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In the business world, advertisers are the stunt performers. Our fragmented media and pop cultural landscape has forced brands to really push stunts into the weird and wonderful. Whether its Snoop threatening to give up smoking, Ben Affleck working a Dunkin’ drive-thru, or a devil baby terrorizing the streets of New York. Meanwhile in Hollywood, the stunt performers are the ones who actually pull off the death-defying action that can make us gasp. They’re a breath of IRL fresh air in a world blanketed by visual-effects technology. Now, for the biggest night in entertainment, these two worlds converge for a pretty epic stunt by both worlds definition. Disney Advertising, Jimmy Kimmels Kimmelot, and Ryan Reynolds’s Maximum Effort, have enlisted five different brands to create six commercials that will air during the Oscars ceremony, tonight at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET, featuring more than 75 stunt performers executing classic Hollywood stunts like skydiving, high falls, and dynamic fight scenes. John Campbell, Disney Advertisings senior vice president of entertainment and streaming solutions, says that a lot of their conversations with CMOs have revolved around looking to create quality content that can maximize a given cultural moment, in particular to live audiences. The Oscars ticked all of those boxes. For the participating brandsCarnival Cruise Line, Kiehls, LOréal Paris, MNTN, and SamsungCampbell says they saw the advantage of teaming up on a unique concept. We had this concept to shine a light on the stunt community and the tremendous impact that they have on film for all of us as fans, says Campbell. We see them as Hollywoods hidden heroes, so we put the hypothesis out there: What if we invited them to step into the spotlight on entertainments biggest night? And honestly, what came about is kind of wild. We had 75 real-life stunt performers, 150 crew members, and we did this in a little over a week of filming and producing. The result may well be the biggest advertising stunt ever done for the Oscars. Brands playing nice Marketers typically do not like sharing the spotlight. But here, with Carnival Cruise Line, Kiehls, LOréal Paris, MNTN, and Samsung, theres a balance among brands across product categories so that they can creatively all row in the same direction. Campbell says that the company has brands it works with on a consistent basis and had a sense of who might want to test the waters of a new concept like this. The question is, are brands really going to play together? So we’ve had to find the right brands who are going to trust Disney advertisers, going to trust the Academy in order to say, You know what, we are going to play together, and something really special is going to come about. Kiehls general manager John Reed says this is the brands national TV-commercial debut, and it wanted to showcase authenticity, craftsmanship, and innovation. With this being a multibrand project, it was important to us that the Kiehls spot felt endemic to the brand while fitting into the larger storytelling, says Reed. That we can stand out while fitting in. LOreal Paris USA president Laura Branik says this idea was a natural fit to showcase the performance of the brands Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist in a breakthrough way. The collaborative process was really rooted in a shared vision and creativity, says Branik. We worked closely with Disney Advertising from the very startfrom brainstorming concepts to shaping the final execution. We have all been working toward the same goal of elevating stunt performers who are so deserving of this spotlight, which has made the process truly collaborative and fun. The Carnival Cruises ad features stuntwoman Hannah Betts jumping from a helicopter at 11,000 feet right into the pool of a Carnival Cruise ship. The clip in the ad was Betts first take. The Oscars delivers the right audience of prospective Carnival cruisers who love the fun of travel and live events, says Carnival CMO Amy Martin Ziegenfuss. This collaboration provided an opportunity to be more contextually relevant within the program, alongside other great brands and partners. The only nonconsumer brand of the lineup is ad tech firm MNTN, the parent company for Reynoldss creative shop Maximum Effort. CEO Mark Douglas says that the company aims to showcase the power of storytelling during commercial time, and this stunt aligns perfectly with that mission. Its the ultimate way to show how advertising can be as thrilling and impactful as the