Quriosity, Upshot’s New Campaign Takes Off

It’s time to embrace that youthful imagination. Kids are “Born Explorers” and the latest collaboration between the agency creatives at Upshot and the talented team at Quriosity Productions have brought that lighthearted vision to life in the latest campaign for Darigold. Let’s take a look at this vibrant and imaginative new piece, then chat with the Quriosity team and their director:

Darigold offers a wide variety of milk products including new their “FIT” line with less sugar and more protein. Upshot came up with the imaginative idea for the Darigold “Born Explorers” spot to show the power of their FIT milk. Quriosity’s director Andrea Mandel then brought it all to life. Andrea brought a playful energy to set, bringing out the best in both our little astronaut and his mom. Mandel’s keen eye then enhanced the creative narrative while allowing the brand’s message to still shine through.

Quriosity’s Director, Andrea Mandel specializes in directing children for fun, lifestyle shoots, so what is Mandel’s secret to her success in working with kids in commercials? “I love working with kids because I am a kid at heart,” Mandel told SCREEN. “I relish the innocence kids express of themselves. Keeping the set quiet and upbeat allowed me as the director capturing these authentic moments and seeing things through their eyes.”

Quriosity’s Executive Producer, Qadree Holmes, speaks on Mandel’s directing, “Andrea is always a pro when it comes to shooting kids. She clearly delivered with five stars making sure that this campaign felt cohesive from the still photography to the final spot that was created. She always seems to find that perfect balance of fun genuine honest moments when the kids are enjoying their time on set.”

The shoot also presented its share of challenges, and the team was up to the task. “The most challenging aspect of this shoot was transforming our ‘real’ life into our imaginary world made out of paper,” Mandel told SCREEN. “We did hours of pre-production work making sure our paper elements worked with scale, color pallet, and rigging to bring this concept to life. Wanting a magical spot in the end required the right movement and perspective in our paper world.” Let’s take a look at the super-short six second cut of the new campaign:

Quriosity’s editorial team took great care of amplifying Mandel’s vision, allowing for each background component to play a role in allowing the piece to come to life even further. Each artist on the project worked in great detail to ensure the completion of the world she created on set remained that way throughout. Post producer Mike Trivisonno summarized the collaboration on this spot, “It was a fun campaign message and an enjoyable process collaborating with our post team to bring that message to life with mixed media and animation.”

Agency: Upshot Agency

• EVP, Executive Creative Director: Suzanna Bierwirth
• Creative Director, Art: Diana Panek
• Creative Director, Copy: Michelle Horne
• SVP, Production Manager: Gary Curtin
• Video Producer: Emily Monroe
• Art Producer: Kimber Leigh Nussbaum
• SVP, Account Management: Lisa Hurst
• Account Manager: Carly Smith

Production + Post Production Company: Quriosity Productions

• Director: Andrea Mandel
• Executive Producer: Qadree Holmes
• Director of Photography: Chris Rejano
• Production Design: Matt Nichols
• Producer: Mike Trivisonno
• Editor: Lucy Best Radtke
• Assistant Editor: Rob Sheppard
• GFX: Casey Schommer
• Flame: Mark Anderson
• Colorist: Jeff Altman

Sound Design & Audio Mix: Floodgates

• Joe Flood & Colin Mulhern