Mike Murray
Director + Editor + Producer
Uber Presents
Uber had a situation. Riders were feeling disconnected from drivers. As a result, the trip experience felt transactional and brand favorability was declining.
To change that we created Uber Presents, a short film platform focused on bringing to life the personal and, often, amazing stories of the people behind the wheel.
Our doc-style filmmaking allowed these stories to break free of traditional marketing and focus on the many diverse and compelling reasons folks chose to drive. The resulting films are as unique, powerful, emotional, and humorous as the drivers themselves.
Da Republic of Brooklyn - a Spike Lee Joint
For many drivers, Uber is the perfect side-hustle. And nobody knows more about hustling than Spike Lee, aka Da Mayor of Brooklyn. So when we got the opportunity to work with him on a short film series about Uber drivers & couriers doing the Brooklyn hustle, we jumped at the chance.
Spike embodied the side-hustle vibe by diving headlong into the production - hand-selecting the drivers, running the crew rag-tag through the streets of Brooklyn (he’s an extremely fast walker), spending late nights in the edit, and even bringing in Bruce Hornsby to do the music.
The resulting series, Da Republic of Brooklyn, was a national campaign that included a film festival hosted by Spike at BAM in Brooklyn. Truly a one-of-a-kind showcase of the heart and hustle that drivers bring every day to the streets of Brooklyn.
Gap - Project Reindeer
Gap asked for a creative approach to promote their annual holiday sale event. We thought, ‘What better way to sell apparel than reindeer?’
So we traveled to the frozen tundra of wintertime Minnesota, attached GPS trackers to a herd of reindeer and used their movements to determine which items to put on sale.
To promote the campaign, we made this video by filming the herd over a period of three days in sub-zero temperatures and, in the process, learned many of the finer points of reindeer behavior.
Autodesk
Autodesk software had always been seen as powerful but bland - a functional tool for engineers. We wanted to shift that perception and tell the story of how their software could inspire and empower the imaginations of engineers, designers, and creators and take design to unprecedented levels.
The AKQA Film+Motion team conceived, designed, and created this video by combining 2D motion design and animation with advanced 3D models.
Once Upon A Ride
Uber rides are mostly pretty basic. A trip from point A to point B. But sometimes they are unexpectedly magical. A driver and rider who are long lost old high school friends, an aspiring DJ drives an interested music producer, or even a baby being born in the back seat (it happens!).
We created the animated storytelling platform, Once Upon A Ride, to share those stranger than fiction experiences. To launch the series, we shared a fantastic and fateful ride taken by Bozoma St. John one evening in Austin - guest starring Iggy Pop!
Levi’s - Live in Levi’s
How do you Live in Levi’s? This campaign celebrated the ways folks could customize an iconic brand to reflect their unique, personal flavor. We brought that idea to life by filming stars’ styling sessions at the famed Levi’s Eureka Lab, showcasing their Live in Levi’s transformations.
Uber - Moving the World
This global campaign shared stories about the many compelling ways in which Uber drivers & Uber Eats restaurateurs have created change across the world - moving people and things forward.
Shot in 10 different countries, in 8 different languages, the spots showcase the ways Uber has powered the aspirations of its drivers, couriers, and restaurateurs and how they, in turn, have inspired millions of others.
Uber - Rio Love Letter
Uber loves Rio (who doesn’t, right?) To celebrate that feeling, we took a ride around one of the most beautiful, spirited cities in the world - capturing the people and places that bring its rhythm to life.
Target - Hamilton Wood Type
When looking for inspiration for their new Fall collection, Target's designers visited the Hamilton Wood Type Museum to explore the largely undiscovered vintage wood type archives.
We thought this presented a chance to tell a story about Target and the nature of authenticity which could play across Target's social channels and create some buzz about the upcoming collection.
Turned out that the interest generated by the film was so great that Target implemented a full interactive campaign promoting the concept and collection - and the Vintage Varsity collection found its way onto billboards, print media and television