The new “Connections Build Us” campaign from American Greetings and MullenLowe involves a workout that plumbs depths both physical and emotional. Directed by Variable’s Kevan Funk and edited by Sloane Klevin of bicoastal Union (with :30 and :15s cut by Christopher Huth), the campaign’s centerpiece film “A True Test of Strength” shifts gears dramatically, from the intensity of the gym to one-on-one meetings with Harvard psychiatrist and wellness researcher Dr. Robert Waldinger. There, each athlete is encouraged to send a card to someone who holds a special place in his or her life.
Exercise is one way to boost your health — but not the only way. Research shows that close relationships also help us live longer, healthier lives. With this film, American Greetings demonstrates how strong athletes become even stronger when they connect to those who matter. Fitness influencers Bethany Hamilton, Nastia Liukin, Natalie Jill, Olivia Jordan, Alana Blanchard and the NBA’s Kevin Love are on board to spread the word. #ConnectionsBuildUs #GiveMeaning
A supered message relates, “When we build connections, connections build us.”
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Credits
Client American Greetings Agency MullenLowe US Blake Winfree, Kat Gates, creative director; Costa Boudovas, associate creative director; Kristina Saliba, copywriter; Isabel Taborga, art director; Vera Everson, sr. producer; Zeke Bowman, head of integrated production. Production Variable Kevan Funk, director; Nate Hurtsellers, DP; Steve Hoover, 2nd unit director; Alex Friedman, EP/producer. Editorial/Postproduction Union Editorial, NY Sloane Klevin, editor, longform; Christopher Huth, editor, :30 and :15s; Lizzie Kunkle, assistant editor; Caryn Maclean, exec producer; Susan Motamed, sr. producer; Kirk Balden, Flame artist; Justin Keil, Flame assistant; Krystle Alomar, Flame producer; Sean Vickery, motion graphics. Color Color Collective Alex Bickel, Mike Howell, colorists; Alex Jimenez, assistant. Music Nylon Studios Zac Colwell, Lydia Davies, composers. Audio Post Sound Lounge Tom Jucarone, mixer.
In a new campaign for FINN Jobb, Norwegian director Øyvind Holtmon of production house Bacon teams with Oslo ad agency Morgenstern to tackle the anxiety around AI replacing human expertise and the contagious trend of professionals switching to content creation as a vocation. The film wastes no time setting up its premise, opening inside a research lab where scientists are urged to “stop sciencing” by management as a result of a long equation being solved exceptionally fast via artificial intelligence by KA.I from IT.
Shot with a clean, clinical visual language and played entirely straight, the film leans into Nordic minimalism and dry humor, letting contrast and restraint drive the comedy rather than exaggeration. Faced with the what-now-moment, the scientists jump hands-on into the new absurdity of creating content. Through synchronized dances, ring lights and dead-serious faces, the lab transforms into a performative stage. In the midst of the excitement, FINN Jobb sneaks through the frame, positioning the platform as a grounded companion in times of change.
As Norway’s largest marketplace for job advertisements, with about 5.7 million job applications in 2025 alone, the film positions FINN Jobb as the go-to platform in an uncertain job market. By flipping a familiar nightmare into an unexpectedly funny, yet hopeful outcome, Holtmon’s story lands as both a satire and a gentle reminder that opportunities won’t disappear.
