Happy Thanksgiving from the Cocomats family!

This past Sunday, November 22nd, was the birth date of the legendary Harley Earl. The first time I ever learned about Earl was during a Corvette commercial in the early ‘90s. The narrator informed the audience that his spirit lived on in the new (at the time) Corvette. Flash forward to the early 2000s, and GM introduced a series of commercials for its new line of Buicks directed by Tony Scott that feature John Diehl as a young Earl.

That series of commercials really speaks to me as an American and a creator. The spirit of invention that makes this country so great is something that we should all be giving thanks for this holiday. After all, wasn’t that first Thanksgiving about the innovations that helped both the pilgrims and the Native Americans to survive a truly harsh season? That idea of working together to build something bigger than the sum of its parts is exactly what Harley Earl was all about. He pulled together the disparate and flailing brands and design teams at GM and brought about true innovation that united a company and exuded the American dream. This year, I’m giving thanks for that same spirit in this great nation that proves that we are all stronger together. I think Harley Earl would agree.

https://youtu.be/SfOMmETWlzc

-Trey Fennell