Responses by Jennifer Warren, VP, Global Brand Marketing at Indeed.com

Background: Indeed is here to help every job seeker. So, as we set out to debut our first-ever Super Bowl spot during a historic unemployment crisis, we knew just how many people needed to hear this message. This made our mission, and this ad, that much more important.

Reasoning: This one-minute film couldn’t have come at a more important time, so we wanted to be true to the moment and make sure job seekers felt seen. To do this, we gave as many people jobs as possible. Not only was every person cast for the film a real job seeker actively looking for work, but we also hired a young up-in-coming musician, Christian Shelton, to cover Andra Day’s song “Rise Up” for the soundtrack to this film—putting this young talent on one of the biggest stages there is.

Challenges: We worked with real people who shared their stories of the hardships they faced throughout the last year. That is something we’ll never forget. Each scene was crafted around their everyday lives, and although we did have a script, the film continually evolved to feature them in the most natural and authentic way possible.

Favorite details: This film was special, and we’re extremely proud of the partnership and understanding we had with all involved throughout this project. There was a huge level of trust and it was an honor and responsibility to bring this message to so many who needed it.

Visual influences: Visually, working alongside our creative partners, 72andSunny Los Angeles we took our mission statement and expanded it to recognize the challenges and achievements of the people we help. This flexible device allowed us to tailor this powerful expression to celebrate the many ways the human spirit shines in the face of adversity.

Time constraints: Like so many other productions, we had to work through various COVID-19 situations to ensure the quality story was told. We only had nine weeks to create this film, and, in the midst of all the COVID production restrictions, we constantly reimagined scenes and made pivots throughout the production process to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those involved. In the end, these shifts helped us keep the can-do spirit of the film, one of conveying hope and optimism to job seekers on the job search.