How did you come up with the storylines that propel The Bunt Machine?
Everything in the Bunt Machine is true; from the creative spark in Oregon to the shot on opening night. Telling the story as it happened gave us the opportunity to show the evolution of an idea organically, in all of its unpredictable glory. The creative process is often depicted as ordered and polished in spots like this, but from our experience it moves a lot more like a pinball than it does a line of dominos. We wanted to tell a story that showed just that.
What was the most exciting part about creating this project; whether the subject matter, the actors, the technology used, etc.?
The underlying project was a labor of love for Mac, and beneath it is a story about family, creativity, and what can come of a crazy idea. Collaborating with Mac was a pleasure, and we’re humbled he came together with us to tell the story.
What have you found is key to making successful branded content?
First and foremost, good branded content needs to be good content, with the same standard of quality you’d expect from anything you’d enjoy watching yourself. With that in mind, it comes to collaborating with the right people to tell a relevant story, and trusting them to tell it. Too often brands cross that dangerous line of interfering in an artist’s work vs supporting it. The key for us is always being on the right side of that line.
Congratulations on your Gold Telly Win for The Bunt Machine! What does this recognition mean to your team?
We see our role as an opportunity to use our reach to support the artist community, which is why we give 30% of the advertising on our site to creatives, feature their stories on WePresent, and make things like this. This recognition means a lot to us because it means the spot was seen and felt in the way we hoped it would be when we had our first conversation with Mac. We never doubted he’d tell the story in a compelling way, so it was our job to make sure it got made and made it to the masses.