Amazon and Swimming Australia launch new documentary ‘Head Above Water’ via McAvoy Media and Initiative Studio
CB Exclusive – Produced by McAvoy Media, Swimming Australia and Amazon Studios, Head Above Water is launching exclusively on Prime Video this month and will run in Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and other select countries.
The series features swimming legend Ian Thorpe AM, Olympic medalists Bronte Campbell OAM and Kyle Chalmers OAM and former junior champion Cody Simpson. The elite athletes share their personal stories, providing unrivaled access as they share the intimate highs, lows, triumphs and challenges of their lives in and out of the pool.
Says John McEvoy, executive producer, McEvoy Media: “With an eye to this year’s Games and the disruption that COVID-19 has played during everyone’s preparations, McAvoy Media has been developing this original story with Swimming Australia and Amazon Studios for the past 12 months. The series provides a unique look at what it takes to be an Olympic Champion told through the experiences of Australian swimming royalty. Our goal was to create an access-all-areas docuseries to tell these Australian swimming superstars’ untold stories, and to their credit that is exactly what we got. Amazon Prime Video’s ability to tell stories and take sports fans behind the curtain makes us proud to showcase this iconic Australian sport to swimming fans internationally.”
Initiative Studio was commissioned to create the comprehensive marketing assets for Head Above Water that would appear seamlessly across social media, video platforms and content opportunities offered in earned media. A range of static art, video cut-downs and a 2.5-minute trailer have been created by Initiative Studio to support an international marketing program for Amazon Prime Video’s anticipated four-part series called Head Above Water.
Says Shanan Goldring, creative director, Initiative Studio: “It’s been a huge, but very rewarding effort to bring these assets to market. Most challenging was to ensure we maintained the right visual approach in conveying the rigour that each of the athletes have to endure in their quest for the Olympics. It is a most compelling story.”
McAvoy Media
John McAvoy – Executive Producer
Gil Marsden – Director
Swimming Australia
Sam Eustice – Chief Commercial Operations
Amazon Prime Video
Jordan Bradley – PR Lead
Tracey Whybrew – Senior Brand Manager
Hwei Loke – Senior Marketing Manager
Initiative Studio
Olivia Warren – Managing Director, Initiative Studio Australia
Shanan Goldring – Creative Director
Jared Ben – Senior Producer
Jacob Abi-Arrage – 1st AD, Creative Lead Motion and AV
Peter Brew-Bevan – Photography
Capturelab
Alistair Buchanan – Retouching
Rider On The Sun
Sean Vandenberg – Creative Director, Trailer
Janna Richert – Lead Content Creative