IDEALABX

World Cup

Canada x NOCTA

In partnership with the Canada men's national team, NOCTA reimagines the national team's merchandise, using familiar silhouettes inspired by the country's heritage, national symbols and football culture.

NOCTA is a premium streetwear and sportswear brand created by Drake in partnership with Nike.

Launched in 2020

Name comes from "nocturnal"

Blends athletic wear with luxury streetwear

Known for tracksuits, outerwear, and sneakers

Features clean, minimalist designs and premium materials

More expensive than standard Nike apparel

England x Palace Skateboards/Nike

Part of Nike's "X2" series for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — pairing national federations with cultural collaborators. Other X2 partners include NOCTA, Patta, Jacquemus, and the Virgil Abloh Archive.

The Collection

Pre-match jersey with a stained-glass St. George graphic, greyscale colourway, Palace-Nike branding right chest, Three Lions badge left

Silver anthem jacket with infrared accents

Leather varsity jacket with oversized Three Lions detailing

Tonal grey drill tops, Swoosh tracksuit

Football Beyond Borders' emblem features on the pre-match shirts worn by the England squad during the tournament

Footwear — Nike Cryoshot Air Speed

Based on the 1998 Nike Air Speed Mercurial (the first Swoosh boot to break through in the English top flight)

Original boot studs encased in crystal-clear rubber, making it wearable as a sneaker

Campaign

Features Wayne Rooney, Jill Scott, and Marcus Rashford

Rooney appears in Elizabethan costume reciting Shakespeare; Scott styled as a Stonehenge figure

Release

June 12 — Palace retail stores and palaceskateboards.com (exclusive)

Canadian Work

Stuff | Monthly Millionaire for Wealthsimple - done in house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss1XZfOSemQ

Cabbages x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK102H6RxeI

Canadian Work

Sirius XM

'Channel the Channel'

Agency Conflict Creates

Director Martin Moreland

Lee Valley - Tools for Life

Coors Light - Frette?

Rethink | Nova | Francois Lallier

LINK 1: https://lbbonline.com/work/170546

LINK 2: https://lbbonline.com/work/170545

Girl Guides - This Is How We GRRRL

Director & Photographer: Nikki Ormerod 

KFC, Tears of Joy out of Courage 

Heinz, Vintage Drip out of Rethink

Prod Co.: Undivided 

DOP: Paola Contreras Arreaga

Represented by 9am.mx which is based out of Mexico City 

Main work: Short Films

Agency: A Beautiful Riot

Co-founded by Rachel Abrams (previously at Bensimon Byrne, on the Staples account)

Founded in Apr 2025 

Colour: Alter Ego

This campaign is rooted in a survey that took place last year, where respondents said that they want a program that’s fun and engaging, but also builds practical skills and independence. How We GRRL is a new platform to encourage young girls to sign up to be girl guides. See here. 

Canadian Work

Chicken Farmers of Canada out of No Fixed Address, produced by the Salmon, dir Lenski

https://lbbonline.com/work/170484

Charlotte Cardin - Take Me Back out of Vincent René-Lortie

Lay's - Bandwagon

Dir: Jake Symanski

Will Ferrell felt like the right casting because he brings humour to the screen that is totally unique to him. “He’s so approachable and fun – he brought the campaign to life exactly how we wanted it to. It's not an insult; it’s an invitation – have fun!” says Denise.

Pairing him with David Beckham and Marshawn Lynch added depth and texture, given the pair bring their own traits to the spot. “David Beckham represents global football history and legitimacy – he’s a soccer icon. And Marshawn Lynch brings an unmistakably American sports perspective.”

Taken together, Denise says the three men reinforce the campaign’s core message that football is for everyone. “Different backgrounds, different areas of expertise, different ways into the moment. But all of them are saying the same thing – ‘Jump On’.”

1x OCP: Will Ferrel

2x Celebrities | Marshawn Lynch + David Beckham

3x Movers Vignette (New York)

2x People already in the truck

2x Country Cowboys

12x BG in Truck

12x BG in the city vignette around

The commercial is built around a classic comedy principle: the funny person is only half the joke. The people reacting to the funny person are the other half. The campaign was designed to make soccer fandom feel approachable and invite casual fans to "jump on the bandwagon," so the audience needs to see the absurdity of Ferrell's behaviour reflected back through other people.

