Peacock opens ‘Steals and Deals’ special with single take drone flight

NBCUniversal used an extended drone shot to create an eye-catching open for its Peacock holiday shopping special on Black Friday 2021.

“Peacock Presents: Holiday Steals and Deals with Jill Martin,” is a spinoff of the popular “Today” segment that features products available at generous discounts. 

“We were looking for something that would be eye catching, attention getting and promotable across social media as well as broadcast,” wrote Adam Mancini, special projects director for NBC News, on LinkedIn. 

The single take shot was flown by Adam Troeger’s team from Cine Rigs and piloted by Edward Kostakis.

The team was challenged with a short turnaround time — having only hours to finalize the flight path throughout the loft like set up for the occassion.

Working with set designer Edward Helbig, the team created a dynamic flight path that spotlighted key product categories and host Jill Martin herself moving around the space.

Helbig created an “obstacle course” of scenic elements and set decorations — including flying through an open shelving unit, under a giant toy giraffe and through a “Stonehenge” arch built from gift boxes. 

“Today” weather forecaster and co-anchor Al Roker provided the narration. 

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“Steals and Deals” is typically a sponsored segments, with the manufacturers of the products featured not only providing the discounts, but also paying a promotional fee to the network. 

The segments are popular on many major morning news and lifestyle programs as well as talk shows.