Mary Morris “Snow” an Adele “Hello” Parody- Behind the Scenes

I can’t believe Mary’s “Snow” (Adele’s “Hello” Parody)  has nearly reached 2 million views in just six days. What a crazy week! I wanted to write a behind the scenes blog about the making of her music video and to share a little about Mary.  I have been friends with Mary for about 7 years. She is a graduate from Carson Newman University and has been a 3rd grade teacher at Rush Strong Elementary school for 7 years. She is a rockstar teacher, so funny and has an amazing voice!  Mary has written several parodies over the past few years to popular songs. Each one is unique and will have you laughing. She’s definitely got the gift of song writing.  One of my favorites is “Fire in my brain,” another Adele parody on her Youtube channel.

It’s one of my favorites because it really showcases how much she is loved by all of the students. The kids are all singing along with her! You know your kids love you when they sing with you and don’t think you are lame – lol.  During school, Mary often wears a crab hat while reading to her students. Sometimes, if she is having a hard time getting their attention she leaves the classroom, comes back and begins teaching with a British accent or sings to get their attention. She is so creative and I would have LOVED to have had her as a teacher and I’m thankful to have her as my friend.

So, the first time I heard the very popular “Hello” by Adele. I told my husband Jonathan if Mary wrote a parody to “Hello”, we would have to make her a video. So, fast forward to January and Mary wrote one called “Snow” and performed it at a teacher inservice meeting. I laughed so hard when she first shared the video and texted her right away about making her a music video.

Usually, when I get an idea about a project and share it with my husband, he ends up with charts, graphs, storyboards, spreadsheets and all things nerdy…And for that I’m thankful because those things kinda drive me crazy 🙂 For those that don’t know, Jonathan and I run a digital marketing agency called InnerDigital. So, we made this a joint project between LPP and InnerDigital. 

When Jonathan pitched the idea to Joshua and Laura, who work with InnerDigital, they were on board! We couldn’t have done the project without them.  Joshua, was the Director of Photography and Laura served as Keygrip. We are so thankful for the many hours they put in to help bring Mary’s parody to life! 

We started the shoot Rush Strong Elementary in Strawberry Plains, TN. When we arrived in her classroom, I noticed she had the number of unused snow days listed on her board and  an array of snowflakes on the walls. I asked Mary if she did that to prep for the video. She said,  “that’s just how I always decorate my classroom in the winter.” So perfect! We wrapped up shooting at the school and finished up at Raines Manor in Morristown, TN. 

We are so thankful for all of the love, support, encouraging words, emails and shares Mary has received! We love that people are finally able to hear her beautiful voice! I’m over here with my hanky going, “Sing it girl!” Haha! So, what should she do next? Another parody, original music? Maybe Ellen will invite Mary to come on her show.  

If you want to see her video again, view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIRfvFLiWQ

So far Mary’s video has been shared on: 

Relevant Magazine.com,  time.com, ellentube.com, Kathie Lee and Hoda,
nydailynews.com, today.com, cbsnews.com, citizentribune.com,
williamsonsource.com,newschannel10.com,
wsmv.com,wbir.com, wate.com, wsmv.com, rightthisminute.com,
countryliving.com , foxcarolina.com,newswest9.com, christiantoday.com,
kptv.com, kait8.com, bizpacreview.com, edweek.org,
wistv.com, al.com, 975now.com, nbcrightnow.com,
nbc12.com, scarymommy.com, business2community.com,
popscreen.com, wreg.com, cbslocal.com, standardbanner.com,
wbkr.com, live98fm.com, trendolizer.com,
schoolleadership20.com,thebounce.ca, kfvs12.com,
nbc4i.com,  edweek.org, inquisitr.com, wivb.com,
wkrn.com, fox11online.com, abcfoxmontana.com,
kltv.com, twentytwowords.com, movin925.com,
hot995.com, pleated-jeans.com, abcfoxmontana.com, Inside Edition and so many more……

Special thanks to:

Raines Manor – Outdoor location

Atmosphere Aerosol – If you are a photographer or filmmaker  looking to create some serious atmosphere/haze/fog, you have to try out this stuff! It was designed by fellow photographer friends in Knoxville, Joe and Kathleen Atkins and it is amazing!!!

Hair/Makeup- Southern Sirens( Amanda Mcknight)

One very proud husband

Interview with Becca Habegger with WBIR