We all know about the mind-numbing slog of getting from point A to B in our cars, especially when commuting. Sometimes, the drudgery of it all can almost make you feel like a zombie. That’s the feeling we decided to capture in building this new, but unfortunately car-brained world for Sound Transit—the Puget Sound region’s public transit system—presenting commuters with an alternative that can make them feel a bit more…human.

But the unfortunate truth is, one way or another, most of us are a part of this undead community. Making it easy to sympathize with these spooky-and-all-too-familar commuter scenarios; including how high gas prices drain your soul, and parking tickets that are truly the dawn of the dread. So encouraging drivers to “Break a Mindless Habit,” we feel their pain in the ads as they literally rot through traffic.

And our client, Tim Healy, Sound Transit Marketing Director, said it best, "We love that Copacino Fujikado recognizes that Sound Transit offers people a great alternative to driving. Though ridership is up on most of our services options, we want to spread the word that public transit is, well, a no brainer. "

Production on this was also a blast, but creating our zombified car commuters was no small task. Director Michael Illick and Executive Producer Brad Goldthwaite from Food Chain Films pulled together and excellent crew of Pacific Northwest artists to create the oozingly good hair & make-up techniques, plus wardrobe had to age and distress every article of clothing to make it as if these drivers had been stuck in their endless routines for 100,000 miles.

CLIENT: Sound Transit | ACD/AD/: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Carlson | ECD: Vince Soliven | CCO: Mike Hayward | PROD: Hannah Lofgren & Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Michael Illick | DP: Greg P. Schmitt | LINE PROD: Brad Goldthwaite | PROD CO: Food Chain | WARDROBE: Kim Miller | HMU: Terri Lodge & Amber Arpin | EDIT: Brian Alter | VFX: Straightface Studios | AUDIO: Bad Animals | COLOR: Tyler Roth at Company 3

I don’t often get too personal on here, but late last year our mom, Danell Westbrock, suddenly passed away… and today would have been her 65th birthday. It’s been tough reconciling what all this has meant for our friends and family when someone is lost when you know they’re not ready to go, but one thing that’s helped is thinking about the meaning behind this photo I stumbled across while going through her old albums.

When my mom was young she loved film photography, and during a roadtrip to Glacier National Park she snapped this photo of Avalanche Gorge along the Trail of the Cedars. I recognized it right away, even though I had only been there once as well—because I had unknowingly taken the same photo (except my photo was taken 41 years later). And realizing we get to enjoy the same places she enjoyed while living a full-life she would be proud of, sometimes even standing in each other’s foot prints, makes missing her on days like this a little easier.

It’s moments like these, looking up at a steep climb, that I often think about a non-existent book I’ve imagined titled “Rest Step Your Way to Success” as a reminder that a steady, focused approach is sometimes the best and most efficient way forward. In the long run, the brief moment of respite provided during each rest step allows your body to maintain a pace you otherwise couldn’t—especially when the route ahead may be long and difficult (having a good rope team with people you trust to keep you safe also helps).

Prithee, why doth thou go by automobile? You sit-ith in traffic for hours on end. Observe thy gas gauge dwindle ‘til no more. And shill out $47 for “early bird” parking. Why go through all this drama?

Good question. Which is why Sound Transit wanted to shed light on a better choice: riding Link light rail. Through Shakespearian language, stage-driven direction, and a cast of proper thespians, we dramatized that moment of choice between driving or riding Sound Transit to your destination. This was done during a time of rapid expansion across the Puget Sound region, namely in areas where Link light rail had never existed, giving residents a new choice and new questions to ask. Huzzah!

CLIENT: Sound Transit | ACD/AD/ILLUSTRATION: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Carlson | ECD: Vince Soliven | CCO: Mike Hayward | PROD: Kris Dangla & Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Mike Egan | PROD CO: Revery | EDIT: Brian Alter | AUDIO: Bad Animals | COLOR: Taylor Pool at Trafik

Today, parts of North and Central America will be treated to an awe-inspiring celestial event during the total solar eclipse. And while there’s been a lot of recent buzz about it over the past few weeks, our friends at RVshare were keenly aware this phenomenon was approaching way back in 2023. Why? Because it’s the perfect reason to book an RV and make sure you’re in position along the “path of totality.” The next one isn’t for another 20 years, so this might be your shot.

Since this literally a once-in-a-generation event, we were beyond excited to partner with RVshare and make a short but sweet spot highlighting this opportunity for adventure seekers. And because this was, at the time, something that hadn’t happened yet, we took the animation approach to tell the story of a family getting out of the city, finding the a great campsite, and enjoying the total solar eclipse from the perfect spot! Karina Carlson and I wrote the story, then I illustrated the landscapes, artwork and typography, and we worked with Josh Lieske to bring the animation to life.

