Gruen: Part 2

Let's cut to the chase

I’m going to assume most people reading this already know the outcome, as it’s been publicised through so many channels (Facebook, Twitter, TV, even smoke signals) – but thought I’d first kick off my update with the outcome: We won. You can stop reading here if that’s all you came for, but if you keep going, I promise it gets juicy! And I might even reward you with a link to the actual ad.

PER>SYD

More than half of our Youngbloods WA committee was able to make the trip to Sydney, which made for a great weekend leading up to the taping. We all viewed a final version of the ad Friday morning, before departing over East. It was great to see it all come together so nicely and I was very proud of our teamwork throughout the process. It definitely wasn’t easy, with all of us juggling full time jobs, other social commitments and planning for two other Youngbloods' events, but in the end we delivered a product we were all very proud of. I’m a bit of a chatterbox and it was hard for me to see the ad and not show anybody I work with, but I kept promising it’d be worth the wait and to MAKE SURE YOU WATCH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

The taping

Tuesday, the day of the taping, came around quicker than expected. We all were a bit nervous before the taping, although only one of us, Lucy our co-president, was presenting on-air. Outside the ABC studios, we were greeted with a massive billboard, announcing the show. We took a quick snap (#fangirling) before heading inside.

We were given VIP tickets and priority access to the studio set (how deluxe!) which was pretty exciting. We took our seats and got settled in, eagerly awaiting for the show to start. I was pretty happy with my spot, as I was facing the panellists dead on, which made it feel like they were talking straight to me.

Gruen Series 7 Episode 4

Once everybody in the audience was seated, the production manager came out and prepped us on how to be the BEST studio audience we could be. I bet you didn’t think there was work involved for those just watching the show.

…. Ha, ha HA.

We did a few takes of recorded laughter, to warm us up. And to use later if we weren’t good enough during the actual show. The camera swung around the set, taping us all laughing OUR ASSES OFF. Having a grand old time. It was a bit weird, but then again, this is show business baby and nothing is what it seems.

Wil Anderson came out first, kicking off the show by explaining exactly what will happen and when. I was impressed with how great he is both on and off camera. He knew how to cater to both audiences, and he was just so quick on his feet with jokes. There were many that were edited out, probably because they were totally inappropriate and were penis related, but I bet they didn’t need to use any of our fake laughter because he was killing it on set.

He, along with the panellists, took us on a journey that was filled with so much laughter. I can’t believe the team is prepped that morning on the topics, and write their own jokes that day. How impressive!

The Pitch

We cheered loudly as Lucy gracefully made her way on stage and sat next to our competitor, Harry from Youngbloods QLD. I felt nervous when Henry explained his ad and it started, since this was the first time we got to see the other committees work. I was really impressed with their ad and could feel my stomach tighten as Lucy briefly explained ours. Once the ad rolled I took the minute to get fully immersed in it. I felt more comfortable once the audience started laughing in the right places. The segment was pretty quick, and before we knew it, the camera was rolling on the panellists, with each having a vote.

Russell kicked off voting, and said ‘I really liked Harry’s – Number 1.’ Damn it – nooooo! I am fiercely competitive and wasn’t happy when the first vote went to the opposition. Thankfully, Claire, Toby and Todd all voted for our ad, meaning we took home the win.

We clapped and whistled loudly, and before we knew it, it was all over! We were ushered into the green room, to greet Lucy and meet the panellists and the team from Youngbloods QLD. It was great to have a chat over a celebratory fizzy. Before leaving the studio, we had to have a quick photo of the set, with our trophy. So thankful the team at ABC allowed us to take a minute to live out a dream! Hah.

So how about that winning ad?

You can watch it below. I make a quick cameo in the street scene, make sure you watch it twice if you don’t catch me the first time.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I want to say a big thank you to everybody that has helped us throughout the process.

We leaned on the Comms Council, Beautiful Pictures for production, our agencies, our connections through those agencies, and our friendships to leverage this opportunity into a pretty awesome ad. People were so helpful, and I am very proud of the work we did. But we couldn’t have done it without you all! So thanks!

And to my fellow Brand-ers, I am forever grateful for the words of support and congratulations that have come from all around. I had so many people Facebooking/Tweeting/Instagramming and sending shootouts, it blew me away! We were even able to catch the eye of Wil Anderson, who tweeted that he ‘Really enjoyed reading it.’ It being my previous post! Hopefully he makes it to Part 2!

And thank you to the readers, who have taken the time to show an interest in my ramble! It was an exciting experience all around, and something I won’t forget being a part of. My hope with these entries is to be able to take others on the journey, as it was a pretty unique opportunity. And I love a good tell-all!

Want to know more about Youngbloods WA? Read our purpose and get familiar with the committee.