Many great comedy commercials can fail because casting focuses only on who can deliver funny lines rather than who can deliver a great reaction.

Timing lives in the reaction

A lot of comedy is editing rhythm:

Action → Reaction → Escalation

For example:

Ferrell says something ridiculous.

Cut to Beckham.

Beckham processes it.

Cut back to Ferrell doubling down.

Without that middle beat, the joke often loses 50% of its impact.

What's interesting about this Lay's spot is that the success isn't just Will Ferrell. The reaction shots are doing a huge amount of work. I'd be looking for people who can genuinely listen and react in a way that feels truthful. The best casting might not be people trying to be funny—it might be people who can play the straight man and match his energy without competing with it.

A lot of commercial comedy casting is really about finding three types of performers:

The joke generator (Ferrell)

The straight person/reactor

The witness (background people whose reactions reinforce the moment)

Rip the Script - Nike Football

Dir. Dan Streit

Casting: Road Casting

Nike Football "Rip the Script" — Ensemble Casting Breakdown

Spot: Nike Football / Wieden+Kennedy, dir. Dan Streit. Six-minute film for the 2026 World Cup, released June 4. 

Premise: Hollywood backlot. An overbearing director loses control of a scripted football shoot; the cast abandons the script for instinctive, unscripted football. A callback to Nike's 1998 "Airport" spot. 

Scale: 30+ credited names, real youth footballers, multi-continent shoot over 4+ weeks.

Hero Characters

Erling Haaland — closing punchline. Strolls in and silently proves he's the best; lands because it's backed by 20 real years of skill.

Cristiano Ronaldo — anchors the biggest set piece (a pyro/explosion sequence). Most-followed athlete alive — gravitational centre of the cast.

The Director — fictional antagonist. The "script" everyone rips up; gives the premise something to push against.

Why it works: neither hero has to act — they just have to be themselves.

Logistics: Ronaldo's pyro day was reportedly the hardest shoot day (wind, rain, overtime); a lead footballer was injured the night before day one and had to be covered with a body double.

Supporting / Reaction Characters

Current pros — Mbappé, Vini Jr., Cole Palmer, Ibrahimović

Legends — Ronaldinho, Cantona, Rooney, Drogba, Campos

Culture cameos — LeBron James, Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott, Serena Williams, Channing Tatum, Lisa, Young Miko, Ted Lasso, Kate Scott — import their own fanbases (LeBron's tie: Liverpool FC minority owner).

Standout bit: Channing Tatum plays a Haaland look-alike awaiting his cue from the real Haaland — they became "best mates," generating ~8 hours of usable B-roll banked for later drops.

Logistics: scheduling 30+ A-listers across sport/music/film, multi-continent, 4+ weeks, plus brand-conflict and image-rights clearances.

Featured Extras (FE)

Youth players — real young footballers worked into the frame, not stand-ins.

Stunt/pyro specialists — visible in the explosion sequence, not publicly credited.

Why it works: puts Nike's "grassroots pathway" message literally in-frame with the icons.

Background Performers (BG)

Crew-as-extras — for the climax, the director and AD grabbed a megaphone and pulled the entire crew, agency team, and Nike execs into frame for ~2 hours of real, unrehearsed chaos.

Standard backlot crowd — a six-minute backlot film still needs grips/PAs/wardrobe dressed to read as "crew," to make the set feel populated.

Why it works: turning the people who made the film into the people who "wreck" it is a self-aware wink — and it reads as real because it was real.

Logistics: recruiting your own crew skips a formal extras call but costs prep/wrap time and still needs releases and basic blocking.

Estimated Casting Ratio

Hero: 2-3 (Haaland + Ronaldo + Director)

Supporting/Reaction: 25-30 (Other Star Players + Cultural Figures)

FE: 20+ Youth Players, Body Doubles, Featured Crew

BG: 100+ Crew/Backlot Crowd

How many true "heroes" are there? Just 2–3: Haaland, Ronaldo, plus the fictional Director. A 30+ cast still narrows to a tiny hero count — the size is spent on supporting roles, not leads.

How important are reaction characters? Very. The most-discussed bits pre-launch (Tatum/Haaland B-roll, the body-double swap) are reaction beats, not hero moments. Reaction casting is also where Nike's "authentic connection" filter does its heaviest lifting — it's how 25+ names avoid feeling random.

