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.”
CreditsClient 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
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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