‘The Bear’ Creator Christopher Storer Brings His Next Project — a Coca-Cola Ad — to the Emmys (Exclusive)

Alex Weprin
·3 min read
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In his acclaimed FX series The Bear, creator Christopher Storer uses quick cuts, visual chaos and unusual angles to give make viewers feel like they are in the kitchen and feeling the pressure.

For his next project, however, he is bringing that visual identity to a new platform: A Coca-Cola ad, with a 90-second version of the spot set to appear on tonight’s Emmys broadcast.

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The ad, called “The New Guy,” sees a girl bringing her new boyfriend to her family’s house for a big get-together. The New Guy learns how to navigate the family’s quirks, while a number of Coca-Cola products are integrated into the story.

It looks, feels and even sounds like The Bear, and executives at Coca-Cola say that is not a coincidence.

“Creating a spot inspired by The Bear, led by its director and filmed by its crew, was an enlightening experience,” says Alex Ames, senior director of content and creative excellence at Coca-Cola North America. “To ensure it had the same look and feel, the crew retrieved the lenses used to film the show from their vault. Those lenses have only shot two pieces of work — The Bear and ‘New Guy’ — and we’re excited for the rest of the world to see the result.”

Ames says the spot was inspired by Storer’s FX series and also Homer’s Odyssey, adding that the filmmaker “was a true creative partner in every facet of the production and an invaluable guiding light as we collaborated to ensure we paid homage to our inspiration.”

He also said that the decision to bring the 90-second spot to the Emmys was made after The Bear’s big night at the Golden Globes.

“The Emmys are a celebration of the best and brightest in the television industry — highlighting innovative cinematography, compelling creative direction, and storytelling prowess embodied by Christopher Storer and The Bear,” Ames said. “When we saw The Bear take home seven trophies at the Golden Globes, we knew we had to run the longform spot on this important night for the television industry. The 30-second cutdown just wouldn’t do justice to this grand stage, these great brands, or Christopher and The Bear team.”

“The New Guy” is also unusual in that it features a number of Coca-Cola products, from Coke and Coke Zero to Sprite and Honest Kids juice boxes. Ames says that the “imperfect family” at the heart of The Bear inspired the commercial spot.

“The fact is, we have the perfect family of beverages for every perfectly imperfect family. We decided to take this opportunity to show that story in a way the company has never successfully done with one cohesive narrative,” Ames said. “’New Guy,’ and the imperfect family in the film, became a great opportunity to illustrate how our products are preferred for so many occasions and gatherings. We have something for everyone, and we’re proud to help fuel the moments that matter most.”

While the 90-second ad will appear on the Emmys tonight on Fox, the full three-minute film directed by Christopher Storer can be viewed exclusively below.

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