Private Project

Mustang: 60 Years of Turning Roads into Legends (spec commercial)

Spanning generations, Mustang: 60 Years of Turning Roads into Legends spec commercial tells the heartfelt story of a 70-year-old race car driver preparing for one final race in 2024. As he works alongside his son and granddaughter, memories of his life flash by—restoring a Model A with his father in the 1940s, falling in love in the '60s, handing the keys to his son in the '90s, and now witnessing his granddaughter embrace the family’s Mustang legacy. It's a tribute to heritage, horsepower, and the enduring bond between generations—fueled by the spirit of the Mustang.

  • Freddie Connor
    Director
    Director Credits Include: Heather’s Painting (Won 30 major awards including Best Picture at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, 2017. He was awarded Best Screenplay at both the Lakeview International Film Festival and NYC Indie Film Awards, 2017). Sipped (Nominated for over 20 international awards and won the Silver Award at the Los Angeles Film Review Awards, 2017). Freddie won the renowned film “Direction” award two years in a row at the Accolade Global Film Competition (2016 & 2017 — MovieMaker Magazine named Accolade among “The Top 25 Festivals worth the entry fee!”). Flattening the Curve (Won Best Pilot at the prestigious L.A. Webfest, the world’s largest web series festival, 2023). One Upon a Time in Shawnee (2024) – Comedy Western featuring former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas. Mustang: 60 Years of Turning Roads into Legends spec commercial (2024) – Cinematic tribute blending past and present Mustang generations; supported by the Gale Halderman Museum and filmed on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Matt Brown: The Immortal Promo (2024) – A hard-hitting, gritty promo celebrating UFC legend Matt Brown. London Blue (2023) – A romantic adventure set across London, Cairo, and Paris for Field of Gems Jewelry, starring the late Hollywood veteran Christian Oliver and international model Taylor Reynolds. Producer Credits Include: Baseline (Won Best Feature at the New York City International Film Festival, and The London Insider selected Baseline as one of the top 5 films of the year, alongside Inception). The Grind (Sold in all major British retail stores and on VOD through Sky Movies, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Tesco, and Blink Box). Mondays (Won the Micro Crime Drama award at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival, 2017). The Woman Who Knocked On My Door (Awarded the Best Indie Film prize at the Los Angeles Film Awards, 2017). Luna Park (Won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, 2015). Hour Glass (Starred Julian Glover and was screened at the Raindance Film Festival, 2008).
  • Freddie Connor
    Writer
    Director Credits Include: Heather’s Painting (Won 30 major awards including Best Picture at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, 2017. He was awarded Best Screenplay at both the Lakeview International Film Festival and NYC Indie Film Awards, 2017). Sipped (Nominated for over 20 international awards and won the Silver Award at the Los Angeles Film Review Awards, 2017). Freddie won the renowned film “Direction” award two years in a row at the Accolade Global Film Competition (2016 & 2017 — MovieMaker Magazine named Accolade among “The Top 25 Festivals worth the entry fee!”). Flattening the Curve (Won Best Pilot at the prestigious L.A. Webfest, the world’s largest web series festival, 2023). One Upon a Time in Shawnee (2024) – Comedy Western featuring former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas. Mustang: 60 Years of Turning Roads into Legends spec commercial (2024) – Cinematic tribute blending past and present Mustang generations; supported by the Gale Halderman Museum and filmed on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Matt Brown: The Immortal Promo (2024) – A hard-hitting, gritty promo celebrating UFC legend Matt Brown. London Blue (2023) – A romantic adventure set across London, Cairo, and Paris for Field of Gems Jewelry, starring the late Hollywood veteran Christian Oliver and international model Taylor Reynolds. Producer Credits Include: Baseline (Won Best Feature at the New York City International Film Festival, and The London Insider selected Baseline as one of the top 5 films of the year, alongside Inception). The Grind (Sold in all major British retail stores and on VOD through Sky Movies, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Tesco, and Blink Box). Mondays (Won the Micro Crime Drama award at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival, 2017). The Woman Who Knocked On My Door (Awarded the Best Indie Film prize at the Los Angeles Film Awards, 2017). Luna Park (Won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, 2015). Hour Glass (Starred Julian Glover and was screened at the Raindance Film Festival, 2008).
  • Dan Buckley
    Writer