content it complements, says Douglas. Stunt Advertising Evolved Its a novel concept getting five brands to collaborate on a six-ad extravaganza during the Oscars to celebrate stunt performers. But this isnt Disney Advertisings first crack at experimental ads. Back in 2022, it worked with Kimmelot and Maximum Effort for the series finale of The Walking Dead. They created a series of ads for Autodesk, Deloitte, DoorDash, MNTN, and Ring, featuring four characters who died over the course of the shows 11-season run. All five commercials were shot in two days. Last year, the companies colaborated again, this time for a Groundhog Day-like campaign for Lays. That was a series of eight ads starring Stephen Tobolowsky, who played Ned in the 1993 comedy-film classic Groundhog Day, just trying to buy a bag of chips. The spots ran 75 times on the calendar’s Groundhog Day, taking up a third of ABCs commercial inventory for the day, appearing during Good Morning America, General Hospital, Shark Tank, 20/20, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Campbell says that the goal was to evolve the approach, this time with multiple brands, and on perhaps the biggest night of live-event TV outside of the Super Bowl. It was really asking, how do we continue to push ourselves, to push the boundaries, and use the full platform of Disney in order to keep pushing these creative boundaries? he says. The Stunts Chris Denison directed the Carnival spot and coordinated the stunts and cast every stunt performer across all six commercials. Hes performed stunts in films for Zac Efron, Jared Leto, and Ewan McGregor, as well as being Sam Worthingtons stunt double in James Cameron’s Avatar sequels. Denison says that his first thought when he heard about this overall idea was, Dude, don’t mess this up! All kidding aside, when I first heard of the concept of a series of stunts-centric commercials geared toward paying homage to our profession, I was struck by a tremendous sense of responsibility, both to my peers and the legends of the business who came before us, says Denison. I knew instinctively that if the commercials that we produced were anything less than amazing, they would fall far short of the mission of honoring the overall stunt community. As a result, my team and I poured absolutely everything we had into this process. The biggest challenge from a stunt perspective was using the action to tell a meaningful story inside the boundaries of a 30-second spot. I’m a firm believer that action should be a storytelling device; that is, all stunts should be used to drive a story forward, else you risk losing your connection with the audience, says Denison. The creative team and our fantastic directors did us so many favors in this regard, but we as a department had to be absolutely ruthless about distilling the action down to its core. He points to the Samsung Fight commercial. Our first iteration of the fight was over a minute long, says Denison. With the help of our fearless fight coordinator, Steve Brown, we literally workshopped that thing for weeks, stripping out the proverbial shoe leather while highlighting the individual storytelling elements. I believe that the finished product is as compelling as a 30-second fight can get. This challenge persisted across each of the spots, and in every instance we put a hard focus on hyperefficient storytelling through cool action to create what we felt was the best result possible. What stands out to Denison about this advertising stunt is the sheer variety in the spots. From a massive drop off a 12-story office building and a practical skydive out of a helicopter over an ocean to precision-driving in a trophy truck out in the desert. Each spot is wildly different, and yet they all tell a broader story of what kind of content the stunt community is capable of producing, says Denison. It was incredibly fun getting to switch gears so rapidly and complete so many different action sequences in a short amount of time. As under the radar as stunt performers are used to flying, there are individuals within the stunt community whose names are even less well-known, and yet their work is absolutely everywhere on screen. Denison goes on to point out a few of the less-than-famous folks Oscars viewers will see. Whether or not the audience recognizes this, I think it’s a very fun Easter egg that the boom operator in the Fight commercial is a UFC Hall-of-Famer, the first assistant director in the Kiehl’s spot is an accomplished supercross racer, and the dude in the floatie in the Carnival Cruise ship pool is Hugh Jackman’s stunt double.
