The film opens with a nightmare/hyper-real sequence that introduces our four athletes, Neymar Jr., Ning Zetao, Ashton Eaton and Andy Tennant. It’s all based on the harsh realities of their training and inner psyche. From there, we see the tension between their athletic training and personal lives. Each athlete has a different story to tell: Neymar balancing fatherhood and international stardom, Ning feeling the weight of a nation on his shoulders as he chases gold, Ashton chasing himself and the records he holds and Andy’s constant struggle between his personal life and career pressures. Between the athlete’s contemplation and relationships we see that reaching their best is a beautiful thing, but the path, sacrifices, pain, and anguish to attain precision, are anything but.

For decades, Gillette was personified by the perfectly shaved, sculpted, put-together man. By 2016, this standard was being challenged around the globe. Perhaps the hardest thing a brand can do is break with its own successful past. Yet, Gillette chose to make this disruptive signal of change at one of the biggest forums on earth – the Rio Olympics. As a platform that celebrates perfection – our work helped go against the grain to show the not-so-perfect side of sport and our athletes. To reframe the public’s negative perception of how Gillette narrowly defines masculine perfection we brought to life the authentic, intimate struggles of four Olympic athletes through a gritty, real depiction of their lives – both as athletes and as husbands, fathers, and role models. To drive their stories further, we collaborated and adapted a music track written by world-renowned singer-songwriter Sia to drive cultural relevancy and engagement.

We in collaboration with partner agencies, led an extensive and time consuming casting process for “Perfect Isn’t Pretty.”Starting nearly 18-months prior to the Olympic Games, the team reviewed and met with hundreds of athletes. This took place over countless Skype interviews and offline meetings. The goal was to learn about the athletes, their friends and families to understand their training and relationships on a deep, personal level. This attention to detail allowed us to create an authentic narrative for each athlete based on real stories, events and relationships.