Hennessy — Maurice Ashley & The Black Bear School — Ted Meyer

For the past eight years, Hennessy’s ‘Wild Rabbit’ campaign has celebrated the pioneering spirit of extraordinary individuals throughout history. While previous stories focused on physical feats and triumphs of will, this time we took on a different focus: the power of the mind.

This latest chapter spotlights Maurice Ashley, history’s first Black chess grandmaster.

The film depicts Maurice’s ascent from wide-eyed rookie to grandmaster, transporting us back into the world of early ’90s Brooklyn as he hones his skills in the Black Bear School of Chess, a formidable group of chess players who congregated in Prospect Park.

What begins as a chronicle of the harsh lessons of defeat becomes a voyage through the different layers of Maurice’s mind, and the journey he has to take deep within himself before he can emerge a champion.

Hennessy —
Maurice Ashley & The Black Bear School of Chess

The story of Maurice and the Black Bear School deserved to be told in more detail than one film could capture. The voices of Maurice Ashley and his mentor, Willie “Pops” Johnson, guide this short-from documentary, taking viewers deeper into Maurice’s journey—chronicling his ascent to the top of the game and the ways in which he’s helping the next generation of Black chess players progress.

We also created “Lessons of a Grandmaster,” a series of shorts that combine the mind-expanding lessons of the board, a dash of street wisdom and art-of-war-esque principles applicable to any of life’s endeavors.

lululemon — FEEL

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