I was delighted to learn this evening that Yonsei Canadian animator Jeff Chiba Stearns and his company Meditating Bunny Studio has won the Webby Award for Best Branded Entertainment for 2011.
His film Ode to a Post-It Note (for 3M Canada - click on the title to watch it on youtube) beat out some pretty stiff competition from Funny or Die for their video Snoop Dogg vs LL Cool J: The Ulitmate Halo Smack Down, Digitas’s Arcade Fire UNSTAGED Pre-Show, Pererira & O’Dell’s LEGO CLICK: A Short Film, and agencytwofifteen for XBox Halo Reach - Deliver Hope.
While his competition may have had star power and strong brand recognition on their side, I believe that Jeff’s piece won because of his innovative use of stop motion animation in a way that was relevant to the product itself. I reviewed his documentary One Big Hapa Family (2010) last December, and was impressed by his combination of found materials, documentary footage, and animation.
Congratulations Jeff and I can’t wait to see your next animation/documentary project!!
One Big Hapa Family is available for international purchase on Region-Free DVD via the Official Website. It includes both the 85’ Director’s Cut and the 48’ Broadcast version. Bonus materials: One Big Hapa Family CD featuring the soundtrack by Genevieve Vincent.
Jeff Chiba Stearns Filmography
(click on links to watch the films/trailers)
(click on links to watch the films/trailers)
2000 Kip and Kyle
2001 The Horror of Kindergarten
2007 Yellow Sticky Notes
2010 One Big Hapa Family
To learn more about the film check out:
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