Hauling baseball scarecrows, midnight huddles, and building a cinematic tribute at magic hour. A BTS look at the making of MLB’s Opening Day commercial in Japan.
For one week, we chased baseball across Japan.
It was a dream production between Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, MLB, the Fridman Sisters, Stink, and more. We all committed to a simple vision, and burned daylight at both ends (as well as through the night), to pay tribute to the ritual of fans watching early morning baseball in Japan.
What resulted was a deeply textured and authentic love letter to the fans who have been there. The ones who set their alarms before the Ohtani’s and the current generation arrived on the scene. It was also a warm invitation for all fans to rise up and enjoy the poetry and momentum that is MLB in this era.
Here is the resulting Opening Day commercial, “Breakfast Club.”
As we shuttled around Japan, I kept my iPhone and Canon busy documenting the journey. Capturing moments between takes and making sure I had all the memories of this monumental and epic team effort.
Andrew “Oyl” Miller is an advertising Creative Director, Copywriter, and AI Film Director. He spent 15 years working at Wieden+Kennedy on brands like Nike, PlayStation, MLB, Amazon, and IKEA—and is now one of the first people to direct a fully AI-generated commercial for broadcast television. You can follow his insights and updates on his newsletter.