The Brooklyn Film Festival sets its boundaries wide. It doesn’t censor its filmmakers. The films it shows offer a range of narratives, sensibilities, and arguments that explore every aspect of human experience from different points of view.
They can offend. But the arts world has become very careful not to offend people. That can make it unexciting. Brooklyn Film Festival wants to be seen as exciting
So MullenLowe New York is promoting it with the campaign promise that the festival has something to offend everyone. It’s a fun and ironic way to invite people to keep an open mind about considering thoughts, ideas, and nuances that don’t align with their own. The campaign video, produced by Smuggler, is Inspired by the stereotypical human resources videos that employees nationwide have to watch every year. It just adds humour.
“By never censoring their filmmakers, The Brooklyn Film Festival caters to an audience that appreciates being challenged. As a joke, we thought those people might need help talking about the films they’re about to see with people who might not be as open-minded as they are, so we took inspiration from the interactive HR training videos we are made to watch every year. If they can teach us how to interact with our coworkers without being offensive, surely, they can teach filmgoers how to do the same,” explained Rich Singer and Zack Menna, group creative directors at MLNY.
In a choose-your-own-adventure style, the tongue-in-cheek HR interactive experience found in www.howtotalkaboutbff.com sets out to prove that no matter what you do, someone is bound to get offended.
In out-of-home executions, Something to Offend Everyone portrays a series of very annoyed characters expressing their anger at being offended in unexpected ways. “We worked to make every character/scenario as fantastical and provocative as we could while making sure they were also very relatable. There’s a beauty in seeing a true human feeling being expressed by a total nonhuman character,” noted João Paz, head of design at MLNY.
The OOH work is unmissable:


“We are thrilled to have partnered with the Brooklyn Film Festival. Independent film is an important medium to push the creative community and our society at large forward. The Something to Offend Everyone campaign is meant to intrigue, inspire and provoke people to enjoy the growth that comes from reflecting on different points of view,” added Rebekah Pagis, managing director at MullenLowe New York.
“We hope people see our campaign and have a greater appreciation for what the Brooklyn Film Festival is doing, not only creating a space for independent filmmakers, but also fiercely protecting the spirit of independent art. If it prompts folks to engage with viewpoints outside of the mainstream narratives and motivates them to talk about art and perpetuate those important but often challenging conversations with others around them, we will have done our job,” stated Hunter Kelly, senior strategist at MullenLowe NY.
Enjoy it all:
Intro: https://youtu.be/romTxRKz6Mk
Lesson 1: https://youtu.be/n52oWRusuW4
Lesson 2: https://youtu.be/HohO8QhyBNU
Lesson 2: Husband — https://youtu.be/QPD_8armKHo
Lesson 2: Steve — https://youtu.be/uWxtkNgMrlQ
Lesson 2: Scout — https://youtu.be/9hXRR1XRO8Y
Lesson 3: https://youtu.be/2JbUK10-_bo
Conclusion: https://youtu.be/-ZLg7P_IjVs
Conclusion (True): https://youtu.be/dW1nk2_AwP4
Credits:
Client: Brooklyn Film Festival
Executive Director: Marco Ursino
Director of Development: Susan Mackell
Production Manager: Alessandra Cronin
Creative Agency: MullenLowe New York
Executive Creative Director: Ricard Valero
Group Creative Directors: Rich Singer & Zack Menna
ACD, Copy: Alice Burton
Junior Art: Ayanna Wallace
Junior Copy: Christinna Oree
Head of Design: João Paz
Designer: Marcio Doti
Head of Strategy: Jonny Gadd
Brand Strategist: Hunter Kelly
Managing Director: Rebekah Pagis
Group Account Director: Greg MasiakosSVP, Exec. Dir. of Integrated Production: Lisa Setten
Senior Producer: Jacob Vogt
VP Associate Directors, Business Affairs: Maria Rougvie & Vanessa Fazio
Project Manager: Olivia Scala
Production Company: SMUGGLER
Director: Randy Krallman
Executive Producers: Patrick Milling-Smith, Brian Carmody & Jaclyn Larson
Head of Production: Alex Hughes
Producer: Ian Blain
Director of Photography: Jeff Kim
Editing: Friendshop
Editor: Ben Suenaga
Assistant Editor: Claire Mai
Producer: Laura Shackleford
Music, Sound Design & Mix: Yessian
Music Supervisor: Jonathan Hecht
Colour: Company 3
Post-Production: Method
Managing Director: Jesse Kurnit
HOP & EP: Tsiliana Jolson
Colourist: Tim Masick
Colour Producer: Kevin Breheny
Flame Leads: Kieran Walsh & Margolit Steiner
Junior Flame: Mark Popham
Flame Assist: Michael DeCaprio
VFX Producer: Gwen Frey
Post-Production: The Mill
Flame Lead: Patrick Dirks
Managing Director: Anastasia von Rahl
Senior Producer: Dave Wein
Design Studio: FOREAL
Media Agency: MediaHub