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E-Commerce
The line its an honor to just be nominated is a cliche, but it’s certainly true that landing an Oscar nomination comes with prestige, attention, and lots of award-season press coverage on the stories behind every film. But for Union, a documentary film that follows the historic efforts of a group of Amazon warehouse workers as they launchand winthe first-ever union campaign at the retail giant, theres a story in the fact that they werent nominated. When the creative team behind Union first embedded with Amazon Staten Island warehouse workers in 2020, they werent looking to make a buzzy, commercial film. They raised their full budget before the Amazon Labor Union even won its election. They were committed, producer Samantha Curley says, to documenting this particular labor struggle, and asking questions about the modern workforce and how people are politicized through work, long before it was clear just how big the story would become. But then they were there to capture that win, and they were ready with years of footage of Chris Smalls, the campaigns intrepid leader, before he became an overnight labor celebrityheading to the White House and onto the Daily Show and as the subject of major media coverage. And it seemed like their documentary could actually be marketableand big. They premiered at Sundance 2024, and won the festivals U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for the Art of Change. We really felt like there wasn’t a reason that it wouldn’t get picked up or distributed, Curley says. They knew Amazons streaming service wouldnt buy the film, of course, but they figured other places might. [Photo: Martin DiCicco] Distributors didnt clamor to pick it up, though. In fact, the filmmakers got pass after pass. Not even were waiting to see or its a soft pass or just not hearing back, but hard nos, relatively quickly, Curley says. So they pivoted to an independent self release, partnering with 250 labor organizations and affinity groups to screen the film for one night or limited runs in more than 20 cities. Those screenings often sold out, meaning Union was the highest-grossing film for the theaters on those nights. They held showings followed by Q&As with Amazon Labor Union workers, and screened the film near Amazon warehouses. They did an online rental release where viewers could donate so that an Amazon worker could watch the film for free. In this way, Unions distribution became a story in itself, mirroring the one the film toldabout the power of organizing, how a small group of people can make a big impact, and who institutional systems really work for. Curley says none of the big distributions actually even said anything about Amazon. What we gathered, that was never explicitly stated, was that it was really about labor, she says. [Photo: Martin DiCicco] The Amazon Labor Union was just one part of a bigger wave of organizing taking place. Around the same time, Apple retail workers began organizing (and got their first contract in 2024), as did Disney park characters (who voted to unionize in 2024). Major actions from the United AutoWorkers, Hollywood actors and writers, and more dominated the news cycle of the past few years. This idea of the labor movement and worker power is so relevant and threatening that, I thinkand again, this wasn’t ever explicitly statedbut what we took from those conversations [with distributors] was like, these distributors don’t want people pointing the finger at them any moreso than they already are, Curley says. Generally, some were also shying away from political contentthough Curley doesnt think that Union, or the experience of watching it, is overtly political. If youre reading the film that way, its definitely present, but I think the film is about group projects, and about the audacious belief that we can make anything better, or we can change anything about our circumstances, she says. Even though the film itself focuses on Amazon, it offers a broad perspective of the labor movement at large. It is pretty insular to this group of Amazon organizers in Staten Island, Curley says, but we worked really hard to remind viewers this is just one small part of this huge machine. The timing of the film speaks to this as well: its not a 10-year retrospective of a historic moment, but came out amid an ongoing labor resurgence. We wanted the film to become part of the conversation about the future of work and labor organizing. After all that effort, Union did manage to get shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar nominations. We were really fortunate to have such strong support and guidance within the awards campaign, and belief that the film coud really be in the conversation, Curley says. Being shortlisted did increase the films visibility, boost its independent distribution path, and give the participants some validation, she adds, for all the time they committed to the project. [Photo: Martin DiCicco] It would have been cool and a different journey to have been nominated,” she adds, but not being nominated “allows us to continue to balance the kind of prestige of the film with the real collective effort and struggle to get the film out there.” (The film’s creative team, along with Curley, includes producer Mars Verrone, cinematographer and producer Martin Dicicco, directors Stephen Maing and Brett Story, editors Blair McClendon and Malika Zouhali-Worrall, and composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe.) Its also an opportunity for the film to keep paving its own way. An Oscars appearance can seem like an ending: a grand culmination of effort. But Unions story isnt over. The team is already thinking about its next phase of distribution, and has plans tied to May Day and Labor Day. Its outside of the awards circuit, and so can tell its story beyond awards season. Now we just get to be a film thats trying to reach audiences, Curley says. Amazon workers’ fight isn’t over either; more than two years after unionizing, they still don’t have a contract. (Workers authorized a strike at the end of 2024 as part of its efforts to get the retail giant to negotiate.) And the larger conversation about labor isnt ending either; though the Trump administration is taking steps to dismantle the labor movement and erase worker power, those threats are also bolstering conversations about the importance of workers rights, and the power of collective organizing. The film might focus on Amazon, but really it highlights this dichotomy, she notes, of how organizing is essential and also impossible. The film shows the Staten Island warehouse win, yes, but also how the Amazon Labor Union lost its next two elections, and how infighting and burnout start to appear among the organizers. It ends by showing the very beginnings of yet another campaign at a warehouse in California. Its this idea of, we just spend time with this small group of workers, and [this is] going to be happening with workers at every company and every part of the world, Curley says, and that being inspiring and daunting.
