Discovering Mayda: How a Pioneering Studio Is Charting a new Creative Course

These are interesting times for creativity. We’re swimming in an unfathomably deep ocean of multiple channels, complex data, and noisy, abstract storytelling. Trying to drown out the volume of ideas and messaging is becoming a part of daily existence, with the result being a fractured lifestyle of constant distraction. It’s why the mind-melting Everything Everywhere All At Once, which so brilliantly weaved different lives - different versions of ourselves - together, struck such a cultural nerve upon its release last year.

It’s no surprise, then, that this new kind of creative culture demands a new kind of creative model. One which has the agility to swerve between different channels and ideas gracefully, whilst applying sound marketing fundamentals and design thinking at every touchpoint. It’s a model which, all told, might look an awful lot like Mayda.

A creative company built to work with the world as it exists today rather than against it, Mayda has spent the last couple of years delivering impressive results for clients like Playstation, AT&T, Google, MSG Sphere, Boost, and LUSH.

To find out more about the company, LBB’s Adam Bennett snatched a conversation with ECDs Ben Smith and Carl Addy…

LBB> Ben and Carl, let’s start at the beginning. What was the original impetus behind starting Mayda?

Carl> In previous lives, we’d all been in the trenches together working at one of the big, behemoth companies in our industry. But as time went on I learned that I - and probably all of us - put a lot of value in a more diverse kind of collaboration.

Not just directing, but strategy and creative direction as well. Ultimately that’s where I think we’re at as an industry. There’s a demand for content and ideas which don’t always fit into traditional boxes, and that’s what we want to cater to. Happily, creating Mayda means that we’re able to do so whilst working alongside like-minded people.

Ben> Without getting too philosophical, it’s fair to say that the media landscape has changed enormously over the past ten years or so. When it comes to storytelling and technology, the former barriers to entry have largely disappeared while new technologies are disrupting the ways people make and consume media. 

It feels like there's room for more nimble creative models now. Studios need to be more diverse in their skill sets and offerings because the modern industry demands it. With Mayda, we want to offer highly skilled, highly experienced people from different creative backgrounds, like advertising, film, gaming, data science, and tech, working together to solve ever-evolving creative challenges in new and inventive ways. 

LBB> I also understand that ‘design thinking’ is crucial to your approach. Can you expand on what that means, and how it pushes your work forward?

Ben> We’re always looking for the best ways to solve incoming briefs, design thinking is really about applying structured and iterative processes in order to do so consistently. It’s a recognition that the idea is the most valuable thing, and it may not be what you thought it was going to be. It's so important to keep an open mind in the early stages of a project and trust the process to get there.

Whatever opportunities come our way - film, animation, product, platform, podcast - they're all parsed through a process of evaluation, discovery, development, and production. Having a broad understanding of how things are made is definitely key for us too. Everything we pitch is modulated by that.

Carl> And that feeds into how we view ourselves as a studio and why we eschew some of the more traditional labels. Because if you looked at one piece of our work in isolation, then you might think we’re a production company, and another might suggest that we’re an agency. But those labels aren’t especially helpful because, to Ben’s point, it’s about the idea, not us. We will adapt and lend our expertise to whichever avenue most benefits the idea. Design thinking allows you to bring that level of strategy and agility into the equation.

LBB> On that note, can you share more about the range of projects you have worked on in 2023?

Carl> Little did we know when we started that at the end of 2023 we would have such a broad range of really meaningful work. From the AT&T 5G Helmet through to doing the first live action commercial for the MSG Sphere, which just happened to be A$AP Rocky’s F1 Puma collection drop. Along the way we have continued to create real time activations and experiences, a podcast in collaboration with W&K and Heinz celebrating culinary innovation, and some eye bending commercials for the likes of Playstation and Boost. 

Looking at the collection of projects, it really justifies our intuition that the market responds well to our model. 

Ben> Yeah and although the work is pretty varied, I feel like there's definitely connective tissue there. There's a lot of novel ideas and untested formats, for example. Compare Nissan’s ‘Ariya’, the four hour lo-fi music video we created that went viral (selected by Fast Company as one of the Top 5 Ads of 2023), to the AT&T 5G Helmet, a new visual communication system, and then mixed media content on the MSG exosphere. They're all mould breaking in their own ways and I think that speaks to a lot of what we're about; always searching for the new and exciting gold out there. 

Clockwise from top left: WNBA 'More Than Game', AT&T '5G Helmet', Heinz 'Black Kitchen Series', Boost 'iPhone 15', Playstation 'Play Closer', MSG Sphere 'Modern Warfare III', Lush 'Intergalatic @ Outernet', Nissan 'Ariya'.

LBB> Tell me more about the AT&T 5G Helmet; can you talk us through that project’s journey from idea to reality? 

Ben> The original brief was to design and build a prop of a next-generation football helmet that could be used in a commercial, where plays transmitted by a coach could instantly appear inside the players helmet via some kind of visual display. There’s a brilliant college football team at Gallaudet University, a school specifically for the audibly impaired, and the commercial would show how this concept helmet, powered by AT&T 5G, could help improve the team’s communications and level the playing field against their hearing opponents.

