Back in August of this year, a talented director friend of mine, Maciek Sokalski, approached me about an opportunity for my boys to appear in a commercial he was entering into an Asics/Footlocker ad contest.
Though ultimately the piece didn’t get chosen as one of the five finalists (WHAT?!!!), it deserves to be seen. Maciek did a beautiful job capturing the lives of four real runners, one of whom is my son Ian. Ian loves to run, and he loves his brother Andrew, and being active is one of his favorite ways to spend time with his sibling.
The way Maciek captured my sons’ relationship is so authentic to who they truly are individually, and as a team. I’m incredibly happy at the way Andrew, who has special needs, is portrayed in this piece. There is a moment where Andrew is flapping his hands and it’s so beautiful to see; there was a time we were convinced by professionals that our son’s hand flapping was a maladaptive behavior. We’ve since grown wiser, and now not only appreciate, but treasure this non-verbal form of communication he engages in. It’s such a joy to see it part of this ad.
Every story in this commercial is worth watching; every individual is a real runner, who has a really good reason to get up and go. For Ian and Andrew, the bond between them is their fuel, – and mine as well – and I cannot get enough of the way their love is portrayed here.
I hope you take the time to watch the piece; it’s only 2 minutes long. And if you’re like me, and you want to see more of our unique families depicted in national ad campaigns in positive ways that foster inclusion, share this far and wide. Let’s get the word out!
I Run Fo(u)r from Maciek Sokalski on Vimeo.
I can’t wait to hear what you think!