Seventh graders at Westlake Middle School in Westchester
County were treated to a presentation about how to create a
television commercial by Momentum Advertising & Design, President, Steve
Mayhew. What made this presentation so unique was that it was viewed through
Skype from Momentum’s offices in Fishkill, NY to the library at Westlake Middle
School in Thornwood, NY. Approximately 160 seventh graders participated in the
session which was divided into two groups.
The Skype presentation was arranged by Steve Pesick,
a teacher at Westlake Middle School, whose class was studying the science of
advertising. He separated his class into small groups and assigned them the
task of creating a commercial for a new bottled water product they created. “As
the kids were going through the process of creating a campaign concept and
storyboard for their commercial, I thought it might be interesting for them to
hear from an industry professional about how the process actually occurs,” said
Mr. Pesick. “I was familiar with Momentum Advertising & Design’s TV work
and decided to reach out to Mr. Mayhew. I’m glad I did – the kids absolutely
loved the presentation.”
Mr. Mayhew’s presentation covered everything, from
describing the creative process and filming, right down to final production. He
also discussed the costs associated with producing a commercial as well as the
costs associated with buying airtime on a network or cable television station.
“What was nice about using Skype was that the
presentation was very interactive,” said Mr. Mayhew. “There were dozens of
questions. Many students were interested in knowing fun facts – like how much a
Super Bowl spot costs or how much an actor gets paid – but there were also some
really inquisitive questions about what happens during pre-production, and how
you go about editing a spot. Overall, I was extremely impressed with both
groups and look forward to presenting for a future class,” concluded Mayhew.
Feedback from students, teachers and school administration was extremely
positive.
