James Griffiths is GM of Creative at Bring, Universal Music's in-house creative agency. In this episode he breaks down Coke Studio — a campaign spanning Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, built around two original songs designed to connect, nine custom-built sets, and a final surprise collaboration between five artists.
We get into how a campaign this complex gets briefed, why the director was left deliberately room to interpret rather than execute a locked vision, and the moment with five minutes left on day one when the entire shoot nearly came down to a guy with an electric saw cutting open a fridge.
James also on what people don't see in a project like this — the eight or nine months of work before a single frame rolls, and the tension between music culture moving at rocket pace and a brand the size of Coca-Cola that simply can't move that fast.
Plus, it's episode 10. We made it.
In Gear Chat: the Sony Rialto 65 — 65mm cinema in a backpack.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Cold open
00:20 Intro — episode 10, we made it
05:41 Meet James Griffiths, GM Creative at Bring / Universal Music
06:48 Coke Studio — the project overview
08:10 Two songs designed to connect across two markets
11:22 36 million views and a fandom that knew the lyrics before launch
14:10 Nine sets, two days, two countries
16:34 Choosing an Australian production partner for a global campaign
18:36 Briefing a music video vs a 30-second ad
22:48 Has anyone bitten off more than they can chew?
24:59 Do the product shot first
35:06 Can you make a career on music videos
42:06 an extar $100k?
48:34 Liam's K-pop pitch
51:43 Gear Chat — Sony Rialto 65
56:00 Wrap-up
