How Band Hey Marseilles Shot and Produced BECU’s Newest Ad

The video follows Hey Marseilles as they criss-cross the country on a recent tour, using BECU's nationwide network of surcharge-free ATMs.

(As huge fans of Hey Marseilles, you can imagine how loud the cheers were in our offices when this opportunity popped up. WE ARE SO EXCITED.)

Check out the video

This beloved local band formed at the University of Washington in 2006 when vocalist Nick Ward and guitarist Matt Bishop met as college students. The band now consists of a core quintet of Matt Bishop, Nick Ward, Philip Kobernik, and Sam and Jacob Anderson. They've changed up their sound for their recently released third album – which includes “West Coast,” which we're sure will be an instant hit. 

According to indie radio station WFUV, they paired up with “producer Anthony Kilhoffer, best known for his work with artists like John Legend and Rihanna – and it worked. Hey Marseilles' self-titled third album finds the band ascending to a new level of artistic confidence, sculpting perfect pop gems like the breezy ‘West Coast' (!!!) and ‘Eyes on You.'”

We chatted with Jacob, who rocks the viola on stage, about what led to their idea to partner with BECU and how they filmed and edited the video. 

How did you get the idea to create a video for BECU?

Being a band on the road, and with all the boredom that can come with that, part of it was just to entertain ourselves and stay occupied. We started thinking about brands that we used often, and that we felt aligned with our values enough to be inspired by them. Some of us were playing around with the iPhone Hyperlapse app which allows you to take beautiful footage on phones and really looked almost like professional ad footage. We often found ourselves using the CO-OP network ATMs and it was fun to hunt down different ones in unique locations to try and get cool shots of us using them. 

How long have you been BECU members? Why bank with us?

I (Jacob, viola) have been with BECU for two years and love it! The credit union ethos aligns with my values, and I know that as a non-for-profit, I'll be getting the best possible rates on my deposits and loans. BECU is the first name that comes to mind when you think of a credit union in Seattle – I always smile when I hear that they support KEXP.  

How did you film and edit the video?

We used the Hyperlapse app and shot it all on iPhones. Some of it from our van, sometimes we'd give the phone to our tour manager to take some nice stage shots, and some was taken from a bicycle riding through the city. We asked a good pal to edit the footage and gave him a 30-second clip of our song to set it to. 

How did the song “West Coast” come about?

That was a song inspired by exploring the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest.  Most of us love to hike and go to the ocean. Then we decided to make it more romantic and threw in stories about New York and Los Angeles. It was the first song we really worked with a producer on, and it was almost a challenge that he put out to make the pop-iest song possible. 

Are there any funny stories from that tour featured in the video?

I remember thinking it was funny to try and make loading/unloading our equipment look good in ad footage. Like, the reality of that can be so grueling – loading 80-pound road cases up several flights of stairs into the venue. But then it was like, "let's try and make this look fun by riding these down the sidewalk." There were a couple crashes into lightposts and annoyed looks from onlookers there.  

Anything else you'd like to share?

We're grateful for the opportunity to play music and appreciate the exposure from BECU. Also, violas are making a big comeback – they are the saxophone of 2016.