The Pokémon Co. + WAR

A highly unusual and incredibly special project coming from a strike team marketing crew within the Trading Card Game at The Pokémon Co. (TCG@TPC) which also coincided with the ending of my 3 year run at We Are Royale. What a job to go out on...

It’s May 2022.

The TCG crew came to us with the all the right tools to begin a successful project: an open creative brief, an intended outcome + audience, and a budget. The core team I led started with concept genius John Chuldenko, primo art director Adrienne Wollman and resident Pokémon expert, producer Jeremy Schaumann. We pitched an array of ideas, one of which was a 3-episode docuseries focused on examining the larger human stories at play within the TCG community. After lots of work adjusting the parameters of the project (and adding another episode), we got the greenlight a few months later. We began pre-production with John at the helm of the episodic frameworks and the team casting for our hero subjects with the expert help of dev producer Claire Sinofsky. As a handful of promising stories began to surface, we brought the homie Kevin Matusow in to begin architecting what became a production with ~20 shoot days. And since I’m not really a docu-director (more of a mocu-director honestly) we snagged mega-talent Stephan Malik to lead the live-action directing duties.

Fast forward to Spring 2023.

With the shooting behind us, the design/animation direction underway via Emmy® award-winning-steak-connoisseur-creative-director Eduardo Guisandes, cuts shaping up via editors Myles Kane / Shane McLafferty / Mattias Evangelista with superstar assists Mikey Newell + Isaac Ruth, we were nearing the finish line with three eps in the bag and a fourth episode in the back pocket. In the end, we delivered an hour of short films featuring 4 subjects that brought a human scale to the massive world of the Pokémon TCG. Much love to all the people involved in its creation︎.

With the never-ending support of WAR HoP, Asheley Hu Roe.
Shepherded by WAR Dir of Biz Dev and EP on the series, Heidi Netzley.
Plus Mike, Danny, Duy and the crew at Mr. Wolf for all the comp love...so good, you can’t even see it®.
And Matt Osborne at COMPANY 3 for the gorgeous grade.

Minisite linked here.

Promo Spots

Episode 1 “The Teacher”

Episode 2 “The Enthusiast”

Episode 3 “The Family”

We Are Royale

Chief Executive Officer: Jen Lucero
Chief Creative Officer: Brien Holman
Managing Director: Beck Henderer-Pena

Creative Director: Eric Del Greco
Head Writer: John Chuldenko
Producer: Jeremy Schaumann
Development Producer: Claire Sinofsky
Head of Production: Asheley Hu Roe
Production Coordinator: Caroline Stella
Executive Producer, WAR: Heidi Netzley

︎︎︎ Production

Director: Stephan Malik
Producer: Kevin Matusow
Director of Photography: Chris Westlund
Art Director: Tye Whipple
Production Supervisor: Kristi Flore
Add’l Production Supervisor: Adam Dlugolecki
Asst. Production Supervisor: Hope Rubinkowski
Add’l Asst. Production Supervisor: Chloe Looper
1st Assistant Director: Andy Morris
2nd Assistant Director: John Nappa

Add’l 2nd Assistant Director: Wes Tavares
Add’l 2nd Assistant Director: Danielle Davis
Camera Operator: Andrew Plaza
Camera Operator: Paul M. Rodriguez
Add’l Camera Operator: Taylor Harris
1st Assistant Camera: Keitu Mokhonwana
2nd Assistant Camera: Kalea Calloway
2nd Assistant Camera: Mikaela Thorne
2nd Additional AC: Austin Aguilar
Additional Camera PA: Dendrick Tanner
Drone Pilot: Sam Windell
Drone Operator: Taylor Harris
Data Manager: Mark Giles
Add’l Data Manager: Felix Arceneaux
Add’l Data Manager: Ellen Friedman
Add’l Data Manager: Lance Hashida
Sound Mixer: Andy Bollas
Sound Mixer: JP De La Cruz
Sound Mixer: Robin Reinfreid
Hair and Make-Up: Monica Gutierrez
Add’l Hair and Make-Up: Tracy Taylor
Gaffer: Kazmo Kida
Key Grip: Rich Robles
Key Grip: Jesus Yanez-Gonzales
Swing: Peter Murphy
Swing: Patrick Dintino
Swing: Connor Vickers
Swing: Jens Ericson
Lead Man: Angus Bernsen
Prop Master: Sadie Moon
Prop Master: Juliana Rowlands
Prop Master: Brendan Sheeley
Testing Coordinator: Beverly Amidon
Office PA: Cody Hoyt
Production Consultant: Usbaldo Castellanos
Production Assistants: Ben Burris
Production Assistants: Oscar Espinoza
Production Assistants: Gabrielle Geiger
Production Assistants: Adam Gentner
Production Assistants: Steve Grandinetti
Production Assistants: Anthony Jackson-Pie
Production Assistants: Joe Largy
Production Assistants: Jack Lawyer
Production Assistants: Anthony McBurney
Production Assistants: Andres Montano
Production Assistants: Gabe River
Production Assistants: Cort Rutter
Production Assistants: Ella Windmiller
Studio Teachers: Kristen Wolven
Studio Teachers: Mindy Johnson
Studio Teachers: Marty Martin

︎︎︎ Post Production

Editor: Myles Kane
Editor: Shane McLafferty
Editor: Mattias Evangelista
Lead Assistant Editor: Mikey Newell
Assistant Editor: Isaac Ruth
Assistant Editor: Ezra Gentle
Editorial Support: Ryan Frey

Design Director: Eduardo Guisandes
Designers: Luis Palencia
Designers: Adrienne Wollman
Designers: Elleyce Pahang
Designers: Trevor Barton
Designers: Erika Morales
Lead Animator: Dylan Casano
Animators: Aaron Fisher
Animators: Erika Bernetich
3D Support: Edgar Zavala
3D Support: Michael Bogen

Visual Effects: Mr. Wolf
Visual Effects: Rotomaker
Color Partner: CO3
Original Score: CAYA