A talented Donegal film producer is helping to bring a brand new perspective to the life of one of Ireland’s most iconic businesspeople – Pat McDonagh, founder of Supermac’s.
Bundoran woman Grace Garvin spent two weeks of her summer on the road with the McDonagh family to produce the Supermac’s Family Road Trip.
It’s an eye-opening series which Grace is incredibly proud to have created alongside her partner, Richie Davies. They started the Wild Rice Films company together in 2019, not long before the world came to a halt with Covid-19. Grace’s career began in account management and sales before she turned her planning skills into filmmaking in 2017.
Last summer, Grace and Richie embraced a special project to create a four-part documentary style series highlighting the connection Pat and Una McDonagh have with their suppliers and how Supermac’s has helped create even more jobs across Ireland.
Watch a preview here:
“This has honestly been one of the highlights of my career,” Grace said.
“I don’t think I have enjoyed a project as much as this. There were so many times during the two weeks on the road that I was just left in absolute stitches from laughing at some of the epic stories from some of the Supermac’s suppliers.”
Grace was surrounded by her nearest and dearest too, as she was fortunate to work alongside her boyfriend, Richie from Hampshire, and her brother Glyn Garvin, an English teacher at Magh Ene College.
“Supermac’s and Pat McDonagh are such strong and iconic Irish brands. Everybody in the country knows them, so when it came time for Supermacs to introduce themselves and the good work they do, myself and Rich were the right team to make this happen.
“We embarked on a 16 day road trip around Ireland visiting and filming some of the funniest, humble and knowledgeable characters. Pat and Una have the most loving relationship with their three grandchildren too, they really dote on them and have loads of fun with them too so there was no way that the babies weren’t going to make an appearance on the McDonagh family road trip series.
“In my opinion, family is at the heart of the Supermac’s brand. It was a pleasure to get to the McDonagh’s as a family and learn about how they’ve built a successful brand and business over the years. Their loyalty to their suppliers and only supplying quality fresh produce to me, is a very honourable and notable thing.”
Grace and Richie set out to push the boundaries on this series, to help the audience connect with the family on a personal level.
The result was a collection of heartwarming videos for Supermac’s social media and website. The videos have been warmly received and widely shared online.
What’s next for Wild Rice? After this positive experience, the team wants to work with more brands to help them communicate who they are, in video form.
Grace added: “We hope that having Wild Rice Films now partnered with the well respected brand that is, Supermacs that we can now start to create more Irish campaigns for more Irish companies over the next few years. Together Wild Rice Films has a wealth of knowledge in modern filmmaking techniques and we want to bring all these skills back to Donegal and the West of Ireland as much as we possibly can.
“If anyone would like to get in touch or has any business enquiries, they’re more than welcome to give me a call or drop me an email. Grace Garvin grace@wildricefilms.com +447380608186.”
See full episodes of the Supermac’s Road Trip at: supermacs.ie/familyroadtrip
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