Dream Teams: BONABART Hilariously Sweetens the Message and Stops the Scroll

Bonnie Dennison and Alison Barton are an LA and Austin-based writing and directing duo known by the moniker BONABART. Since being introduced by their boyfriends on a double date in 2012 at a Coney Island haunted house, they’ve been creating short films and ads together - including work for Wendy's, Subway, Amazon, Spotify, and Liquid Death. 

Happiest when working together and writing funny, subversive stories, Alison says it initially took some time to break past Bonnie’s stoic exterior. However, they quickly found they could make each other laugh and hold one another accountable - and so their filmmaking partnership soon gathered steam. The pair are now represented by LA production company, Good Times.

“I thought Bonnie hated me at first,” says Alison, before Bonnie interjects to clarify, “I liked Alison right away, and wanted to be friends, but my inscrutable face can make friend courtship hard; everyone assumes I don’t like them (which is only sometimes the case).”

In an effort to change Alison’s first impression, Bonnie signed up to run a 5K with her - never having run farther than a city block in her life - and the pair bonded over their senses of humour during their wheezy-breathed practice runs. They soon started writing and filming video sketches together which evolved into the ongoing marathon that their filmmaking partnership has become. 

“We spent our first few years literally looking over each others’ shoulders as we wrote, which melded our brains,” says Bonnie. “So creatively, we are almost always aligned on how to tell a story, humour and aesthetics.” That being said, Alison can be defined as the more goal-oriented of the pair, while Bonnie operates more spontaneously in the moment.

“Bonnie has always been the queen of punchlines,” says Alison. “She can think of one-liners and improv with the best of ‘em. If you know her, you know she’s the funniest person in the room. I’m more visual. Where Bonnie is adept at ‘finding the funny’, I understand how to make it more aesthetically pleasing, or I’m brainstorming a new camera move for us to try.”

[Above: Cottonelle - 'Assvertiser', dir. BONABART]

Whether writing or on-set, the duo prep everything extensively together, creating detailed outlines, “super specific” shot lists and mood boards to ensure they’re on the same page. This way, they have ultimate confidence in each other to field any questions from other shareholders in their projects, without the need to confer.

When selecting these projects, BONABART - known for their comedic work - are attracted to anything with a moral or clear message behind it. And while, as Alison points out, “it’s cool to make funny shit”, the duo find it much more rewarding to use humour as a device to drive home a deeper point. “We always like to say we see comedy as the ‘sugar to the medicine’.”

Bonnies adds, “In both our narrative and advertising work, no matter how sophomoric the humour may be, there’s always a sentiment we are proud to impart to people.”

This prominent usage of humour in their work - sophomoric or not - stems from their shared childhood love for practical jokes, silliness and an ability to laugh at your own expense. “I love pranks, I was raised on them,” says Alison. “My dad used to drive away when I tried to get in the car, or he’d hide fake rats under my bed. And I’m inexplicably gullible– you would think with an upbringing like that I’d be quicker on the uptake! Suffice to say, if you prank me, then you’re on a fast track to becoming my best friend.”

Similarly, Bonnie was raised on - and grew to love - being the butt of her family member’s well-intentioned jokes. Describing teasing as her love language, she says, “Nothing makes me laugh more than someone making fun of me, or me calling someone else out on their bullshit (lovingly of course).”

She continues, “As a younger sister, I was razzed (a lot) by my hilarious older sister, so now if someone is laughing at my expense, I feel like they must really like me. Please don’t correct my logic here.”

Applying this humour to their creative work has resulted in hilarious campaigns for the likes of Wendy’s, Teach for America and Liquid Death - the latter of which they’ve collaborated with several times. “The campaigns they come up with are consistently so genius and envelope-pushing,” says Bonnie. “What’s so fun about working with them is how delightfully ridiculous their content is, it’s such a treat to get to swing that big creatively.”

Alison adds, “Liquid Death considers themselves an entertainment company, not simply a water brand, and so they’re concerned with making legitimately funny and entertaining content – in the world of advertising, that sentiment is refreshing.”

Saying that, their Teach for America campaign is Alison’s favourite directing experience thus far, as it reminded her how lighthearted and playful their career can be, while Bonnie derives a particular source of pride from the pair’s work for Wendy’s.

“It was such a wonderfully weird concept: that two out of three people prefer Wendy’s fries - so the third must be an imposter,” she says. “We got to use a bald cap and a Sharpie beard on our talent. The team at VMLY&R was so funny and supportive that the end product really turned out true to our vision.”

She adds, “Teach for America is an example of us pushing ourselves on the cinematography front, and Wendy’s is one where we doubled down on the humour. Both are jobs that we loved.”

Whether more humorous or aesthetically-driven, all of BONABART’s work has one aim in common: to ‘stop the scroll’. While their tastes in films and ads can differ - with Alison preferring big, emotional epics, and Bonnie gravitating towards the weird, “artsy fartsy” and the dark -  the duo agrees on being unapologetic in making bold choices to avoid being skippable. 

[Above: Liquid Death - 'Martha's Handmade Halloween', dir. BONABART]

“We’ve found that when we stay true to our own unique brand of humour, the work is anything but derivative or boring,” explains Alison. “And that kind of risk taking can attract eyeballs.”

“We have a strong point of view that we try to meld with whatever medium we are working on, and then we try our hardest to stay true to that point of view throughout production,” adds Bonnie. “Stuff that captures a digital audience’s attention is always going to be something authentic.” 

Every project, Alison points out, provides a creative challenge (or five) that threatens to derail this vision. But with a clear ‘why’ behind each job as a North Star, these challenges become surmountable - especially when working with not just a close creative partner, but a best friend.

“I recognise how special and unique that is,” says Alison. “Bonnie made me laugh from the first time I met her, and we share a love for all things hilarious. Often, my favourite part of the day is texting her and laughing out loud at the stuff she says.”

“She’s taught me that partnerships can endure hardships, that it’s possible to grow with someone, and she’s taught me to always build your partner up – even if you’re feeling down. I’ve learned composure from Bonnie, and strength. Watching her become a mom has taught me the true meaning of patience and grit… and she’s going to hate how sentimental this is!”

Or that’s what you may expect. 

However, Bonnie reciprocates the admiration when summarising what she’s learned from Alison over the last 12 years. “She has shown me how to be a supportive partner, both personally and professionally,” she says. “She’s a perfect balance of unconditionally accepting, while also pushing you to be the best version of yourself.” 

“And as you can tell, she’s also chipped away at my ice cold heart and made me a bit more sentimental… A bit.”