Too often, brands and agencies face projects that don’t fit into traditional scopes – too complex for standard vendors, too specific for internal teams. That’s exactly where Magic Lab operates – as a special projects boutique that blends creative strategy, human or technological engineering, and real impact.
The Brazil-based special projects boutique blends production, strategy, engineering, and storytelling. Though rooted in São Paulo, it has already delivered global work, including recent projects overseas, and the company was built with an international outlook from day one.
The new company brings together an experienced founding team and a heavyweight advisory board made up of recognised industry leaders who offer high-level strategic vision.
Leading the operation are co-founders, Henry Mandelbaum (CEO & CCO), a creative executive with experience at Y&R, Leo Burnett, Fuel Lisbon, PicPay, and Cheil; and Thays Miranda (CPO), a producer with a background at Africa Creative, Wieden+Kennedy, and behind the scenes of major TV networks like Record, SBT, and Band. Together, they have collected awards from Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD and Clio, among others.
Magic Lab has also launched with a heavyweight advisory board made up of leaders from different dimensions of the creative economy.
Fernanda Romano, former CMO at Alpargatas (Havaianas), Supercell, and King (Candy Crush), has worked at agencies like DDB, JWT, Havas, and Naked, and served as a juror at major festivals. She’s a two-time Cannes Grand Prix winner — once as an agency and once as a client.
George “Benson” Acohamo, founder of BSN Creatives and Cannes Lions juror, has worked at TV Globo, Africa, Fbiz, DPZ, and Loducca.
Sergio Molina, CEO and founder of C+E, is a key name in retail scenography in Brazil, with over 30 years of experience.
And Ricardo Fiuza, a pioneer in children’s content and licensing for TV, Emmy Award winner, former digital director at TV Cultura, and manager of talents like Alex Atala and Bob Burnquist. He is also a partner in the YouTube channel Reversão — Brazil’s largest football and comedy channel — alongside Júlio Cocielo.
What are special projects?
According to Thays Miranda, they’re projects that don’t fit into the traditional scope of advertising. Ideas that combine creativity, technology, and engineering to become real. They can range from lean operations, like a brand activation, to more complex inventions, such as the Rabea Trigger Mug, developed for Webedia and Rabea, in Saudi Arabia.
“Often, in the creative process, ideas come up that are hard to put on paper. That’s where we come in — to turn vision into execution that adds relevance to the storytelling,” Miranda stated.
The Rabea tea project, winner of a Dubai Lynx award, brought together tradition and technology to serve a very specific audience: gamers. The tea, the most consumed beverage among local players for boosting focus without the shakes, faced a challenge: using one hand to hold the mug during gameplay often meant losing a match. The solution, created by Webedia Arabia and produced by Magic Lab, was to embed in-game triggers and proprietary technology, including a gyroscope, directly into the object itself. The result was an ergonomic, gamer-friendly mug that lets players drink tea without losing control of the game.
With its multidisciplinary team, Magic Lab offers both tech and non-tech production capabilities, all under one roof, handling everything from simple to highly complex projects.
Miranda noted, “Our biggest challenge is taking ideas off the page and turning them into something truly surprising, together with our partners. With this pragmatic vision, the company is founded with a clear commitment: to turn impact into measurable results — and ultimately, into recognition and awards for the industry.”
“Magic Lab exists to turn ideas into reality. Our goal is to help agencies, content creators, and brands turn challenges into opportunities — balancing business thinking with a human and social perspective,” added Mandelbaum.
Magic Lab delivers practical execution, bridging the gap between strategy and operations. Its mission is to reduce the distance between “what needs to be done” and “how to actually do it,” always through a collaborative model with clients and partners.
Cover image: Standing l-r: George “Benson” Acohamo, Ricardo Fiuza, and Henry Mandelbaum. Seated l-r: Fernanda Romano and Thays Miranda. Photo by Jade Scarlato
