Director Alexander Nowak Senior Copywriter Phil Hadad Senior Art Director Marybeth Ledesma Group Design Director Rich Greco Junior Designer Alison Lee Junior Designer Andrew Diemer Technologist Chloe Karayiannis Global Chief Strategy Officer Jonny Bauer Group Strategy Director Ramon Jimenez Strategy Directors Ben Brown Strategist Midori McSwain Head of Communications Strategy Colleen Leddy Communications Strategy Director Delphine McKinley Communications Strategist Mariel Milner Chief Creation Officer Sally-Ann Dale Co-Directors of Film Production Jesse Brihn, Bryan Litman Associate Director of Film Production Ruben Mercadal Associate Producer, Film Sasha Pace Music Supervisors Mike Ladman, Jonathan Hecht Co-Director of Interactive Production Justin Durazzo Producer, Interactive Alyssa Cashman Director of Art Production Cliff Lewis Associate Director, Art Production Bianca Escobar Producer, Art Frannie Schultz Director of Print Services Rob Lugo Producer, Print Rose Mahan Group Account Director Lindsay Cole Account Director Katie Lancaster Account Manager Jake Stopper Associate Account Manager Kevin Lee Director of Business Affairs Jocelyn Howard Senior Business Affairs Managers Marcelle Gruman, Ann Marie Turbitt Associate Counsel Erica Palaia Project Managers Hillary Jordan, Kristin Robinson Client Moët Hennessy SVP, Hennessy, Moët Hennessy USA Hennessy Giles Woodyer Hennessy Global Chief Marketing Officer Thomas Moradpour Brand Director, Hennessy V.S & Black, Moët Hennessy USA Marion Daunizeau Global VP Marketing, Hennessy Premium Range Amanda Hawk Brand Manager, Hennessy V.S & Black, Moët Hennessy USA Ryan Chappell Hennessy Trade Marketing Director, Moët Hennessy USA Rachel Li Production Company Radical Media Director Derek Cianfrance DOP Roman Vasyanov Executive Producer (Radical Media) Jim Bouvet Producer Tommy Turtle Production Designer Ged Clarke Costume Designer Zelda Sellars 1st AD Dennis Sonin 2nd AD Mariko Atamanenko Executive Producer (Radioaktive Film) Darko Skulsky Head of Production (Radioaktive Film) Sasha Bevka Key Visual Photographer Jack Davison Editorial The Quarry / Wax Editor Paul Watts Lead Assistant Editor Drew Balke Additional Assistant Editors Audrey Weiner, Jim Robinson Executive Producer (Wax) Toni Lipari Executive Producer (The Quarry) Tor Adams Producer (Wax) Annabelle Cuthbert Producer (The Quarry) Charlie Morris Post Production The Mill Executive Producer Melanie Wickham Senior Producer Freya Hewett Production Coordinator Mia Lalanne Shoot Supervisors and Creative Directors Gavin Wellsman, David Fleet 2D Lead Artist Christoph Schroer 3D Lead Artist Jasper Kidd Telecine Company 3 Senior Colorist Tom Poole Assistant Colorist Jenny Montgomery Producer Alexandra Lubrano Supporting Production Company Second Child Photographer Paul McGeiver Senior Retouchers John Ciambriello, Mike Vorrasi, John Clendenen Retouching Coordinator Michael Mockler Music (Main Film) Woodwork Music Composer Philip Kay Producer Andy Oskwarek, Sam Phillips Music (Teasers) Artist Haxan Cloak Song Title ‘Hounfour Temple’ Sound Design Q Department Sound Mix Sonic Union Sound Mixer David Papa Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor Estate Research Nickerson Research (Susan Nickerson, Chris Lutz) BTS Film Directors Alex Stratienko (Shoot location portion) Brian Lannin (NAS portion)

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Hennessy's Latest Opus Celebrates a Forgotten Cycling Legend in This Dark, Inspiring Film

The brand rolls out its most integrated campaign to date

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