    Cinematography & Filmmaking credits include: One Upon a Time in Shawnee (2024) – Comedy Western commercial featuring former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas. Mustang: 60 Years of Turning Roads into Legends spec commercial (2024) – Cinematic tribute blending past and present Mustang generations; supported by the Gale Halderman Museum and filmed on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Matt Brown: The Immortal Promo (2024) – A hard-hitting, gritty promo celebrating UFC legend Matt Brown. London Blue (2023) – A romantic adventure set across London, Cairo, and Paris for Field of Gems Jewelry, starring the late Hollywood veteran Christian Oliver and international model Taylor Reynolds. Additional production experience includes: Oscar nominated feature Captain Phillips, Restaurant: Impossible, Death Row Stories, and Big Rig Bounty Hunters, Emmy award-winning docu-reality show Who Do You Think You Are? Also worked on indie projects: Flopsee and Buttercup, Animal Among Us, Within, and Sleepless Night in the Middle of Nowhere.
  • Freddie Connor
    Producer
    Director Credits Include: Heather’s Painting (Won 30 major awards including Best Picture at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, 2017. He was awarded Best Screenplay at both the Lakeview International Film Festival and NYC Indie Film Awards, 2017). Sipped (Nominated for over 20 international awards and won the Silver Award at the Los Angeles Film Review Awards, 2017). Freddie won the renowned film “Direction” award two years in a row at the Accolade Global Film Competition (2016 & 2017 — MovieMaker Magazine named Accolade among “The Top 25 Festivals worth the entry fee!”). Flattening the Curve (Won Best Pilot at the prestigious L.A. Webfest, the world’s largest web series festival, 2023). One Upon a Time in Shawnee (2024) – Comedy Western featuring former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas. Mustang: 60 Years of Turning Roads into Legends spec commercial (2024) – Cinematic tribute blending past and present Mustang generations; supported by the Gale Halderman Museum and filmed on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Matt Brown: The Immortal Promo (2024) – A hard-hitting, gritty promo celebrating UFC legend Matt Brown. London Blue (2023) – A romantic adventure set across London, Cairo, and Paris for Field of Gems Jewelry, starring the late Hollywood veteran Christian Oliver and international model Taylor Reynolds. Producer Credits Include: Baseline (Won Best Feature at the New York City International Film Festival, and The London Insider selected Baseline as one of the top 5 films of the year, alongside Inception). The Grind (Sold in all major British retail stores and on VOD through Sky Movies, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Tesco, and Blink Box). Mondays (Won the Micro Crime Drama award at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival, 2017). The Woman Who Knocked On My Door (Awarded the Best Indie Film prize at the Los Angeles Film Awards, 2017). Luna Park (Won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, 2015). Hour Glass (Starred Julian Glover and was screened at the Raindance Film Festival, 2008).
  • Todd Covert
    Key Cast
    "Malcolm (2024)"
    Film credits include: Edwin Barry in Alto Knights (opposite Robert De Niro and Debra Messing), The Preacher in Dark Waters (opposite Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, and Tim Robbins), Agent Rick in Old Man and the Gun (opposite Casey Affleck; the film also stars Robert Redford and Elisabeth Moss), Harold in Adeline (opposite John Schneider, David Chokachi, and Erin Bethea; currently with a nationwide release), and The Street Where We Live (nominated at the Buffalo International Film Festival, East Lansing Film Festival, and currently in festivals worldwide). Theatre credits include: The Final Table (played Eisenhower for renowned CATCO World Premiere) Captain Blood (played Bishop for Actor’s Theater) The Goat (played Ross for Red Herring) Every Christmas Story Ever Told (played 17 characters for Portable Theater) Other roles of note include: Uncle Louie in Lost in Yonkers, Constable in Fiddler on the Roof, Charles Smith in November, Max Bialystock in The Producers, and Dr. Korzchak in Korzchak’s Children. Notable Awards include: Student Academy Award (USC), LA Critic’s Award (Blue Dahlia), Directors Desk Award (LA), Round Table Award – Acting (Columbus), Best Actor Award (Southern Ohio Film Association – 2015).
  • Jim Cummins Jr.
    Key Cast
    "Norm (2024)"
    Film credits include: Bunny in Dogwood (movie), Clifford in He Is Risen (short), Mr. Baker in Blueberries (short), Judge Harris in Family Hug (movie), The Man 2223 in The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro (feature film), and Grandpa in V398 (short).
  • Samantha Woodill
    Key Cast
    "Zoe (2024)"
    Film and commercial credits include: Mother of Zeus in Dimension: Planet Earth (sci-fi short film), Lead in Laney Amplification F67 (UK commercial for the Bluetooth speaker by Laney, produced by Volca Media).
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 5, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.40:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Freddie Connor

