MIRIMAR, the Los Angeles agency of Australians John and Luke McKelvey, has been named 2022 Independent Agency of the Year - Entertainment, at Cannes Lions.
The Emmy award-winning agency picked up a Bronze LIon, plus seven shortlists, for Super Bowl Lil Dicky Quartertime.
And a Gold Lion for Mythic Quest: Corporate Grubhub card leak Apple TV+
Through agency JohnXHannes New York, John McKelvey had Super Bowl game success with Squarespace and John Malkovich (which won an Emmy), and Expensify Th!$ with rapper 2 Chainz.
The agency moved to LA from New York in 2020, more than doubling in size and revenue since. The core team is now 25 people, supported by partnerships with companies across interactive, entertainment and production that operate as one MIRIMAR team.
John McKelvey (chief creative officer) and Luke McKelvey (managing director) told AdNews: "Knowing we want to create work at the intersection of advertising and entertainment - being headquartered in Los Angeles lets us collaborate with brands, talent and creative partners more intimately on a daily basis."
The brothers believe in the power of entertainment to create breakthrough work for brands that people will choose to engage with.
"For each brief, we look at how we can orchestrate a breakthrough, brand building moment that will get outsided attention for our clients," they say.
"This lens helps us think outside the traditional avenues of just relying purely on paid advertising and ensures the brand can be part of an authentic cultural conversation.
"To achieve this it involves developing ideas that are a mix of advertising, entertainment, PR and talent. These spiky moments can help get the internets’ attention and shine bright beyond just paid media.
"This Cannes recognition is a great endorsement for the work we are making and the brands that have trusted us doing well. We’re grateful for every opportunity.
"Modern collaboration is a founding principle. Purpose built for better partnerships with founders, business leaders and the growing number of creative and strategic talent that’s moving inside brands."
What next for the agency?
"First and foremost, we want to continue doing great work for our existing clients," say the brothers.
"Beyond that, we will continue to build MIRIMAR as the place brands come for their important moments. When they want to take a big swing and create bold work. It’s not all about how much you spend but making sure you’re committed to being interesting.
"We believe that today for creative agencies to continue to be valuable they must occupy a precious space that brands cannot create entirely themselves.
"Brands have more in-house capabilities than ever before, so we’ve cultivated a special place as a collaborative partner that integrates well, offers external objectivity and delivers exponential value for their biggest moments.
"We’re also big believers in the value creativity can unlock in all organisations, far beyond just advertising so that is a future focus."
Campaign Credits
Brand: Gopuff
● Dan Folkman, SVP Business
● Erica Matthews, VP Global Marketing & Communications
● Jessica Lauria, Head of Brand Marketing
● Catherine Schenquerman Head of Integrated Brand Marketing
● Heather Brown, Head of Production
● Sophie Novick, Brand Manager
● Paymon Parsia, Sr Producer
● Michael Raspatello, Head of Category Marketing
● Sam McGrane, Sr Producer
● James Chang, Sr Producer
● Joseph Jones, Head of Creative Services
● Marshall Osborne, Head of Business Development
● Karly Bader, Chief of Staff
Talent: Lil Dicky
Agency: Mirimar
● John McKelvey, Founder & Chief Creative Officer
● Luke McKelvey, Founder & Managing Director
● Nick Morrissey, Executive Creative Director
● Eron Broughton, Creative Director / Art Direction
● Meredith Chase, Chief Strategy Officer & Partner
● Mandy Wakimoto, Group Account Director
● Bella Davies, Creative / Art Direction
● James Kunzler, Creative / Art Direction
● Winston Farley, Creative / Copywriting
● Molly Barela, Group Account Director
● Dieter Lebbe, Head of Production
● Holly Fisher, Senior Producer
● Lindsey Reynolds, Senior Project Manager
● Cindy Lewellen, Business Affairs
Experience Agency: NVE
● Greg Aldridge: VP, Strategy
● Haley Gordon: Senior Strategist
● Ty Stafford: Executive Creative Director
● Maurice Aouad: Director of Creator Marketing
● Kadie Gomez: Head of Content Production
● Ely Arce: Art Director, Content
Production: Prettybird
● Director: Kitao Sakurai
● Vice President / Executive Producer: Suzanne Hargrove
● Director of Production: Tracy Hauser
● Producer: Carr Donald
● Producer (Atlanta): Donald Williams
● Production Supervisor: Nick Shandra
● DP: Brian Lannin
● Production Designer: Kai Boydell
● Wardrobe Stylist: Romy Itzigsohn
Music:
Lil Dicky
Barking Owl: Composition/ Music Editing, Sound Design & Mix
● Composition/ Music Editing: Houston Fry
● Sound Design: Gus Koven
● Mix: Mike Franklin
● Creative Director/ Co Founder: Kelly Bayett
● Producer: KC Dossett
Post-Production:
Editing Cabin
● Managing Partner: Carr Schilling
● Editors: Chan Hatcher, Taylor Walsh
● EP: Adam Becht
● Cutting Assistant: Dusten Zimmerman
● AE: Tara Wall
● Producer: Katy Lester
VFX: Kevin
● Partner/Senior Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
● Partner/Executive Creative Director: Tim Davies
● Senior VFX Producer: Jami Schakel
● Designer: Miguel Delcan
● 2D: Gareth Parr, Steve Gibbon, Rob Winfield, Susanne Scharping
Color: Company 3
● Colorist: Sofie Borup (Teaser, QTS)
● Colorist: Sean Coleman (Evergreen)
● Color Producer: Alexandra Lubrano (Teaser, QTS)
● Senior Color Producer: Matt Moran (Evergreen)
Illustration & Design:
● Leo Zarosinski
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