As we dived into discovery and early development, we quickly realised that with a bit more time we could make a real version, a prototype that the team could actually use. Over the following two years we spent a lot of time with the players and coach at Gallaudet University understanding their needs so we could design accordingly. They were so excited to be part of our feedback loop and we got into a great rhythm of working on stuff, presenting our findings, and then incorporating their feedback for the next iteration of our prototype, and so on. It was about building a helmet and ecosystem that worked for them. 

The tech stack inside the helmet was challenging at times and we actually had to design some custom components. Not only did it need to function in the ways we needed, it also had to withstand the safety testing that would permit it to be worn during a game. Which actually happened, by the way (when the NCAA approved it for trial use) and they won!

Exciting conversations about what the next iteration could be are on going. The NFL is a very tech-forward organization and we’d love to see them adopt this system for the sport at the professional level. What if we could put cameras in the helmets for gated POV feeds in 5G enabled stadiums, for example? 

LBB> Carl, earlier this year, Mayda announced a 'Storyverse' partnership with LUSH; can you elaborate on what that means?

Carl> We’ve had a relationship with LUSH for quite a while having worked with them in the past. They’ve previously put out more linear film and animation which leans into character-based storytelling. It’s high-craft and gorgeous work, but it’s in a traditional space. But they’re far from a traditional brand - for example, they’ve removed themselves from certain social networks as part of a statement against Big Tech and wanting to have a different way to connect with their community.

We see ourselves as part of their team when we work together, and as such we have a more proactive approach to how their storyverse can show up in the world/s.

For example, at SXSW23 we did a live panel with two of their characters via mocap and real time animation. It was a proof of concept on digital avatars that represent both the spirit and ethos of specific products, but also the sentiment of the company culture (the characters were acted by in-store staff).

The ‘Storyverse’ was revealed further later in the year with a two-minute glimpse of Intergalactic, the Lush festive IP. This was done at Outernet in London, and was intentionally telegraphed as a teaser for a world rich with story lore and themes of darkness and light. 

As witnessed when people clapped after each viewing, thinking this was a theatrical release, the audience does not need prompting to understand authentic entertainment over advertising. 

LBB> In addition to Outernet in London, Mayda has been creating lots of content for the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas; what is the story there?

Ben> It's been really exciting working on the Sphere. We were lucky enough to be the first studio to create branded content for it with the launch of Mortal Kombat and Call of Duty. As a canvas for content it's an intriguing mix of constraints and opportunities at a massive scale! I think there's more to discover in terms of innovative ways to use the screen. It's really very impressive and so fun to develop for. 

Carl> We love what Sphere and places like Outernet are doing, they are becoming destinations, nothing beats being in person to witness the content. Here lies the challenge for brands: can you make something worth the visit? 

The A$AP Rocky F1 Puma drop was a perfect Mayda job. Bear in mind at this point we had already done a few Sphere briefs and were familiar with the unique viewing conditions. More importantly, we approached it with the cynicism of makers who are over the initial charm of the stunt of the platform. We wanted to make it in a way that sets out how future executions could work . To push past the scale of the venue, and into doing something that plays to a fun narrative concept. 

When you hear Rocky discuss what he is trying to achieve by re-appropriating F1 culture into something more playful, it was obvious the Sphere drop needed to be a massive fun statement. 

It is more than a big screen, it is a global architectural intervention, perfect for a disruptive message at an event of this magnitude. 

LBB> And what does the future hold for Mayda? If we were to have this same conversation again a year from now, what do you think we’d be talking about? 

Ben> We’re underway on more projects that really pay off the idea of design thinking. 

We’re excited about a series of cinematics we’ve been developing for an indie horror video game. We’re in post on a commercial that is utilising AI and machine learning in a very interesting way - we can’t say too much more about that right now but we’re excited to share the finished piece very soon. 

AI and generative LLMs are clearly going to accelerate creativity into bolder and bigger executions. That is where being a future driven business is advantageous. We don’t see technology as an end unto itself, but we are interested in embedding and utilising it early so that the output is an integration of tech enabled human expression. 

So, in short: broader and even more diverse work. Think of us as a spec ops team, we will deal with the scary stuff in order to get to the more human stuff. 

LBB> Before we go, I have to ask about the name itself. What is ‘Mayda’, and why was it right for you guys?

Ben> Mayda was an island that appeared for centuries on early maps, somewhere in the mid-Atlantic. Many people tried to find it, but no-one ever did. So over time it became this enduring symbol of adventure, discovery and exploration - the search for the new. 

And we love that idea. Mayda is about searching for what’s over the horizon. It’s about being brave, open to new ideas and potentially difficult journeys - wherever they may take us. So, for us, the island of Mayda is the perfect metaphor.

Carl> The very genesis of this company is a commitment to shifting horizons, and not knowing the exact outcome. There’s a fluidity to the modern world that we think the industry needs to reflect. It would be easy to pretend that the world is simple, and make our offerings straightforward. But that isn’t reality. We’ve chosen to sit in that grey area of possibility - or the uncharted territory on the map, if you like - and we’re comfortable with being uncomfortable. In the long-term, we believe that’s how the best work gets made.

To work within the metaphor, just take a look at all the interesting things we have found whilst searching for Mayda - it’s been an adventurous year.