“Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?”

Nike’s new short film, Human Chain, celebrates the intensity, dynamism and determination that connects athletes in all sports and motivates them to inspiring performances.

From Lance Armstrong on his bike, to a six-year-old studying martial arts, movement is the universal language that connects the athlete in everyone. It’s a language of beauty, drama, tragedy and triumph.

The 60-second film launches February 12th in the United States and features Oscar Pistorius, Sergio Aguero, Deron Williams, Maria Sharapova, Mike Spinner, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, LaDainian Tomlinson and Lance Armstrong alongside lesser known athletes as they all connect in one continuous chain of motion.

The acclaimed UK band The Hours’ “Ali In the Jungle” delivers the soundtrack and Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, was the creative agency.

Wieden+Kennedy are accepting applications to join their next class at WK12. WK12 is the experimental advertising school housed at Wieden+Kennedy’s Portland office. Students work together (12 strangers working together, a bit like the Real World) on client driven projects and individually on their own art, music, movies and writing. It’s an education in problem solving… as well as one entry point to being the next big Nike ad man.

Applications are due on January 30, 2009.

Honeyee has released today an Interview with the Wieden + Kennedy Agency. They interviewed several people from the Agency including John C. Jay (Executive Creative Director), Chris Hutchison, Driscoll Reid, Ted Yukawa, Akio Iida. Some parts of the interview are translated into English, unfortunately not the entire piece. Read the interview here.