“Chasing The Good Story”: Welcome to the Era of Futuristic Films

For directors Jasper Gray and Frank Pickell, alongside producer Sarah Liles, the future began in the heart of Denver, Colorado. In 2007, the founding of Futuristic Films - a full-spectrum film and post studio with storytelling in its DNA - represented an ambitious bet on the future. And perhaps the most remarkable thing, a decade and a half later, is just how much of Futuristic’s vision has proven accurate - and just how much fun this growing team has had along the way. 

“That full-service framework on which we were built felt incredibly new”, recalls Jasper, “and it’s taken us to the point we’re at now where we can offer scalable production and post with a rich team of directorial and editorial talent. Both then and now, we’re all about the notion that if you want to go out and create an incredible piece of film, you can. We want to make it approachable, and enjoyable”. 

Happily for Jasper and the team, the results of that simple philosophy have been profound. As the studio celebrates its fifteenth birthday, the team at Futuristic can afford to look back on top-tier commercial work for the likes of Volvo, Apple, and Shopify, plus award-winning documentaries including ‘Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary’ and the moving ‘From My Window’. 

Above: Futuristic’s work and capabilities are the stars of the studio’s 2022 reel. 

The story behind that success has, at least in part, been based on people bringing their own expertise and experience to the table. “My background was based on working with big, monolithic production companies. They had the scale, but the agility was missing”, explains Sarah. “I felt that Jasper and the team at Futuristic were talking about something which was absolutely spot-on. It was nimble, customisable, and felt like the future in terms of where the industry was headed. I think that’s been proven right”. 

“I was coming in from the feature documentary side of things, and the commercial world was relatively new to me at the time”, adds Frank. “But Futuristic has become this amazing blend between the visual dynamism of commercial spots, and the storytelling focus of longform. I truly believe that’s thanks to the separate ideas we all brought to the company at its inception”. 

On which note, there’s one other essential ingredient behind the story of Futuristic Films’ success to date - the company’s location. Dylan Stephens, the studio’s head of development, has noticed the extent to which Colorado has made its mark on Futuristic, and vice versa. “It’s often intangible, but there’s a spirit of adventure out here in the Rockies - and an assertive approach to problem solving - which has always shaped the company. From the top of a mountain in Austria, to a multi-city roadshow with a small crew, via an interactive project in Times Square, we bring that spirit wherever we go”. 

For Jasper, the ties between Futuristic and Denver are a fundamental part of the studio’s story to date - and its future. “It totally feels like we’ve grown up with the creative community around us”, he says. “ We started out by occupying the only run-down warehouse we could afford, and built out from there. But looking at it now, the RiNo neighbourhood is an arts and entertainment hub - with an entire community of interesting and wonderful people who we interact with - every day”. With creativity and entrepreneurism baked into its culture, It’s little wonder why more creative talent and companies are choosing to call Denver home. 

And so, for anyone still wondering why a production studio with Futuristic’s stellar track-record finds its HQ nestled in the beauty of Colorado as opposed to LA or New York, that goes some way towards providing an answer. As Jasper concludes, “each of us has worked all over the world, but we’ve chosen to live here and make the Rockies our home base. We love when we have the opportunity to share this place, and this spirit, with our clients.” 

All of that DNA and identity within Futuristic, whilst being valuable on its own terms, also serves another purpose. Over the past decade and a half, it’s coalesced - alongside the studio’s instinctive grasp of storytelling - around an incredible line up of work. “Having worked with Futuristic previously from the agency side, I’ve seen first hand how relentless, scrappy, and creative this team is in pursuing great work”, notes Dylan. “From my perspective, they’re the top talent-driven company in the Rockies”. 

Above: Futuristic’s recent work includes a kaleidoscopic ad for the e-commerce platform Shopify. 

“The Future Will Always Be Storytelling” 

It doesn’t take long talking to the Futuristic team to get the sense that, when they talk about their ‘get up and go’ approach to filmmaking, they practice what they preach. 

One fine example of that philosophy is the superbly impactful ‘From My Window’, winner of a coveted Vimeo staff pick and best short film at Banff Mountain Film Festival, alongside other awards. The film charts the story of Melissa Simpson, a natural adventurer born with cerebral palsy. “When an opportunity comes up to tell a story like that, you can’t help but jump in with both feet,” says Frank, the film’s director. “Projects like this provide great opportunities for our internal team to contribute in different rolls. Our post producer conducted field interviews and our EP put on his AD hat - It was awesome to watch our team hustle up the mountain alongside Melissa”. 

At Futuristic, however, those opportunities are rarely far away. “We always wanted to build a company which had the in-house resources to go and make passion projects when the opportunities arise” says Jasper. “That attitude, of being able to simply go out and make something when it’s there to be made, has always been the backbone of Futuristic”. 

Above: The beautiful backdrop of Colorado sets the scene for ‘From My Window’, an empowering story which reminds us, in the movie’s own words, that “what’s within us is stronger than what’s in our way”. 

One advantageous knock-on effect of supporting projects such as ‘From My Window’, is that it can often inform Futuristic’s work in the commercial world, too. “Something we hear surprisingly often from brands we work with is that they ‘want something like that’, referencing ‘From My Window’”, notes Dylan. “We love working with our clients to help define what ‘that’ means to their story - it’s always incredibly affirming to hear them express that desire for heartfelt, human-driven work, whether it be 60-second spots or six-second ads for social”. 

Storytelling, ultimately, is the thread we keep coming back to over the course of our discussion. “Throughout our careers, we’ve always been chasing stories”, says Sarah. “That’s as true today as it was for me when I started in this business. The best brands have always been the best storytellers, and that’s not about to change”. 

For Jasper storytelling, and the relentless pursuit of quality that comes with it, are hallmarks of success in 2022. “Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram Stories, or linear TV, the best way of connecting people is still through storytelling”, he says. “People want to connect with stories, with characters, and with emotions. Okay, the deliverables might be getting shorter, but the building blocks of a great piece of work still hold true”. Fortunately for Futuristic’s clients, it’s rare to find a studio so dedicated to craft - in Colorado or elsewhere.

Above: A more light-hearted example of Futuristic’s work is Lumin’s Mansplained for Men, in which gender stereotypes are gently subverted as a macho lead character leans into his feminine side, to the benefit of his skincare. 

When Futuristic was founded back in 2007, it was ahead of a time of enormous change in the industry. Whilst the financial crash of 2008 did much to change the filmmaking landscape, so too did the ensuing technological revolution. Fifteen years later, one gets the sense that we may collectively be approaching a similarly transformative moment. “There’s no doubt that clients’ needs are changing, and the way we consume entertainment and media has evolved massively”, says Jasper. “We built Futuristic on this idea of being nimble and adaptable - I think those qualities are going to be more relevant in the next few years than they’ve ever been”. 

When all is said and done, perhaps Futuristic’s most remarkable achievements can be found in their ability to share the joy of filmmaking with clients and audiences by crafting amazing stories. With the fifteen year milestone having recently been passed, it’s a studio with its focus set, fittingly, on the future. And, across the whole team, there’s a tangible excitement that its best days still lay ahead.