Mill Blog ♥

Ravens won the game, but who watched where?

Monday, February 04, 2013

After the last few weeks of long days and dry eyes in the final Super Bowl countdown, where did people from The Mill choose to sit back and watch the nail-biting nerve-grinding game and the hotly anticipated commercials play out? It certainly is an eclectic offering with just a touch of healthy fightin' talk…



Jillian Lynes (Library & Dispatch, LA) AKA Our Very Own Athlete
"An early start at 5:15am on Super Bowl Sunday; I fueled up and slipped into my running gear.  My wonderful father drove me from my parents' home in Newport Beach to the already bustling city of Huntington Beach (the full marathon started at 6:30am!  But thankfully my start time was a more reasonable 7:45am). He dropped me off near the Hyatt on Beach and the Pacific Coast Highway, and I did a little warm up jog and guzzled down a couple last minute tangerines.  This was my fourth half marathon race - a gorgeous day and a huge turnout of 20,859 runners!  Nothing says sports celebration like secreting liquid awesome with 20K strangers!  It wasn't my fastest nor my slowest race (time of 2:28:29) and I ended up walking a bit.  But I had an amazing time running up and down PCH, and then I went to DISNEYLAND to celebrate the rest of the day!!  I powered through the whole game and the best part of course, THE COMMERCIALS!!!, at the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney. "



Nora Barlow (Marketing, LA) AKA In It For The Half-time Show
"I'm a fair-weather sports fan - someone who picks their team right before the finals, can never seem to remember the rules of the game, and exudes enthusiasm for players as I learn their names. Though I may not be a football fan, I'm definitely a Super Bowl fan. Rather than following the players and referees I rally on Sunday for the topnotch commercials, delicious food and general fanfare. This year I stayed home with a fresh batch of guacamole, The Mill's Twitter feed and plenty of commercial breaks. I felt all-American walking around my apartment to the sound of butting helmets and cheering fans. I sat glued to the TV for Beyoncé (and Destiny's Child! Bootylicious!!) and made a mental note to record her HBO documentary. I clearly have a lot to learn from this woman. Hence my Queen B inspired power surge photo shoot (say that five times fast!). Poor photoshop skills aside, it was another terrific Super Bowl on and off the field. There's nothing more enjoyable than participating in an event that unites so many, that connects millions with a shared narrative - especially from the comfort of your own couch!"



Tomas Wall (Nuke, LDN) AKA Flew To NY Especially
"Tired from a not too smooth flight, with delays and cancelled trains I arrived in New York on Sunday afternoon. As a London representative I am here for a few meetings over the next weeks, with my New York colleagues, and saw the chance to book an early morning flight which would allow me to attend Super Bowl Sunday in the US. I was here last year over Super Bowl, and I have no problems at all making this a yearly tradition! The Mill NY always books the back part of Sláinte Bar on 304 Bowery. It's amazing to see people pay attention to both the game AND the commercials breaks. To have worked on a Super Bowl commercial works like a bridge between foreigners and US citizens. You get a chance to see your work, and automatically learn about a big part of American sports culture. The party was a blast with lots of food and drinks! I stayed long enough to watch the Ravens win. However, at the very end, after 24h of staying awake, I didn't finish like a rock star: I crashed in my bed - looking forward to next year. I love you New York."





Gail Hilton (Beam, NY) AKA Mardis Gras Baby!
"Rumor is that the west coast is the best coast but I beg to differ. Once again the east coast has brought it...not only because the Ravens were kickin a to the double s but because I decided to theme my housewarming/Super Bowl party all things New Orleans! From homemade gumbo to dirty rice with a touch of pimms n beer slushies, the French Quarter found it's way to Manhattan! The trash talk truly began when two of my old roommates were reunited who are both die hard fans of opposing teams! They managed to end the night with hugs though, helped by a few pimms by that point. Another surprise guest of honor was my friend's colleague who flew in from Austria that afternoon and bought along a vintage 1970s Austrian dessert wine! It wasn't all about the drink (although we did have so much beer that we had to put some on the fire escape to keep it all cold!), themed sustenance was also key in the shape of gumbo, jalapeño cheddar corn muffins, nachos, wings, lamb meatballs, cheese, cheese and more cheese… .chocolate banana bread and even a chocolate cake shaped like a football. What a night!"



Tom Gentry (Engineer, LDN) AKA The Lifer
"I've been a fan of the NFL since I was very young because my Dad used to be an OB engineer for NBC and would work on the matches and bring them home on (NTSC!) VHS tapes. Being in the UK it can be quite difficult to watch games and stay on top of the leagues etc but the Super Bowl, in my book, is always the night that you make an exception for. Me and my friends went to Road House in Covent Garden where our local team London Blitz (we do have American Football teams in the UK, albeit few and far between) were putting on their annual Super Bowl party. The place was buzzing with everyone wearing jerseys for practically every team in the NFL with a strong leaning towards the 49ers (you could tell by the boos and hisses when the Ravens were on screen). The atmosphere stayed alive right the way through the game and even during the power cut that held up proceedings at the beginning of the 3rd Quarter! I'm a Giants fan but was backing the Ravens for the evening as they're much more interesting to watch with a much more exciting Quarter back and wide receivers. As it happens, that was the right team to back! Although to give the 49er their dues they came back very strong in the 3rd/4th quarters. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to one of the matches at Wembley this year, if not, until next year, Super Bowl!"

Bethan Barker (Social Media, LDN) AKA The Tweeter
"Given that #SuperBowl is THE biggest thing to happen on Twitter all year, I knew it was vital that I positioned myself in the thick of the atmosphere, conversation and debate around all things sport, commercials and Super Bowl. I was fortunate enough to bag tickets for the NFL Super Bash at Koko, Camden. The event was BIG, free beer, free soft drinks, free hot dogs, jambala, nachos and pizza, the Jacksonville Jaguar cheerleaders (although their mascot was also there who had some serious moves to rival the girls…) a host of NFL players, break dancers, huge screens playing out the game and most importantly? Foam fingers for all! It was a big year for me as a Social Media obsessive. Whilst the Super Bowl is still ALL about the commercials, for the first time ever this year it felt it was equally about the social media buzz. It was exhilarating to see how so many brands tied in social media and hashtags to their campaigns; a key example being Lincoln's first ever Super Bowl spot that gave viewers the change to write the script using Twitter hashtag  #steerthescript or Oreo who used the 'blackout' to their advantage, quickly tweeting a new ad reassuring users they could still "dunk in the dark".  It's this type of instant, reactionary behavior and shared global experience that highlights the power of Twitter. I also had a chuckle at the millions of Bane references (Dark Knight Rises fans will understand!) when the blackout hit. On the field, in Koko and on Twitter it was certainly a nail-biting, truly historical match and I absolutely loved being a part of it. Even if it meant a 6am bedtime. I also really don't want to take my foam finger off. Do you think I can attempt bring them into every day fashion?"