Production and post house Optimus announced that Santa Monica-based editor Hovig Menakian cut the Microsoft spot, “Celebrating the Women of 2013.” Currently airing nationally, the spot features the bravery and courage of women around the globe who spoke out, broke barriers, overcame tragedy and encouraged change in 2013.
Set to Sara Bareilles’s song, “Brave,” “Celebrating the Women of 2013” was created with found material highlighting the many acts of these female movers and shakers, including: Malala Yousafzi, Margaret Thatcher, Adrianne Haslet-Davis, Gabrielle Giffords, Diana Nyad, Janet Yellen, Antoinette Tuff, Angela Merkel, Edith Windsor, Deb Cohan and women on the front lines.
“Keith and I worked closely with Microsoft’s creative team to determine who we would feature in the spot,” commented Menakian. “Once we had a solid list, we scoured the internet for materials to try to determine what sources to pull from and give it form. Along the way, we discovered more people, and the concept evolved into what it is now. Microsoft had a solid message from the start that allowed us to search for a broad range of women in an extremely fast turnaround time. They made our jobs easy and it was a lot of fun to work with their creative team.”
The spot, which aired during the Golden Globe Awards and GRAMMY Awards, aims not only to thank remarkable women of 2013, but also to promote what the human spirit can achieve. As the GRAMMY-nominated Bareilles puts forward in her song, it encourages viewers to “say what you want to say.”
