“Square took a bold leap in tone of voice and it paid off – proving that at the end of the day, brave clients make brave work.”
Adult Swim alumni Henry Stone directs a comedy series for technology business Square via creative production house Entropico.
The comedy series campaign shines a light on the brutally funny truths of being a business owner, starring comedian Danielle Walker (now gracing our screens on Channel Ten’s Taskmaster).
The new Mogul-to-Mogul series, adapted from Square’s - Everything your business needs. Almost. - global platform, sees Walker sharing her unique business ideas with a selection of real businesses using Square’s technology to run their operations for everything from payments to ordering to team management.
And while Square caters to pretty much every aspect of running a business, Walker’s ideas highlight all the ridiculous, relatable difficulties that entrepreneurs face that Square can’t help with.
For Sean Conroy, global creative director at Square, this felt like a brave way to connect with Aussie business owners in an unexpected way.
Conroy: “Why can’t we be honest about all that Square can do, and be really, brutally honest about everything it can’t? Because the best comedy always comes from brutal honesty.”
It was also important for the campaign to bring some Aussie levity to the current state of running a business.
Annalise Booker, head of integrated marketing at Square Australia, said: “We understand how hard and stressful it can be for business owners right now.
“We wanted this campaign to deliver a bit of light relief, but also to show how sellers are turning to Square to take some of that pressure off, to automate parts of their operations, and to create new revenue streams.”
To bring the campaign to life in a typically dry Aussie way, Square and Entropico turned to Henry Stone, a comedy director fresh off the back of directing Aaron Chen in ‘A Life In Questions’ for Adult Swim.
Henry Stone: “Square wanted to get warm and goofy when examining the anxieties of modern business operations and so I let them know that goofin’ season was upon us.
“They very bravely let us go out into the field with the real sellers who also very bravely opened themselves up to the goof and spoof-hunting process, which is one I collaborated on intricately with Danielle to create.
"I think we landed ourselves some trophy laughs for sure. Goof on, live long.”
The result? Unexpected and rewatchable, the series uniquely positions Square within its category, making strong use of genre to explore the humanity of the sellers while also passing the Millennial BS test.
Alchemy One - Square’s Australian media agency – launched the campaign through strategic media placement, kicking off with the Australian Open in both linear TV and BVOD, and amplified across outdoor, social and audio, the campaign highlighting key locations and contextual moments throughout the year.
Harry Hunter, Entropico executive producer, said: “To bring Square’s bold vision to life, Entropico had to burn the rulebook.
“We tackled all the things you shouldn’t do in production – an unscripted comedian interacting with real people, and a horde of dogs.
"In practice, the team were able to set the project up for wins by drawing from the best techniques from a variety of media, including live comedy and on-the-street interviews.”
“Square saw an opportunity to rethink how they showcase their business solutions to make authentic connections with their market.
“Square took a bold leap in tone of voice and it paid off – proving that at the end of the day, brave clients make brave work.”
CREDITS
CLIENT: SQUARE
Global Creative Director: Sean Conroy
Head of Integrated Marketing (AU): Annalise Booker
Integrated Marketing Manager (AU): Jessica Parker
Associate Creative Director: Kae Yen Wong
Creative Program Manager: Justine Yee
Senior Motion Designer: Steven Dupré
Art Director: Fin Wang
Copywriter: Edgar Acosta
Designer: Mindy Yuan
Producer (AU): Libby Spark
Marketing Coordinator (AU): Remy Hayes-Webb
Social Media Manager (AU): Jay Ooi
PRODUCTION: ENTROPICO
Director: Henry Stone
EP / Product Director: Harry Hunter
EP / Producer: Tim Burnett
Account Director: Kate Goddard
Writing Room: Henry Stone, Danielle Walker, Camille Bui Viet, Lauren Bonner, Sean Conroy, Kae Yen Wong
DOP: Tom Black
1AD: Emma Jamvold
Production Manager: Tim Russell
Production Coordinator: Jack Chapman
Directors Assist: Raghav Rampal
Unit Manager: Takehiro Abe
PA: Georgie Bannister
B Camera Operator: Emma Elias
1AC: Gary (Gaz) Morris
2AC: Danielle Payne
3AC: Emily Williams
DIT & Data Wrangler: Sebastion Reategui
Gaffer: Matt Willis
Best Boy: Craig Knight
2nd Lighting assist: Nic Daminiakis
H&MU: Cherry Cheung
H&MU Assist: Lola Yatt
Sound Recordist: Stu Melvey
Sound Recordist Assistant: Adam Roberts
Sound Recordist Assistant #2: Simon Ouyen
Production Designer & Stylist: Maddie Kerry
Art Dep / Wardrobe Assistant: Madeleine Mytowski
Art Dep / Wardrobe Assistant: Sofia Musurra
Art Dep / Wardrobe Assistant: Josh Mullane
Art Dep / Wardrobe Assistant: Margarita Gershkovich
Photographer: Josh Robenstone
Photography Assistant: Alex Cooke
Photography Assistant: Jordan Warne
Post Producer: Annabel Mills
Editors: Andrea Chen, Sarah Panzetta, Hayley Dinnison
Score Composition / Sound Post: Rowan Dix
Designer: Tessa Westerhof
Design and Motion Graphics: Oliver Eather
Colourist: Marcus Friedlander
MEDIA: ALCHEMY ONE
Group Business Director: Huong Nguyen
Group Digital Director: Aline Eloy
Strategy Director: Nicola Watkins
Business Director: Sarah Kent
Digital Director: Jeremy Chaker
Business Manager: Yasmin Sherif
LEAD TALENT
Danielle Walker
TALENT - LOVE TILLY GROUP
Matthew Swieboda
Nathanial Hatwell
Scott McComas-William
Nadia Verduci
Felix Auzou
Brandon Jones
Alexis Agathocleous
TALENT - THE DOG CLUB
Rachel Holmes
Adrianna Koh
Haziq Bin Ahmad Suhaimi
Mauricio Bohorquez Alvarez
Georgie Dover
TALENT - CCACHE
Jing Li
Alan Huynh
Edwin Britts
Alex Nazarewicz
Rohan Douglas
TALENT - SAGE STYLING STUDIO
Bernie Arenelli
Mila Lawson
Ravenna Maurici
Charlotte Smith
