The Man Who...
We developed, produced & distributed The Man Who Walked Around the World – a feature-length documentary that sits at the heart of a fully-integrated, 360° entertainment format that reaches & connects with audiences around the globe.
The Documentary
From local grocer to global icon. Filmmaker Anthony Wonke explores how Johnnie Walker became embedded in popular culture & has managed to still be there 200 years later.
After uncovering some of the fascinating stories from Johnnie Walker’s journey while working with the brand, we decided to dig deeper. The result is an independent documentary about Johnnie Walker (not for Johnnie Walker) that provides an insight into how the brand went from a small town in Scotland, to having a spot reserved in almost every bar around the world –
“From Emmy & triple BAFTA-winning director Anthony Wonke, The Man Who Walked Around the World looks at the rise of Johnnie Walker; from playing a part in some of history’s most notable events, to being immortalised on screen by Hollywood filmmakers, sung about by stars, and celebrated by novelists.
Featuring Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan), Sophia Bush, Sean Miyashiro, Alice Lascelles, Zakk Wylde, Ekow Eshun, Sir John Hegarty and many more.”
The Impact
Views of the 1hr 11min documentary
Trailer views across Discovery, co-promotion & local amplification
Years spent with the brand
Languages translated into
Markets available in
The story of Johnnie Walker is fascinating. It explores the alchemy of a brand and what it takes to create an icon. It has punch and depth – a brilliant history packed with intrigue and romanticism. Dig deeper and we find it has the potential to be so much more – a story about what makes us human, the things we can achieve and what keeps pushing us forward.
Anthony Wonke, Director
Distribution
A global story, shared with the world.
Through our unique distribution model we are able to realise a range of distribution opportunities that wouldn’t have otherwise be possible.
We developed The Man Who Walked Around the World through Something™ Originals via a pre-production acquisition from Discovery Channel which included broadcast in all regions on linear TV, other than EMEA where the documentary was hosted on a digital content hub.
In addition, we increased global distribution by unlocking a wide range of additional syndication by extending the license agreement with distribution partners around the world, all centrally managed by Something3 Originals.
Amplification
So much more than just a documentary; The Man Who Walked Around the World is an entertainment eco-system.
To maximise the impact & value of the documentary we built an eco-system of supporting assets & activations to drive awareness, engagement, sales & advocacy across owned, earned & paid channels.
We also developed a co-promotion agreement with Johnnie Walker which enabled them to promote the film across their own channels & capitalise on the cultural buzz being generated by the release.
Branding & Visual Identity
Creating an iconic identity to unify the title across all touch-points.
We developed a comprehensive brand system that enabled us to deliver flexibility & consistency across every aspect of the ecosystem.
From the typographic logomark, to the wider brand identity, key art, title sequence, websites, OOH, digital ads & much more. We delivered a bold, vibrant & modern identity that appealed to a diverse audience & ensured we immediately dismissed any pre-conceptions of what a documentary about a whisky brand might look like.
We also developed guidelines & other resources that make it easy for partners to localise & create assets optimised for their own audience without losing consistency.
Content Hub
A centralised, digital destination that could be used across all comms to make it easy for audiences to discover more.
The hub supports translation & localisation across 17 regions & features the documentary trailer, key supporting assets as well as geo-targeting functionality that shows where the full documentary can be viewed within the region.
Content-to-Commerce
Converting cultural buzz into product sales.
As part of the co-promotion agreement with Johnnie Walker we partnered with them to seamlessly connect the documentary to their products; increasing awareness of the film & driving products sales.
We developed an Amazon store that featured promotional assets for the documentary & included the ability to buy product directly.
Behind the Scenes
32 contributors. 23 cities. 9 countries. 1 global pandemic.
From the Spirits Wives in Myanmar to the Wu-tang Clan in New York, a war journalist in Baghdad, bartenders in London, the son of a Bollywood icon in Mumbai, advertising creatives in São Paulo & more – this really was a story that took us to all corners of the globe. A journey that was made all that much more interesting by the fact we shot the documentary across 3 Months in the middle of 2020 – the global peak of COVID-19.
From a core production team based across 3 time zones, travel restrictions, to directing remotely & masks on set – we certainly had our work cut out for us, but we made it happen & as always, managed to have a lot of fun along the way too.
Our Role
Discovery | Partizan | Anthony Wonke | Walter Mair | Rod Main | The Farm | Smarts