Production house Thrill Ride launches in Melbourne, partners with Recliner to launch a
new spot for Heaps Normal – a quirky, and at times downright strange homage to the
ghosts of beer-ads-past.
Thrill Ride Productions has launched in Melbourne. A creative-lead production and content
house that aims to put creativity first. Their mission is to collaborate with brands and agencies
that are willing to be brave and push the envelope with their creative endeavors. With a bit of
help from their mates at Recliner, they dusted off their favourite beer ad spoofs and brought
them back to life on camera.
Founder and Creative Director Travis Crosbie comes with over 15 years in the industry, and has
collaborated with brands such as Fisher-Price, Pringles, John Deere, Telstra, Bendigo Bank,
and Dulux, working across both agencies and production companies. He explains, “Production
houses are generally founded by producers. As a director, I see the value of having a
production company that is creatively led. I can have those creative conversations and input
earlier on in the production process. Smaller agencies, in particular, can take advantage of this,
ensuring a clearer vision from concept to production”
Executive Producer Lawrence Phelan from Recliner has been a longtime friend and collaborator
of Travis, and was excited to team up with him to launch Thrill Ride with this cheeky spot,
bolstered by a dedicated cast and crew who embraced the creative vision. “At Recliner, we’ve
always been about helping up-and-coming creatives tell new and exciting stories—and teaming
up with Thrill Ride on this ad really brought that to life,” says Phelan.
Thrill Ride Productions aims to champion great ideas and collaborate with brands and agencies
willing to push creative boundaries. “That’s why making something that was a little wild and out
there for our launch spot was critical. Heaps Normal is a brand that doesn’t shy away from the
quirky, so they were a great fit” says Crosbie.
The resulting spot is a homage to Australian beer advertisements of the past, featuring cult
members, not-so-manly workmen, an eccentric badminton player, and a floating head. These
creative choices nod to the ghosts of Australian beer ads while looking forward to a new way of
drinking beer.
Thrill Ride Productions is dedicated to producing memorable content for the Australian and New
Zealand markets. By handpicking teams tailored to each project, they ensure that every
production maintains high creative and production values. You can visit Thrill Ride at
thrillride.com.au. Recliner can be seen over at reclinerfilms.com
Credits
Director: Travis Crosbie
Production: Recliner x Thrill Ride
Executive Producer: Lawrence Phelan
Producer: Mark Day
DOP: Hossein Khodabandehloo
1st AC: Aleksander ‘Lilac’ Pedraza
2nd AC: Johannes Beer
Gaffer: Corey Clement
Best: Liam Harrington
LX: Ric Mecchi
Prod designer: Jenna Dafter
Standby Props: Marlon Dalais
Art Assist: Jimmy Mitchell
Set Dresser: Tiana Lioulios
Costume: Candice Nelson
BTS Stills: Robert Geary
Offline edit: Ilya Malov
Online edit: Travis Crosbie
Colorist: Ted Deacey
Post Sound: Talia Raso
Motion Graphics: Andrew Onorato