• by Amy Corr  @MediaPostOTL, December 9, 2015

Powerade launched a gritty, true-story ad as part of its "Just a Kid" campaign. "Churn" is a 60-second spot that stars Jimmy Graham, football player for the Seattle Seahawks, and portrays his rough upbringing in North Carolina. Graham was just a kid living in a state-run group home, where he was surrounded by violence and intimidation.  As viewers see Graham adjusting to this life, a voiceover tells the story of a mouse trapped in a bucket of cream. Easiest thing for the mouse would be to give up and drown, but instead he fights, turns cream to butter and gets out of a dire situation. So does Graham. As the years pass, Graham works on his physique and takes his aggression to the football field and basketball court. And look at him now. "We're all just a kid from somewhere," closes the ad, seen here, and created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland.