Share

MJZ LA carved out an impressive array of spot work to land top honours in the Production Company of the Year category. A number of commercials rose to the top of the creative pile including Call of Duty: Zombie Authority: Rezurrection, Rocky Morton’s wry, tongue-in-cheek film drenched in glorious buckets of blood, gore and exploding zombies which was used to promote the final game in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombie series.

Brit cohort Rupert Sanders sauntered aside Morton shaping similar fare in Call of Duty: Inner Soldier, deliciously audacious material featuring men and women from every walk of life kicking ass on the battlefield – all to underline that: “There’s a soldier in all of us.”

Yet another gem was shaken by Mr. Bond proving he was, indeed, a man, directing Man for Dove. As a voiceover waxes poetic in William Tell Overture-style, we follow the life of a guy performing the necessary stereotypes associated with masculinity – all to encourage men to get comfortable in their own skin.

50s housewives

Meanwhile, Tom Kuntz continued his subversive comedic sensibility on The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, delivering yet more marketing success for Old Spice, as young men ventured out to purchase the brand lock, stock and barrel.

It’s no secret that MJZ president David Zander has a devotion to the business that allows an awareness that exceeds the norm. “You’ve got to work at it every single day of your life and love what you do,” outlines Zander. “I’ve always said that the people at MJZ supporting the directors are like 50s housewives – we get our strength from our men [the directors].”

“It’s a completely, 100 per cent director-driven business,” he continues. “We don’t think for one second it’s anything other than us helping our directors. They are the creative force. We are here to help them, and by extension to help agencies and clients get what they want. It’s those three areas where we absolutely take it seriously.”

MJZ has continually produced a high level of work since its inception more than 20 years ago. “It’s a nice place for a director to inhabit,” says MJZ director Spike Jonze. “There is something very simple, very straightforward about the company. Every office has the same feeling whether in London, New York or Los Angeles. Everyone is very much there to serve the directors in the cleanest possible way. The process is very efficient.”

Fredrik Bond concurs. Busy wrapping a Heineken job through W+K Amsterdam he admits that “it’s a very well put together company, very focused. It’s almost like you’re part of a football team where everyone has their purpose, their function. It allows you to completely focus on your work.”

MJZ has managed to sidestep traditional fare of late and tune into work that embraces daring and experimentation. The creative synergy between Blue Source and San Fran hot-shop Pereira & O’Dell springs to mind, a partnership that created the hypnotic Brick Thief for LEGO, part of the successful CL!CK campaign that united former LEGO kids, who rediscovered the brand and were inspired to introduce it to their own little nippers.

Brick Thief follows a mischievous and mustachioed old timer, a man of good intentions and an excellent creative problem-solver – if only he can nab a few LEGO bricks from you. The playful stop-motion short follows the bespectacled eccentric as he reaches into different worlds and nabs bricks from LEGO kids to add to his own savvy collection.

Testing new methods, models and technologies in adland (such as those employed in the CL!CK campaign) is a crucially important part of MJZ’s business model. The company is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to create dynamic, original advertising for progressive marketers.

Zander also feels that, as attractive as multifaceted engagement may be, the classic 30-second spot will continue to exist: “I don’t think the 30 or 60-second spot will go away any time soon. It just seems to be the most efficient bullet. But, more to the point, the idea itself will determine its length, and the length in turn will determine where that idea airs.”

Craig Gillespie is yet another director who has stayed in the MJZ fold for many years. Fresh off of a ‘Got Milk?’ campaign through Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, he expresses a genuine appreciation for the way that the company operates: “Everyone at MJZ pushes each director to create the best work possible,” he explains. “I have a great relationship with David [Zander] who lives and breathes advertising – which definitely helps just in terms of him having a critical eye. I like that honesty because he has a sense of what good work is.”

Gillespie also notes that multiple directors can bid on the same job. “I’m all for that because it should just be the best man who wins,” he says. “We push each other in that way, and I love having all the directors around. It’s inspiring. It’s a great collection of guys here.”

Constantly monitoring the industry, Zander also eyes directors in the field who are bidding on jobs outside the MJZ fray: “It’s a great Magnetic North to see who else we’re bidding against out there, and why they have been chosen for any project,” says Zander. “It can really help to make you more market aware. It’s interesting to see how the market responds to certain directors, and why their status is rising or falling.”

With a winning MJZ strategy at play, the only question that remains is: what drives you to work tirelessly day-in day-out? “Fear,” jokes Zander. “Tons and tons of fear. Fear really motivates me to no end!”

“I’m lucky to be in the proximity of some amazing talent who have taught me so much and continue to teach me. The constant learning process is what makes my job so rewarding. I love the people I work with and the industry we are in.”

 

Production Company of the Year Shortlist

MJZ Los Angeles

Wanda Paris

Somesuch & Co London

Biscuit Filmworks Los Angeles

O Positive New York  

Park Pictures New York

 

Agency of the Year Judging Panel

Julien Chavepayre, EP, Les Telecreateurs Paris

Flavio Pantigoso, ECD, Y&R Peru

Jon Kamen, chairman and CEO, @radical.media

Toby Talbot, ECD, DDB New Zealand

Matthew Bull, ECD, The Bull-White House New York

Francois Chilot, MD, Les Producers Paris

Share