CLIENT: RVshare | ACD/AD/ILLUSTRATION: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Carlson | ANIMATION: Josh Lieske | EDIT/AUDIO: Brian Alter | CCO: Mike Hayward | PROD: Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado

Winter in Alaska is less a season and more a slow, inevitable surrender to perpetual darkness, the kind that sneaks in slowly, and seems to swallow everything north of the 61st parallel. The sun rises for what feels like seconds, gives a half-hearted smile, and slips back under its covers, leaving you with endless night, and the kind of temps that freezes your nose hairs. By February, you’re left wondering if maybe you should just learn to hibernate—it’s probably what nature intended anyway.

What nature didn’t intend on is crappy internet! Just as we gather for cozy movie marathons and long nights in, the last thing you want to is to end up watching the buffering wheel more than your favorite show. Luckily, Alaska Communications Fiber can be the upgrade you need to keep things loading as they should all winter long.

To put it mildly, life. Is. A. Lot. And it rarely lets up. From the time you wake up and until you go to sleep, there’s a lot of stuff on your shoulders: jobs, school and babies. Meals that need to be cooked, served and eaten. Laundry that needs laundering and Instagram feeds that need scrolling. How are we supposed to do it all?

I donno, I’m not here to solve all your troubles. But I do know at least one responsibility you can turn over to someone else, and that’s your commute. Instead of stressing out about driving, traffic, parking, or whatever— just kick back and let Sound Transit take you there.

And with routes and rails connecting the region, including a few newly opened stops, people can rely on Sound Transit to give ’em a lift to wherever they’re going. So we decided to take that promise literally.

We created a character: the embodiment of Sound Transit’s entire transportation system, who happens to be in a cool bespoke suit. As he treks around the Sound, riders can hop on and take the burden of the trip off their shoulders. Bing-bong!

We found a great production partner in the Docter Twins and Thinking Machine who really helped to solidify our plans to carry humans around on top of other humans, and they didn’t even bat an eye. This was a perfect situation where everyone had to come to the table with a problem-solvers mindset everyday, and it showed in the end result. And it was also a ton of fun. A number of us, including your’s truly, were even able to climb aboard our human Sound Transit during the shoot. See if you can spot us!

CLIENT: Sound Transit | ACD/AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Carlson & Danielle Janota | 3D: Josh Lieske | ECD: Vince Soliven | CCO: Mike Hayward | PROD: Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Docter Twins | PROD CO: Thinking Machine | EDIT: Docter Twins | COLOR: Derek Hansen at AFX Creative | PHOTO: Angela Kohler

What happens when one company gets too big and powerful for its own good? Well, in the case of GCI, Alaska’s biggest internet provider, they apparently start taking advantage of their customers. GCI's data caps, throttling, unreliable connection, and hidden fees all add up one pretty unbearable internet experience. No one deserves to be treated that way, especially when they’re paying good money for it. But that's where Alaska Communications comes in.

Alaska Communications' new fiber network boasts the fastest, most powerful internet Alaskans can get—for less money than those other guys. Not to mention unlimited data with absolutely no throttling! And with our new brand campaign featuring your regular, everyday last frontier family, Alaska Communications is showing the state that they deserve an upgrade.

It takes fun people to bring a fun campaign like this to life, as well. Meaning we had such a great time collaborating with the team at Alaska Communications from the very start. The same goes for incorporating Director Michael Illick's vision and the whole crew at Food Chain into the mix, who continued to find ways to make the work better and better. And the good news is, we’ll be rolling out two more spots in the coming months that we’re equally excited about!

CLIENT: Alaska Communications | ACD/AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Zack | ECD: Vince Soliven | CCO: Mike Hayward | PROD: Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Michael Illick | DP: Joe Meade | PROD CO: Food Chain | VFX: Straightface Studios | EDIT: Brian Alter | SOUND: Will Yen at Formasa Group | COLOR: Carbon

When she's not playing Frisbee or with her ball, or running around with one of her stuffed animals (or eating), our little border collie, Annie Oakley, loves to sleep on the couch (I can't blame her). She has her preferred nap spot that’s all hers, so why not immortalize her there with a quick doodle?

Recently, we released another spot in the RVshare “Use Your Outside Voice” campaign, and it might be one of my favorite elements yet. The texture, emotion and sound design really came together well, and we were able put a new spin on things while still managing to pull from the assets we shot last spring. So enjoy!

CLIENT: RVshare | ACD/AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Zack | GCD: Lianne Onart | ECD: Mike Hayward | PROD: MacKenzie Huff | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR: Janssen Powers | DP: Jeremy Snell | PROD CO: Farm League | COLOR: Dante Pasquinelli | EDIT: Brian Alter | SOUND: John Buroker at HEARby

When one of your best and longest friends asks for a favor you obviously say “yes” — no matter what it is. That decision is made even easier when it’s to design something that’s as cool as signage for a golf tournament taking place on a the frozen waters of Green Lake, Minnesota). Oh, it’s also for a good cause.

