When a bold creative concept meets a tight timeline, flawless execution is paramount.
When Versus Creative in New York developed Audible Canada’s national campaign, they had a powerful concept and a clear creative vision. They brought in director Tim Abshire and director of photography Christopher Mably, CSC—whose credits include Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Invasion, and global campaigns for brands like Nike, Adidas, and Kia. The campaign was green-lit, but they needed production support on the ground in Montreal to make it all happen.
That’s where we came in.
Black Box Productions was brought on by executive producer John Nadalin, of Mowad Productions, a long-time collaborator. We’ve worked closely with MOWAD for over a decade, so when it became clear the shoot would happen in Montreal, John tapped producer Josh Usheroff and the Black Box team to execute the production locally.
The timeline was tight—location scouting began on October 26, and we were filming by November 16. In just three weeks, we secured multiple locations, handled permits, booked a 50+ person crew, equipment rentals and managed the logistics of a large-scale commercial production.
Translating Creative into Reality
The campaign concept, led by creative director Justin Barnes at Versus, leaned into the idea of imagination and the immersive world of Audible storytelling. Rather than hitting audiences over the head with literal messaging, the creative played out through a series of stylized vignettes inspired by real Audible titles. Each one carried its own tone and visual identity—from the crime-mystery atmosphere of Oracle: The Dreamland Murders, to the energy of True North Heist, and even a quirky domestic moment involving a Sidney Crosby-inspired hockey scene unfolding in a suburban living room.
These were highly visual pieces, and to match that vision, Black Box assembled an experienced crew: gaffers, grips, camera assistants, glam, wardrobe stylists, art department, and production assistants, many of whom had worked on major feature films and top-tier commercial sets.
Josh Usheroff, who line-produced the project for Black Box, described the shift in workflow that happens on shoots of this scale. “On smaller productions, you can just shout a question to the room and someone nearby will have the answer. But with a 50-person crew, it’s a different rhythm. Production becomes highly departmentalized. Everything has to flow through the right channel—locations, unit management, AD, DIT, wardrobe. As producer, your role becomes less about answering every question yourself and more about being an information traffic controller. If the structure is solid and the right people are in place, that’s when things click.”
Logistics
One of our biggest early challenges was locking in locations. The script called for two key settings: a suburban home and a local café. We brought in an experienced location manager and two assistants to scout multiple options, take detailed photos, and present them to the client. Once selected, we moved quickly to negotiate with property owners, pull permits from local municipalities, and build out everything required for smooth operation on set.
With so many people involved, small details become big decisions. Where to park the five-ton trucks. Where to set up holding areas. Where the crew eats lunch when it’s not feasible to eat on set. We coordinated all of that, including multiple drivers, catering, basecamp, and client transportation.
The gear package was equally large in scope. Just the camera, lighting, and grip rentals came in at over $60,000. We shot on the Sony Venice 6K, paired with Minolta Rokkor cine lenses, supported by a lighting package that included 18k HMI Fresnels, ARRI SkyPanels, and Astera Titan Tubes. On top of that, we had a VTR playback system so agency and client teams could monitor scenes in real time, along with a DIT for color grading and proxy exports.
Designing the Details
Art direction and styling were led by production designer Léa-Valérie Létourneau, who brought a sharp eye and a practical approach to transforming each space. From a custom-designed restaurant menu to a chaotic children's birthday party in a kitchen and even hollowing out a washing machine to capture a unique interior POV shot: every visual moment was considered and built with intention.
Talent was styled and managed on-site, and we ensured wardrobe, make-up, and talent flow matched the tight production schedule. Each vignette had its own cast, its own micro-storyline, and its own energy yet everything needed to work together as part of a cohesive campaign.
The shoot took place at a house in Blainville and a café in Montreal, both of which were used to accommodate multiple scenes. The Sidney Crosby segment, with a man casually stickhandling a puck while tidying up the living room, was filmed at the same house as the kitchen scene. The flexibility of the locations and the skill of the whole crew allowed us to maximize time and resources without sacrificing production value.
Delivery and Launch
The campaign launched nationally across Canada in 2023, running on TV, digital platforms, and as pre-roll across Amazon Prime and other major streaming channels. Audible approached Versus Creative to concept and craft a uniquely Canadian comedic brand campaign, timed to coincide with their sponsorship of Bye Bye—the long-running New Year’s Eve parody program that has been a cultural staple since 1968. This was a marquee moment for Audible, a major push to position the brand as the home of storytelling in the Canadian market. For us, it was a masterclass in what’s possible when the right creative vision meets the right production infrastructure.
From the first scout to the final shot, this project was all about coordination, collaboration, and quality. Everyone involved, from the agency creatives at Versus, to the producers at Mowad, to our local crews and department heads brought their A-game.
If you're producing a high-end campaign in Canada and need a trusted local team to pull it off: on schedule, on budget, and at the highest level, we're ready to help.
Get in touch and let's talk about what we can make together.
