Director Fern Berresford Kicks Off Rakish Tenure With Women’s Fishing Spot

Check out the latest national Take Me Fishing™ campaign from the non-profit Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF), created in collaboration with Colle McVo's creatives and directed by Fern Berresford. Titled "Find Your Best Self on the Water," this feel-good fishing-inspired spot showcases empowered women confidently casting their lines and discovering their true selves in the waters of life. This marks Berresford's first U.S.-based shoot and commercial work since joining the Rakish roster.

“Find Your Best Self on the Water” was created in promotion of new research from Take Me Fishing™, a national brand from the non-profit Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF), conducted in partnership with Ipsos, which showed that fishing provides positive psychological benefits for women, including promoting greater perseverance and grit, The Take Me Fishing™ 2023 campaign comes just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month. Much has been written about the negative effects of modern life, especially social media, on the mental health and wellness of girls, and as the Take Me Fishing™ campaign suggests, fishing could offer girls a much needed outlet. Additionally, almost half of female anglers do not feel respected by the broader angling community with more than 1 in 3 feeling stereotyped. This campaign aims to confront these barriers and inspire women everywhere to challenge themselves to try something new to help them find their best self while supporting a more inclusive fishing and boating environment. Working closely with the creatives at Colle McVoy, Berresford visually underscores the research.

Pulling from the witty script written by the agency, Berresford contributes to its subtle humor and whimsy weaves together vignettes of healthy, happy, and capable women of all ages who, after bouts of focused fishing, go on to crush it at the school science fair, make the game winning three-pointer, and even walk on the moon. Each vignette is bolstered by the poetic and awe-inspiring spoken word narration, which describes women as “forces of nature” who draw strength from the waters they fish.

The way Berresford tells stories through visuals complements Rakish's powerful cinematic vision. Rakish fearlessly experiments with captivating characters and dynamic ideas that have a strong social message. The Take Me Fishing™ campaign is a shining example of their success, showcasing stunning shots of nature, compelling portraits of women, and an adventurous atmosphere.

“As with all of art, I think the more diversity and equality in the voices telling the stories the better,” said Berresford. “This spot is all about empowering and inspiring women to try something new, so the message resonated with me.”

Berresford is known for making commercials with creative and socially conscious concepts she feels connected to, particularly when it comes to women’s issues. In 2021, she created a spot for the UK domestic abuse nonprofit Women’s Aid, entitled “World’s Strongest Women,” which cleverly captured the stories of fierce women facing abuse. As it centers on female anglers, “It’s in the Water,” uses flourishes of tenacity and ambition to convey one central idea—women can achieve anything they put their minds to.

“Our creative goal for the project was to shoot a visually vibrant, exciting and enthralling narrative, told with a whimsical cinematic flare and a warm human touch to the performances,” said Berresford. “We wanted to show fishing from a fresh, imaginative perspective; placing a new set of heroines at the helm, with the aim of empowering and inspiring women across America to try something new, grab a rod and get out on the water.”

Client: Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation

Director of Marketing: Rachel Piacenza

Sr. Digital Marketing Director: Joanna Lario

Agency: Colle McVoy

Executive Creative Director: Dustin Black

Creative Director / Copywriter: Carla Ballecer

Creative Director / Art Director: Brian Boord

Producer: John Borchardt

Group Account Director: Mike Schwab

Production Company: Rakish

Director: Fern Berresford

Managing Director: Preston Garrett

Executive Producer: Gabe Reiter

Head of Production: Heather Weinstock

Creative Producer: Chiara Useche

Line Producer: Russell Katzman

Line Producer: John Malina

Asst. Prod. Supervisor: Emily Critcher

1st A.D: Rick Fisher

2nd A.D: Chad Schwartzkopf

Editorial: Whitehouse Post - US

VFX: Carbon

Music: Squeak E Clean Studios

Sound and Mix: HiFi