2008 Woodie Awards
Wheelchair basketball player promotes sport in TV commercial
Cherome Owens
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Sports
UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball player Matt Scott will appear in Nike's "No Excuses" television commercial, which will debut Dec. 31.
The commercial will be aired on ESPN and MTV on New Year's Eve, and it will appear the following day on other networks, such as ABC Family, BET, FOX, FUSE, and the NFL Network.
In the one-minute advertisement, the Warhawk senior is shown in a gymnasium with the camera focusing on just his upper body. He is dribbling and shooting a basketball while voicing several excuses people come up with for not working out. At the end of the clip, Scott says the words, "And my feet hurt," and then leaves off as viewers see that he is in a wheelchair.
Academy Award winning documentary film director Errol Morris, who is responsible for films such as "The Fog of War" and "The Thin Blue Line," directed the commercial.
"Working with Errol Morris was so much fun," Scott said. "He was one of the funniest people I have ever met. He made the shoot extremely enjoyable for me and was a pleasure to work with."
Nike contacted the United States Olympic Committee, and they had a vision of the commercial and a description they wanted to fill ? a strong and athletic, disabled athlete. Fortunately, Scott was selected the role.
"They interviewed a lot of Paralympic athletes, and a lot of them are great athletes as well," Scott said. "They decided to choose me. Good choice, I think!"
When Scott arrived at the commercial's location, he said he was treated with the utmost respect. He didn't expect to be treated like a celebrity during the four-hour filming, but he "enjoyed every minute of it."
"Filming the shoot was amazing," Scott said. "As soon as I showed up to the site, I had VIP treatment right away. They treated me like a star the entire time. There were lights and cameras everywhere, and all eyes were on me."
Despite the amount of special treatment he received, it was still a bit nerve-wrecking for Scott.
The commercial will be aired on ESPN and MTV on New Year's Eve, and it will appear the following day on other networks, such as ABC Family, BET, FOX, FUSE, and the NFL Network.
In the one-minute advertisement, the Warhawk senior is shown in a gymnasium with the camera focusing on just his upper body. He is dribbling and shooting a basketball while voicing several excuses people come up with for not working out. At the end of the clip, Scott says the words, "And my feet hurt," and then leaves off as viewers see that he is in a wheelchair.
Academy Award winning documentary film director Errol Morris, who is responsible for films such as "The Fog of War" and "The Thin Blue Line," directed the commercial.
"Working with Errol Morris was so much fun," Scott said. "He was one of the funniest people I have ever met. He made the shoot extremely enjoyable for me and was a pleasure to work with."
Nike contacted the United States Olympic Committee, and they had a vision of the commercial and a description they wanted to fill ? a strong and athletic, disabled athlete. Fortunately, Scott was selected the role.
"They interviewed a lot of Paralympic athletes, and a lot of them are great athletes as well," Scott said. "They decided to choose me. Good choice, I think!"
When Scott arrived at the commercial's location, he said he was treated with the utmost respect. He didn't expect to be treated like a celebrity during the four-hour filming, but he "enjoyed every minute of it."
"Filming the shoot was amazing," Scott said. "As soon as I showed up to the site, I had VIP treatment right away. They treated me like a star the entire time. There were lights and cameras everywhere, and all eyes were on me."
Despite the amount of special treatment he received, it was still a bit nerve-wrecking for Scott.
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