Tell us about your organization. How big is your team? Where are you based? What is your organization’s specialty in the film and video space?

Fondu is a small but mighty team of 3, backed by a wildly talented network of creative collaborators. We’re based in New Jersey, just outside New York City, but we produce content across the U.S. and internationally. Our specialty is ad campaigns with a comedic touch.

Why do you do what you do? Was there a transformative moment that solidified your career choice, your org’s success, or your commitment to storytelling?

Honestly, I don’t know how to do anything else. I’ve been making movies since I was 11 and haven’t looked back. I’ve always gravitated toward comedy because life is hard, and when you can make people laugh, starting with yourself, it’s a good way to navigate the journey. There’s no single transformative moment, but building authentic relationships has created a snowball effect: bigger clients, bigger projects, bigger challenges & opportunities. We’ve earned those opportunities by showing up every day, rolling up our sleeves, and trying to make people laugh along the way.

Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?

I got an email one day from Hogsworth’s brand director about launching a new whiskey brand from the guy who started WhistlePig. Raj, the founder, wanted to do something totally unconventional, outlandish, and, dare I say, triggering. It’s a moment in American politics where people feel like the rich keep getting richer, while everyday folks are getting bent over a barrel. Psychologically, the campaign is about getting the value we deserve, not being cheated by big corporations, and getting our “hog’s worth” out of life.

Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?

It was an action-packed shoot day across multiple locations on Raj’s 115-acre campus in Poultney, Vermont. We’d just wrapped a big drone shot out by the sauna next to a creek as the sun was setting. Raj invited us to take a quick dip. My creative director at the time, Isaac, and I stripped down to our boxers and jumped in with Raj, his son, and dog (after a shot of whiskey, of course). We then headed into the sauna to brainstorm the next campaign. Later that night, the whole crew gathered around a fire pit with whiskey, cigars, and folk music, drinking, smoking, and having a good time late into the night in remote Vermont.

What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?

The biggest challenge was wrangling, literally. We had to bring in a professional pig wrangler to help us wrangle a huge, multi-hundred-pound hog for one shot, plus some very cute piglets for the final drone shot. One of the craziest moments was lighting a Molotov cocktail for Raj to throw into a field in the second scene, which took several attempts before we got it to blow up into a proper ball of fire. If there’s no element of danger involved, Raj typically isn’t interested in the concept.

What are you most proud of about this piece? What is the most memorable response you got from this work?

I’m proud that this piece really struck a chord. It got over 4K+ organic shares in its first week and millions of views online. Yes, there was some paid media behind it, but if you look at the comments and shares, people genuinely loved the ad and felt it was one of the best things they’d seen on social media or TV in a long time.

You won a Telly Award for this piece. Why is recognition important for you, your team or your work?

A Telly Award is validation from the market that we’re doing something special. It’s a boost of energy for our team, and shows clients and prospects we’re producing exceptional work. Ultimately, the craft is what drives us, but awards add fuel to the creative fire.

Tell us what you’re up to! If there’s a new project, launch, or milestone you’d like us to celebrate with you, let us know, and we might share it with our community.

Right now we’re leaning more into TV creative, most recently with a fun nostalgia campaign for Anrok. You don’t normally think of global tax compliance as “cool,” but we poked fun at the legacy players with a time capsule concept: a group of employees in the ’90s bury their favorite goodies, a Furby, a Tamagotchi, and a Game Boy, and someone tosses in their “revolutionary” tax software right before they seal it up. Spoiler alert: the software doesn’t age well. We’re excited to keep growing our TV work as clients trust us with more of their brand storytelling.