Vince is a comedic yet slightly unnerving 10-minute short film that captures the chaos and comedy of an ad session gone awry, blending industry satire with an eerily familiar situation: what happens when AI stops taking direction and starts taking control – literally?

The film was inspired by a real recording session at Toronto’s Eggplant Music + Sound, where an AI-generated voice was used as a temporary guide track for an ad, Vince was born out of one of those “you can’t make this up” studio moments. When the human voice actor arrived, the team was repeatedly asked to make him sound “more like the guide track”. That moment flipped a switch. What if they turned the scenario around – voice-direct the AI, and see what weird things start to happen?

The experience led Adam Damelin, partner at Eggplant Music + Sound, to create what he thought might make a funny filmed sketch, initially intended as a self-promotional piece for the studio. But as he brought on creative partners, it grew into something much more. Vince quickly evolved into a full collaboration between Damelin; Lindsay Eady, executive creative director at Toronto agency, The Garden(Humanise Collective); her writing partner and comedy writer, Cole Rosenberg-Pach; and award-winning director, Adam Greydon Reid(repped by Holiday Films and The Jennifer Hollyer Agency), who also edited the film.

“We started this as a funny take on an audio session gone wrong,”  Damelin commented. “But it quickly became something bigger—about the creative tension we’re all navigating: how to keep the humanity in what we make, even as technology becomes part of the process.”

The film stars an ensemble cast of acclaimed Canadian actors and comedians, including Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Jennifer Robertson (Schitt’s Creek, Ginny & Georgia), Ennis Esmer (Children Ruin Everything), Tricia Black (Baroness Von Sketch, Pretty Hard Cases), and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll (Ghosts, Kim’s Convenience). The result is a sharp, authentic, and laugh-out-loud look at creative chaos, capturing both the absurdity and heart behind modern collaboration.

“We started by imagining what it would feel like to be trapped in an audio session with a malevolent AI actor,” Rosenberg-Pach stated. “Then we took it one step further—could endless client notes drive even a machine to the brink? After all, what keeps this whole crazy industry running is the patience and collaboration of real people.”

When Vince was conceived in 2024, the advertising world was still deeply skeptical of AI – especially so writers, actors, and production teams concerned about its impact on creative livelihoods. By the time the film completed its one-year festival circuit in October 2025, the industry’s conversation had become more open and nuanced, though tension still exists between opportunity and uncertainty. The film was always intended as satire—an entertaining conversation starter rather than a statement for or against the technology.

“When we started writing Vince, AI’s role in advertising was still in its infancy, and the output wasn’t great,”  Eady explained. “Over the last year, AI has come a long way, and the conversation has shifted from whether we should use it to how we can use it without losing what makes great creative work.”

“AI will keep getting easier to use, but nothing replaces the spontaneity and connection that come from human collaboration,” Reid added. “The creative process isn’t perfect or predictable—and that’s exactly what makes great work feel real and authentic. So the question is: how will AI help us make things we couldn’t otherwise make, while preserving the imperfection and magic of making film?”

True to its theme, Vince used AI tools during its production, most notably to create visual content that appears “AI-generated” within the film. Using Midjourney, the team produced and refined images that were later composited and enhanced by designer, Scott Johnson, showing how technology and human craft can complement each other.

The music and sound design, crafted by Eggplant, play a starring role, bringing humour, tension, and realism to this dark comedy. Hours of meticulous audio work turned the film’s single-day shoot into a richly layered soundscape that amplifies both its comedy and chaos.

The film completed a successful international festival circuit in 2025, with official selections at the Cannes Indie Short Awards, Whistler Film Festival, New York Indie Short Awards, and Victoria Film Festival, and took home an award at the Art Film Spirit Awards.

Along with Eggplant Music + Sound, The Characters, Steve Mann Casting, and Jigsaw Casting contributed to the film’s financing, supporting its goal of sparking dialogue about AI’s role in the film and TV industry. 

Behind-the-Scenes:

• The entire 13-page script was filmed in a single day, using one camera in a small, confined sound studio that heightened both the comedic tension and the sense of teamwork.
• Director Adam Greydon Reid spent a full day rehearsing with the cast so they could perform the script from start to finish like a 10-minute one-act play. The approach allowed for only two takes per shot but created a natural flow and built trust among the actors, encouraging ad-libs, precise blocking, and strong ensemble chemistry
• Colin Mochrie was the first of the cast to join the indie project after being approached by Reid. Known for his generosity, openness, and easygoing nature on set, Mochrie quickly set the tone for the collaborative spirit of the production, so long as everyone remembered to address him as “Colin Mochrie, International Comedy Icon”. At the end of our shoot day, Colin Mochrie was brought into another room and went through all his lines as V.I.N.C.E. in rapid-fire succession, and completed them in about half an hour.
• Much of the cast and crew, including many of Canada’s top comedy talents, joined the project for minimal pay, motivated by their belief in the concept and their love of creating rather than financial incentive. Reid formed an ACTRA Co-op with the cast, making each member—including himself—a co-owner of the film. Despite the limited budget, the team was able to attract exceptional talent who were drawn to the script, the concept, and the opportunity to make something purely for the joy of it
• The film received strong reactions at festivals and screenings, resonating with both industry insiders and general audiences for its sharp humour and relatable themes.

Credits:
Directed, Edited & Produced by: Adam Greydon Reid
Written by: Lindsay Eady & Cole Rosenberg-Pach
Executive Producers: Adam Damelin, Nicola Treadgold, Lindsay Eady, Cole Rosenberg-Pach
Co-Producer: Kyle Welton
Cast: Tricia Black, Ennis Esmer, Jennifer Robertson, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Colin Mochrie

Post Producer: Zal Machado
Online Editor: Mark Driver
Colourist: Mark Driver
Graphic Designer / Art Director: Scott Johnson
Visual FX & Animation: Gabriel Stern
Audio: Eggplant Music + Sound
Executive Producers: Adam Damelin, Nicola Treadgold
Re-Recording Mixer & Dialogue Editor: Nathan Handy
Foley & Sound Design: Ben Spiller
Composer: Adam Damelin
Produced in Association With: Eggplant Music + Sound, The Characters, Steve Mann Casting. Jigsaw Casting, Habibi Film Rentals. ACTRA. The Casting Directors Society of Canada, Talent Agents and Managers Association of Canada

Director of Photography: Samy Inayeh
Camera, Lighting and Grip Rentals: Habibi Films
Casting: Steve Mann
Art Director: Jessica Grunenberg
Location Sound: Scott Taylor
1st Assistant Camera: Kyryll Sobelev
Script Supervisor: Hilda Babazadeh
Gaffer: Ryan Dioso
Key Grip: Andrei Ermolaev
Makeup By: Jasmine Duffey
Hair: Rana Al-Naaj
Filmed on Location at Revolution Studios, Toronto, Ontario