Bloomington man directs McDonald's Super Bowl ad

Bummed that you will not be able to see Dwight Howard or LeBron James in this year’s NBA All-Star slam-dunk contest?

Don’t be. The Super Bowl just might provide some relief.

With the help of local producer and director Jo Throckmorton, McDonald’s has put together a remake of the classic commercial that once featured Michael Jordan and Larry Bird battling it out on the court for a McDonald’s lunch.

Now, Howard and James will square off in a dunk contest that includes a visit from Bird, who was raised in French Lick, Ind.

Throckmorton, who has been working on numerous projects, is ready for the commercial to air this Sunday during the Super Bowl.

Throckmorton founded the full-fledged media production company Blue Ace Media and said he has been in this business for more than 20 years because of one passion.
“I like to tell stories,” Throckmorton said.

Before he could do this full-time, he had to find work.

As a new college graduate, Throckmorton applied to work on the movie “City of Hope.” He attached a coupon to his résumé that read, “I’ll work for a week for free.”

Shortly thereafter, he received a call to come in and help with the film, he said.
Through hard work and an unwavering dedication to his job, Throckmorton was eventually given the title of promotions manager.

“It’s scary because you don’t know if you’re going to work next week, but show up, work hard and they’ll call you back,” Throckmorton explained.

Throckmorton now refers to this work ethic as the “Ed Wu model,” after an IU senior who has offered his time and effort on multiple projects for Throckmorton, just as Throckmorton once did for his respective employers.

Wu, a triple major, first met Throckmorton when the producer came to Wu’s cinematography class to promote a project he was working on. Greatly intrigued and yearning for experience, Wu offered to help, going above and beyond and even staying late to prove himself, Wu said.

Since then Wu has worked on several different projects for Throckmorton and Blue Ace Media, he said.

“The fact that he’s giving me this opportunity to get in the industry and get experience is great,” Wu said. “I’m just trying to make them keep me in their minds.”

The commercial’s head director, Joe Pytka, asked Throckmorton to be the assistant director for the ad.

Pytka has filmed such projects as “Let It Ride,” “Space Jam” and the original McDonald’s commercial featuring Jordan and Bird.

One of the few directors in Indiana with sufficient experience for such a large project, Throckmorton said he did shoot breakdowns, telling people on set how everything would work and making sure they were in the right place at the right time. He referred to himself as a “traffic cop.”

The commercial took two full days to complete, he said.

While most people would be in awe of the rim-rattling dunks and NBA superstars, Throckmorton said he was more concerned with making sure everything ran smoothly.

“It’s very cool to work with big names,” Throckmorton said, “but to me, he’s a guy who has been hired and needs to be ready to go.”

For Throckmorton, big names and city lights are nice, but in the big picture he said he’s more than happy to work and live in Bloomington.

“I work on big commercials, but I’m able to help small businesses in Bloomington achieve what they want,” he said.

One of those local small businesses Throckmorton has helped is Argentum Jewelry.
He’s made TV commercials, photographed the staff and updated their Web site, said owner Sally Walker.

“He’s great – very laid-back but very efficient,” Walker said. “You don’t waste a lot of time when you’re working with Jo, and that’s what I love about working with him.”

With his laid-back demeanor and continued enthusiasm for the job, Throckmorton still loves what he does just as much as others love working with him. On Super Bowl Sunday, Throckmorton’s stories will continue to unfold when the dunk contest everyone wants to see comes to life.

When asked how long he plans to continue working in the filming industry, Throckmorton’s answer was simple.

“I’ll stay in it ’til I die,” he said proudly. “As long as people want me to tell their story, I’m happy to do it.”