Freddie Connor is an award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer. He graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, London, in 2003.

His pilot Flattening the Curve won Best Pilot at the L.A. Webfest in 2023, one of the world’s leading festivals for digital content.

Freddie has directed several high-profile and visually striking commercials, including Matt Brown: The Immortal, celebrating the legacy of UFC legend Matt Brown; Once Upon a Time in Shawnee, a Western-themed spot featuring former heavyweight boxing champion Buster Douglas and narrated by UFC Hall of Famer Don Frye; and London Blue, a romantic adventure filmed across London, Cairo, and Paris for international jewelry brand Field of Gems Jewelry, starring the late Christian Oliver and model Taylor Reynolds.

His narrative work includes the critically acclaimed Heather’s Painting, which earned 30 major awards and over 50 nominations, including “Best Picture” at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival. His follow-up, the dark comedy Sipped, received over 20 nominations and won the Silver Award at the Los Angeles Film Review Awards. Freddie received “Direction” honors for both films at the Accolade Global Film Competition, recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the Top 25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.

As a producer, Freddie’s feature Baseline was released by Studio Canal Plus, sold in over 15 countries, and won “Best Feature” at the New York City International Film Festival. He has also produced several award-winning shorts, including Luna Park and Mondays.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Director’s Statement – Freddie Connor

After making a number of commissioned commercials, we started talking about what we hadn’t done yet—and a car commercial was at the top of the list. We didn’t have a brand behind us, but we had an idea: what if we just did it ourselves?

That’s when the challenge really took shape. Could we make something on the scale of a multi-million-dollar national spot—without the budget, the crew, or the resources those projects usually require? Just two filmmakers, one laptop, and an idea that wouldn’t let go.

We wanted to tell a story that was bigger than just showing off a car. The Mustang has meant a lot to people for generations, and that’s where the heart of this project came from. We built a narrative around a man looking back on his life through the lens of the cars—and the people—that shaped it. Four generations. Four eras. One legacy.

We didn’t have trucks or trailers or a huge team—we had one camera, a drone, a few GoPros, and a lot of careful planning. What really made it possible was the support from the community. Mustang owners showed up. Professional actors gave us their all. Crew members like our camera assistant Cody Grove and race car driver Norm Murdock of Team Blitz went above and beyond. When we first told Norm about our wild idea, he didn’t hesitate—he just said, “When do we start?” That kind of belief kept us going.

We were also incredibly grateful to Karen Koenig and the Gale Halderman Museum for their generosity and trust, and to John Clor, Ford Enthusiast Communications Manager, whose encouragement and passion for Mustang culture helped this project reach far more people than we imagined.

Along the way, we were lucky to collaborate with some truly talented people—composer Rupert Uzzell, who brought the story to life with a powerful original score; Chad Willett at Broadway2LA, who helped us cast an incredible group of actors; and creative consultants Scott Fulton MacCallum and John Woodruff, whose feedback helped shape the final piece.

There were definitely moments when it felt like we’d taken on too much. Recreating the 1940s, 1960s, and 1990s on almost no budget was tough—but we leaned on what we know: how to tell a story, how to work with actors, and how to make each moment feel honest.

This project isn’t just a spec commercial—it’s something personal. A tribute to 60 years of Mustang history, and a thank you to everyone who helped bring it to life.

We didn’t have a big crew or a big budget—but we had a lot of passion, and a lot of people who believed in the idea. That made all the difference.

We’re really thankful for what came together—and even more excited to finally share it with others. Hopefully it speaks to anyone who’s ever had a connection to a car—or a story—and wanted to make something meaningful.