That was the case here, which lead to the illustration above, meant for a sign displaying sponsor information for different golf holes and events taking place at the 2nd annual Wintergreen Golf on Ice tournament. All proceeds went to the Safe Haven Foster Shoppe which provides essential items for kids of all ages going through foster care. And last I heard they raised nearly $5000, plus tons of other things like diapers, formula and clothes for Minnesota kids in need, which is extra cool!

So well done Katie and Jeremiah Yernberg for pulling of a great event, which looked super fun and I’m jealous I couldn’t be there in person, but I’m very proud to be able to help from afar, even in a small way.

When it comes to local brands or companies, you'd be hard pressed to find one more well-liked than KEXP 90.3FM. So when we got the opportunity to help them promote their year-end giving and donations, it felt like quite an honor. And since KEXP is the single biggest driver of music in our community, it only made sense to focus on the amazing things that can happen when we unite for a common cause, hence: "Everything sounds better when we're together." 

This main illustration was then used to make direct mailers, social posts like this and this, banner ads, plus website imagery—all leading listeners to donate to their favorite human-powered radio station.

CLIENT: KEXP | ACD/ILLUSTRATION: Andy Westbrock | CW: Danielle Janota | ePROD: Josh Lieske | ECD: Vince Soliven | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado

Take it from two ol' snowfriends, the holidays are better with loved ones by your side.

Illustrated by myself, and animated by Josh Lieske.

Perhaps I'm missing those warm summer days in the mountains, but hiking up a mountain pass on a sunny day, then jumping into a cold alpine lake sounds pretty great right now—mosquitos be damned!

I never get tired of seeing these feathery friends around our home and in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, so it seemed about time to find one under the tip of my Apple Pencil.

And not only are they beautiful, I love how noisy and brash they are. They’re also super fascinating. Do yourself a favor and learn up on the Stellar’s Jay. They can even mimic the sounds of other birds and animals, for Pete’s sake!

Say hello to the pride and joy of Bricksburg! I’ve been admiring some of the awesome character illustration out there and wanted to dabble in it a little. When it comes to illustration, “fan art” is always so inspiring, along with the original character design themselves, but it’s not really something I’ve explored much. And it’s an excellent way to try out different illustration styles, too (especially with say, The Lego Movie, when it’s already coming from the animation world). I’ve never been way into Marvel characters and all that, but I sure do love me some Lego, so Emmet seemed like the perfect place to start.

As the 2022 Seattle Mariners take the field in Minute Made Park, I can't help but think back to February 2020 when we filmed five of the Seattle Mariners promising young Minor Leaguers during Spring Training. Who were those five players, you ask? Logan Gilbert, Cal Raleigh, Jarred Kelenic, George Kirby, and an 18 year old Julio Rodriguez, all of whom had even played above Double-A at the time. And it was just a quick add-on to our day after shooting the Major Leaguers, strictly as a look toward the future of the team. And don’t look now, but all five are part of the M's postseason journey and on the ALDS 26-man roster—Logan Gilbert as the Game 1 starting pitcher.

GoMs!

Breakfast ✅
Coffee ✅
Mariners 2022 ALDS roster ✅ pic.twitter.com/vxHYKZgQLG

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 11, 2022

Roll, roll, roll your skate… gently across the rink.

Have you heard of the rule of threes? Okay, good. So have I and so have the other two Pacific Northwest creatures I illustrated this year, so they demanded a third. And here you have it, a three-colored orca who has places to be.

Let’s be honest, society has a way of putting a leash on us all. Even at an early age, we are taught to “behave” and to “mind our manners.” We’re supposed to be “buttoned up,” act “appropriately” and always color inside the lines.

But sometimes you just need to let it out. To get a little distance and free yourself to do whatever you want. 

So take the above photo for example. Even though you can’t hear this picture, let’s be honest, you can hear this picture. And the other thing is, you can’t do this at home. Or at work. You definitely can’t do this at a hotel or on a cruise ship, either. But that’s the beautiful thing about RVs, they bring you true, unbridled freedom. Which is now made accessible to everyone able to rend an RV through RVshare, because they are your vehicle for your outdoor expression.

Which is why RVshare invites everyone to Use Your Outside Voice—to let loose, embrace spontaneity, and welcome the uncomplicated moments in life. Because with an RV rental, the key to truly unbridled freedom is actually just a set of keys. So buckle up, let’s go!

Fresh Air, Fresh Brand

We refreshed RVshare’s brand to reflect their newly unleashed spirit. We introduced a new logo, established a color palette inspired by nature, illustrated a bevy of handmade elements, and redefined the way they looked and spoke to RV renters and owners everywhere.

CLIENT: RVshare | ACD/AD: Andy Westbrock | CW: Karina Carlson | GCD: Lianne Onart | ECD: Mike Hayward | PROD: Jen Allen | AGENCY: Copacino Fujikado | DIR & EDIT: Janssen Powers | DP: Jeremy Snell | PROD: Farm League | SCORE: Benjamin Gustafsson | COLOR: Dante Pasquinelli | SOUND: Jacki! Zhou