Directed by Kristian Mercado via production company Easy Mondays for The Martin Agency and client Door Dash, this documentary short titled Soul of the City profiles New York City restaurants Caracas Arepa Bar, Tacoway Beach, Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Sylvia’s, Peppa’s Jerk Chicken, and Palma. The film shares their journey over the past year navigating through the challenges of running a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was created to celebrate the special roles restaurants play in their neighborhoods, and the reconnection of restaurants with the communities that love them. Through the film, DoorDash, the on-demand delivery company encourages customers to visit their favorite local restaurants in person once again.
“More than a year after NYC’s dining room shutdowns, over 1,000 restaurants have tragically closed for good, with many continuing to struggle even as the city reopens,” said Katie Daire, Senior Director of B2B Marketing at DoorDash. “Restaurants are the lifeblood of their communities, bringing people together around their tables and in their kitchens. The film was created to bring communities closer to the restaurants that have worked tirelessly to serve them over the past year and also remind customers to go dine-in again and visit their local restaurants.”
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Credits
Client DoorDash Agency The Martin Agency Danny Robinson, EVP/chief creative officer; Jerry Hoak, EVP/executive creative director/managing director; Tasha Dean, SVP/head of integrated production; Mike Kelley, creative director; Derek Smith, sr. art director; Stacy-Ann Ellis, sr. copywriter; Ann Parker, executive producer; Anthony Moschini, sr. producer; Coleman Sweeney, content producer; Jaclyn Ruelle, SVP, managing director/ cultural impact & brand communications; Matt Kessler, cultural communications, sr. executive; Kenia Najera, cultural impact specialist; Blake Smoral, strategist; Sean Choi, sr. strategist. Production Easy Mondays Kristian Mercado, director; Asori Soto, Chuy Hernandez, exec producers; Justin Gilley, line producer; Matt Chavez, DP; Tom Busa, COVID compliance manager. Editorial Lindsey Nadolski, Nick Pezzillo, editors; Susie Smith, Max Sterling, Chris Wronka, assistant editors. Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Blake Rice, producer; Ashley McKim, VP, exec producer; Soraia Callison, head of production. Finish Method Studios Heather Keister, Flame artist; Alexandra Lotti, assistant; Kacy Donaldson, VFX producer. Audio Pickle Music Jacinto Gonzalez, audio engineer; Lupita Alvarez, producer. Music Halo Music and Sound Peter Gannon, owner, creative director, music supervisor; Molly Salas, music supervisor
Exploding miniature cities. Cel-animated fists through portals. Real martial arts choreography. And a man eating 12 hot dogs without blinking. mo.co – the new campaign for Supercell’s latest IP – is a riot of craft, chaos, and gaming absurdity, directed by Agile/JOJX’s Zac Ella in partnership with ad agency CALLEN.
The campaign centers on three POV-style short films – Luna, Manny, and Jax – each styled as a startup pitch from inside the mo.co universe. Visually and tonally distinct, each piece channels the personality of its protagonist, from glitchy, live-edited montages to spoof TED Talks and VHS-filtered action reels.
Shot primarily in-camera, the films feature live stunts, pyrotechnics, hand-built miniature sets, model cities, and prosthetic limbs. One actor was even scanned into the game engine to create a seamless virtual double. Three VFX studios worked across the project, helping embed the films with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter eggs – from hot dog power-ups to color-coded explosions debated over two weeks.
“It’s dense, silly, and layered on purpose,” Ella says. “The goal was to make the films fun on the first watch – and even funnier on the fifth. It’s a fever dream, crafted frame by frame. The worlds had to feel lived-in and real, even though they’re totally surreal. Even the monsters got manicures. We went absurdly deep on the small stuff – because fans notice everything.”
Created in close collaboration with Supercell’s lore team, the campaign plays like a lovingly unhinged expansion of the game’s universe—one that exploded into fan feeds after an early leak stirred online buzz ahead of launch.
“Luna, Jax, and Manny are 20-year-old monster-hunting startup founders and they... Read More
