Stuart Elliot took an interest in the consumer generated ad for Apple that led the brand’s agency to do a broadcast quality remake. (The original verison is shown above.)
“I was sitting on the bus and I got this e-mail on my phone,” Nick Haley, a native of Warwick, England, said in an interview last week from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student.
The message said, “‘We represent Apple and we’ve seen what you have produced and we’d like a chat with you,’” Mr. Haley recalled, adding: “This seemed ridiculous and far-fetched. My initial reaction was, someone wanted to steal it.”
He was soon persuaded that the message was real and traveled to Los Angeles in October to work on a broadcast-ready version of his spot with creative executives at TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of the TBWA Worldwide division of the Omnicom Group.
Haley, who is studying politics at Leeds. said, “My input was totally respected,” and the experience was “overwhelming, surreal and fantastic.”
The report says Haley was paid for his contribution, given a Mac Book Pro and that Apple will help offset some of his education expenses.