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E-Commerce
Despite a traumatic beginning of the year from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, Los Angeles is ready to celebrate one of its largest exports: movies. Hollywoods biggest bash, the 97th Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will air tonight, March 2, at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. The action is taking place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. Lets get up to speed so you can watch like an A-lister: How the L.A. fires impacted the 2025 Oscars The fires delayed the Oscar nominations announcement twice and extended the nominations voting period. And though the actual awards ceremony date was not affected, the annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon was canceled out of sensitivity to the Southern California community, and the Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony had to be rescheduled from February 18 to April 29. Notable 2025 Oscar nominees Emilia Pérez dominates the Oscars with 13 nominations, making it the most nominated non-English movie in Oscar history. Jacques Audiards crime musical was once considered a tight contender for best picture, but controversy surrounding its star Karla Sofía Gascón’s raft of offensive tweets is expected to impact its chances (although it just won best film and best director at the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday in Paris). Gascón is the first openly trans actor to be nominated for an Oscar. Tied for second place with 10 nominations is Brady Corbets immigrant story The Brutalist and Jon M. Chus musical Wicked, both nominated for best picture. This is the first time two musicals have been in the best picture category since 1969 with Oliver! and Funny Girl. (Oliver! won.) With eight nominations each, A Complete Unknown and Conclave are also up for best picture. You can find a complete list of the 2025 Oscar nominees on the Academy’s website. Who is hosting the 2025 Oscars? Comedian, former late-night host, and podcaster Conan OBrien is taking on hosting duties this year for the first time. The two-time Emmy Awards host revealed that he’s never even attended the Academy Awards before. “I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,” O’Brien said (jokingly?) during a news conference Wednesday. He will get backup from presenters including Oprah Winfrey, Ben Stiller, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, John Lithgow, and Amy Poehler. Keeping with tradition, last years top acting winners, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, DaVine Joy Randolph, and Emma Stone will also present. Who are the musical performers? Historically, the best original song nominees were performed during the ceremony. This year, the Academy is shaking things up and having songwriters share their personal reflections instead. That doesnt mean the music stops. Wickeds Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will open up the night with a musical performance. Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, Doja Cat, and Raye are also cooking up something special. Who are some favorites to win this year? There have been lots of twists and turns leading up to the big night. Some categories, such as best supporting actor and actress, feel almost inevitable. Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaa will almost certainly walk away with Oscars in these categories. Best picture, actor, and actress are more unpredictable. In the actor race, Oscar-winner Adrien Brody seemed the front-runner until last weekends SAG Awards upset when Timothée Chalamet took home the honor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Traditionally, the Oscars don’t like to honor younger artists, but the times could be a-changin’. In the actress category, Demi Moore of The Substance and Mikey Madison of Anora have split the precursor awards. Moores heartfelt speeches at SAG, Critics Choice, and the Golden Globes ceremonies charmed audiences. But don’t count Madison out; she took home the BAFTA and Independent Spirit Awards trophies for best actress. Further complicating the issue, some critics are predicting a surprise third choice, Im Still Heres Fernanda Torres. This is truly anyones race. Best picture is also uncertain. Sean Baker’s Anora seemed to be a safe bet because of its PGA, DGA, and WGA wins, but Conclaves SAG and BAFTA wins might make a case for Edward Berger’s papal thriller. How can I watch or stream the 2025 Oscars? There are many ways to see what film comes out on top. The most straightforward for those with traditional cable TV subscriptions is to tune into ABC at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m ET. You can also watch it for free on ABC with an over-the-air antenna. For the first time ever, cord-cutters can also stream the Oscars live directly on Hulu, which is offering a free trial for new subscribers. Or catch the show on one of the live-TV streaming services that offer ABC as part of a bundle: Sling TV (in some markets) Fubo TV YouTube TV Hulu + Live TV
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E-Commerce
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