Slack’s new features come to life with song and dance in “The Big Meeting,” a comedic musical that charmingly illustrates how the popular workplace communications platform makes productivity easier. Brand New School developed the creative concept by working directly with the brand.
In the film, directed and co-written by Brand New School’s Chris Dooley, a sales team uses Slack to prepare for a customer meeting, and a central character insists on making it a big production–literally–by lyrically calling for fancy graphs, searching through files and emails, and gathering the stats, and sparkling water, he believes will make the meeting successful. Meanwhile, his co-workers use Slack’s tools and features to get work done, with the film coming to a close as the lead realizes that all he needs is Slack; thus the tagline: “Productivity without the big production.”
Dooley said, “We’ve been working directly with Slack for about three years, so we have a deeply personal insight into the platform, the wonderful people running it, and their priorities. When they said they wanted to focus on productivity, we identified early on that there is a misconception that peak productivity requires non-stop work. Based on this insight, we pitched a musical that playfully illustrates the fallacy of constant work leading to optimal productivity, and Slack was on board with it; it represented the tone, voice, and strategy everyone wanted.”
Credits
Client Slack Colin McRae, VP, global brand marketing & creative strategy; Kirk Landgraf, sr. director, global brand marketing strategy; Rob Klein, sr. brand marketing manager; Jennifer Tan, sr. design manager; Brandon Wells, sr. copywriter; Marcos Calamato, sr. brand designer; Eva McEnrue, creative director/copywriter; Adam Hobbs, director, film & video; Allie (Sherratt) Toltzman, director, integrated production; Lauren Baker, creative integrated producer; Tatiana Shchekina, sr. animator, motion graphics. Production/Creative Brand New School Chris Dooley, director & executive creative director; Olmo Sobrino Carrasco, DP; Dave Muhlenfeld, Chris Dooley, writers and “The Big Meeting” lyrics & script; Emma Evelein, choreographer; Maria Nualart, colorist; Ariel Santiago, production designer; Ivan Garriga, on set VFX supervisor; Jean-Michel Verbeeck, designer; Phoebe Hsu, illustrator; Gerald Mark Soto, animation director; Oliver Wee, Anthony Kim, 2D animators; Russ Wootton, CG director; Chris Foster, 3D artist; Blake Huber, head of VFX; Mark French, Rachel Rardin, compositors; Hugh Keenan, storyboard artist; Brad Turner, editor; Ryan Rigley, assistant editor; Brendan Mills, post producer; Garret Braren, exec producer; Jonathan Notaro, chief creative officer; David Wolfson, line producer. Cast Tice Oakfield, Carolina Oliveira, Eddie Blackwell, Daiana Kosower, Daniel Buko, Shira Nimaga. Dancers Shawnee Arvelo, Staniel Ferreira, Julia Kayser, Hector Puigdomenech, Joel Mesa, Violeta Wulff. Original Music & Audio Post Squeak E Clean Jennie Armon, executive creative producer; Julie B. Nichols, creative director/composer; Chris Nungary, Surachai Sutthisasanakul, sound design & mix; Anna Garcia Lascurain, lead producer; Angelina Phengphong, sr. post producer; Tice Oakfield, Julie B. Nichols & Angelina Phengphong, vocals.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
