Written by: Ariam Tessema
February 24th, 2025
EVERYTHING the Brand spent the last days of 2024 shooting its first campaign of 2025. Ambition can propel you to the next level, and so, the team found themselves on location in Toronto, Ontario where the hilarious and equally gracious stand up comic, Hassan Phills, would don The Tracksuit as the star of the campaign. A rising star in his own right, EVERYTHING decided to shadow Phills, living out his everything through a day in his life, including to his highly sought out sold-out comedy show.
Part I: Filming On Location
Pre-production began weeks before the actual shoot, back home in The Bay. The decision to film on location in Toronto was a no-brainer once it was decided that Phills would be our feature. As a Toronto native, it was important that we capture him in his environment, following him through his routines irrespective of the cameras rolling. Not to mention Toronto in December, the dead of winter, played a character in the shoot itself. The streets were packed with snow, the air was crisp and cutting, and every exhale was visible in billowing clouds of vapor. There was no other way to capture the essence of the city and of Hassan Phill’s journey than to be there with him.
Upon arrival, the EVERYTHING team went straight into preparation for the following day’s production: capturing him during his day, capturing B-roll, and conducting a sit-down interview with Phills. Early on in pre-production the EVERYTHING team decided, as an ancillary piece of content, an interview to delve deeper into Phills beginnings, his motivations, and his disposition about his well deserved success, would tie beautifully with the new drop.
Hassan, coming off a two show stretch the night before, arrived on Friday morning for his interview and for establishing shots in the tracksuit for the commercial. Grasping moments of humanity for viewers to see coupled with the visuals of the commercial was imperative to help build a connection. He shared anecdotes, his inspirations, his EVERYTHING driving his pursuit, and of course many many laughs. The full extended interview is out on the EVERYTHING Youtube Channel.
Part II: The Comedy Show
We’ve all heard it. When preparation meets opportunity, luck is born. In more ways than one, this felt true for both the EVERYTHING team and presumably for Hassan Phills in that multi-colored lit sold-out comedy venue tucked on Danforth Street. In his own words, “Comedy is fun.. It’s my caffeine…” and clearly the three back-to-back shows full of people shared the same sentiment. It was undeniable that Phills’ career was on an upward trajectory, and fast. His comedy had connected with people, his stories spanning from parental dynamics, his love for basketball, and growing up in Scarborough (a city just miles from Toronto) to name a few, coupled with years of grinding on the stand up comedy scene had earned him peoples’ unwavering attention and intrigue. Drake, the rapper born and raised in Toronto, acclaimed for his love of his city and who had recently publicly posted the comedian on Instagram, quietly made his way to the back of the venue to witness Hassan Phills’s second show.
Part III: Model Shoots Back in the Bay
The bulk of the filming for The Tracksuit Campaign had been completed but there was still finishing work to be done back in The Bay. Fast forward about six weeks from wrapping in Toronto, the team held both model and product shoots for the website and social media, to round out the campaign. Grace Robinson and Damon Tecle modeled both colorways, black and gold helping to bring its personality and flair to life. And as fate would have it, the rain made sure to make an appearance during the model shoots for the all waterproof tracksuits.
February 3rd, the week of the drop, saw the release of the awaited commercial, model shots, the extended cut, film photos and of course a vlog of the EVERYTHING team’s Canadian adventure turning this campaign from a mere possibility into an actualized product.
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