What role do FE play in making a world feel authentic? A lot. Real youth footballers in-frame turn an abstract brand claim ("we build pathways for the next generation") into something visible — FE here carries brand meaning, not just background texture/reactions.

Culinarium - 1215 Weston Rd, York, ON M6M 4P7

Italian Cooking Classes & Venue - Toronto. It's a cooking school, event space, and culinary studio focused primarily on Italian cuisine and hands-on experiences. The studio was founded by chef Luciano Schipano and has built a reputation around approachable classes that combine instruction with a social dining experience.

Culinarium's classes tend to be:

Hands-on rather than lecture-based.

Focused on specific dishes or regional Italian traditions.

Designed for home cooks rather than professional chefs.

Structured so participants cook, eat, and often enjoy wine pairings during the experience.

Recent and recurring classes have included:

Pizza-making masterclasses.

Fresh pasta workshops.

Regional Italian cooking experiences.

Baking and pastry classes.

Specialty events featuring guest chefs and restaurant owners.

One example was a class led by chef Stefano Agostini focused on Venetian and Puglian cooking, where students learned to fillet branzino and prepare orecchiette with mussels before sharing the meal together.

Location Scouting Coffee Map x - hear me out -

Some Resources x https://www.blogto.com/slideshows/best-coffee-shops-toronto/22642

La Guanaquita

1621 Wilson Ave.(at Jane St.) and other locations

Salvadoran food

The main draw at this busy, family-run Salvadoran spot is the traditional griddled corn cakes called pupusas, which come as big around as dessert plates, thick and piping hot with gooey cheese that envelops fillings like pork and refried beans. A pile of curtido cabbage slaw and a squeeze of sweet tomato salsa on top add crunchy, fruity contrast. La Guanaquita’s Colombian-style empanadas are also excellent, the crisp-fried corn pockets fat with creamy potatoes and ground beef. But it’s worth delving deeper into the menu here than just the snacks: There are meal-sized Salvadoran soups, fish and shrimp ceviches and grilled meats. The excellent mixed grill platter is a carnivorous feast of grilled flank steak, chicken and butterflied shrimp. Alternate the meaty bites with the sides: crumbly cubes of cow and goat cheese, sweet caramelized plantains on rice and gently nutty Salvadoran tortillas. 

Gyopo Makgeolli Brewery

Address: 1456 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON

Craft makgeolli & Korean cusine

authenticity & innovation

Last year, the brothers behind Gonzo Izakaya, Hansang and Juwon Lee, along with their business partner Hyunchan Jo, opened Kensei Bar, a vibey listening bar at Dundas and Ossington that looks plucked from post-war Japan.

Keeping up with the momentum, the trio have partnered with makgeolli maker Dohyeon Kim to return to their Korean roots with their newest project: Gyopo, a Korean restaurant and brewery making on-site makgeolli—a milky, slightly sparkling fermented rice wine.

The food menu will lean a bit spicy. Think sharable small plates like Korean oysters dotted with Tabasco ponzu and horseradish aïoli or charcoal-grilled LA galbi, Korean barbecued short ribs.

Scarborough Guild Park and Gardens

📍 201 Guildwood Pkwy, Scarborough, ON M1E, Canada

This gorgeous Scarborough park is a tribute to Toronto's architectural history, running back to the 1940s. The park was once privately owned by architecture preservationists, who began the journey the park continues on to this day. A walk through Guild means passing by salvaged architectural elements from mid century buildings.

The unique space can be reserved for media useage, as well as private events. The attached event hall is a useful addition, especially for the myriad weddings thrown in the park each year.

The park also has trails that connect the park directly to the Scarborough bluffs and beach, which makes navigating between these two destinations easy!

On summer nights, passersby can get tickets to one of Scarborough's premiere independent theatre companies: Guild Festival Theatre!

They hold shows on the park's greek theatre all summer long, running 8 shows a week. The shows are performed outside, with lighting and show looks designed to adapt to a setting sun. It's a unique and beautiful experience you'd be pressed to find anywhere else in Toronto.

This year they'll be doing Bronte: The World Without, a character study on the 3 Bronte sisters and the lives that shaped their work, as well as Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, an off the wall comedy adaptation of a Jane Austen classic. The Jane Austen team were responsible for the 39 Steps last season, and it was the funniest play I have ever seen.