GUT Launches Unique Project Consisting of a Children’s Book and an Animated Short Film

Image: L-R Rodrigo del Oso and José Mario Muñoz, creative directors/GUT Mexico City (Credit: GUT)

Global creative agency GUT, which was recently named Cannes Lions 2023’s Independent Network of the Year, is launching its first original and unbranded idea, part of the agency’s internal “Unbranded Content Contest,” called “My Gut Friend,” a unique project consisting of a children’s book along with an animated short film set to be released in 2024, deriving from the same story. 

“My Gut Friend'' was created by Rodrigo del Oso and José Mario Muñoz, creative directors from GUT Mexico City.

The "Unbranded Content Contest" invited all Gutsies to submit their original, 100% unbranded ideas. Oso and Muñoz won the first contest with their project, which was solely funded and produced by GUT (and occurs every two years).

“We are very happy to present 'My Gut Friend,' our first Original Content idea from GUT. One of our principles is that we believe creativity is not a department, but a mindset, and we believe that there are no limits to what our Gutsies can achieve,” said GUT co-founders and creative chairmen Gastón Bigio and Anselmo Ramos. "We will continue to drive creativity across the Network, and look forward to sharing more Original Content from GUT in the future." 

The process is simple: the contest opens for a set period of time, and once all ideas are submitted, they are judged by GUT’s Creative Council, which spans the leadership teams across all of GUT’s offices. Over a period of two weeks, the winning idea is discussed and then selected.

“Today, we are proud to share the first original idea produced by us,” said Agustina Garavilla, global operations director at GUT. “This is an initiative that empowers the creativity of our entire team, and it's incredible to see ideas coming from all departments, from accounts to finance and more.” 

 "This is an opportunity that we've been seeking for a long time. We love telling stories, and we've done it for years with all the incredible brands we work with. But 'My Gut Friend' is our most personal story to date,” said Rodrigo and José Mario. "It's a dream come true to have our first children's book and animated short film come to life, especially in stop motion. We can't wait for everyone to see and to get to know this story that we wrote not just with our hearts, but with our guts."

Earlier this year, the GUT Network was honoured as Cannes Lions 2023 Independent Network of the Year, and won a total of 35 Grand Prix across the Network, among many other honours and accolades.