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    The Best Work You May Never See: GUT Toronto Feathers “KindNest” For Tim Hortons’ Holiday Campaign

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments3137 Views

    Canadian coffeehouse and restaurant chain Tim Hortons has launched a holiday campaign with a 60-second TV commercial and a children’s book called “A Nest in the North,” with 100 percent of the proceeds from book sales being donated to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

    “Our holiday campaign is inspired by the shared values and traditions of Canadians of being kind to each other and making everyone feel welcomed and included. These values are never more relevant than during the holidays – kindness is a gift we all have in us to give,” said Hope Bagozzi, chief marketing officer of Tim Hortons.

    The holiday campaign features a heartwarming story about having to leave home under difficult circumstances and seeking a new life in a foreign land. The whimsical campaign includes a Canadian Goose as the welcoming figure who takes in newcomers, even if they’re from a different flock. 

    To accompany the TV commercial entitled “KindNest,” Tim Hortons co-developed “A Nest in the North” with Veronika Kotyk, an illustrator and graphic designer who made her journey to Canada from Ukraine in June 2022. “I’m extremely grateful for the chance to share a story so close to my own personal experiences and the experiences of many others who were forced to leave their ‘nests’ for different reasons,” said Kotyk.

    “KindNest”–directed by Sebastian Lopez via production company Rebolucion–and “A Nest in the North” were developed in partnership with independent creative agency GUT Toronto.

    “We knew with what’s happening all over the world that this is a story that needed to be shared, and it was even more impactful coming from Tims because of the brand’s inherent Canadian values,” said Brynna Aylward, executive creative director at GUT Toronto. “We’re excited to share KindNest with Canadians this holiday season.”

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    Credits

    Client Tim Hortons Agency GUT Toronto Anselmo Ramos, co-founder & creative director; Juan Javier Pena Plaza, North American chief creative officer & partner; Ryan O’Hagan, managing director; Brynna Aylward, executive creative director; Laura De Santis, Sophia Kossoski, Eva Feldman, associate creative directors; Daniel Zhang, Angelica Frank, art directors; Christopher Vena, Christina Gregoire, copywriters; Renata Neumann, head of production; Athena Kouverianos, director of production; Kelly Mark, sr. producer; Dennis Soler, producer; Dino Demopoulos, chief strategy officer; Gvantsa Datuashvil, sr. strategist; Lisa Clark, jr. strategist; Emily Barnes, content director; Gaston Figallo, social strategist; Victoria Vecchio, content strategist. Production Company Rebolucion Sebastian Lopez, director; Esequiel Ortiz, CEO; Wada Gallardo, exec producer; Emiliano Bonda, producer; Mariano Olivari, post coordinator; Manuel Bullrich, DP; Sabrina Mottino, editor. Post Ratio VFX Maria Carretero, color grading. Music & Audio Mix Grayson. Illustration Veronika Kotyk, illustrator. Collaborative Agencies The French Shop, French adaptation; Horizon,  media; Media Monks, digital media; APR, production resources.

    Media Type:Commercial: Television
    ScreenWork Categories:Commercial
    Screenwork Type:Best Work
    Video Tags:GUT TorontoRebolucionSebastian Lopez



    MANORS, Stink Studios, Director Dan French Bring Us Rituals and Mishaps From “The United Kingdom of Golf”

    Tuesday, August 18, 2026

    Stink Studios is launching the latest campaign for disruptive golf brand MANORS, marking a new phase in an ongoing relationship that previously shaped the brand’s evolution and delivered its most effective campaign to date. The new campaign marks the second collaboration on a golf performance wear line between MANORS and Reebok.

    Director Dan French of Stink UK now returns to expand the brand’s distinctive world with “The United Kingdom of Golf.” Built around the uniquely British rituals and mishaps of the game, the campaign celebrates everything golfers have to overcome just to play the game, transforming familiar frustrations into surreal absurdity.

    Narrated by European Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance, golfers battle hurricane-force winds, they disappear into impossibly deep bunkers, become trapped in commuter buses, full gear and all, they search for lost balls amongst flash mobs of sheep, and even get frozen into blocks of ice. Each vignette is rooted in an everyday truth of golfing in the U.K., just escalated ever so slightly. Enduring it is an endearing challenge.

    The campaign strategically continues MANORS’ ambition to position golf as a cultural pastime, rather than an exclusive sport for an older audience. By leaning into the shared experiences that unite golfers, they build a richer, more relatable brand world that extends beyond the course.

    For French, whose previous work helped establish MANORS’ tone, the latest project deepens a creative language built on craft and cinematic comedy. Inspired by Renaissance composition, documentary photography, and executed with practical in-camera effects, the film balances hyper-real imagery and tactile production design.

    “It was an exciting brief to build on the... Read More

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