• NEWS
    • Agencies
    • Brand Marketing
    • Creativity
    • Digital
    • Programmatic
    • TV / Video
    • FEATURED
    • Challenger Brands
    • Inside the Brand
    • Ad of the Day
    • CES
    • Sponsored
  • EVENTS
    • FEATURED
      • Elevate AI 2019
      • March 21, 2019
        New York
    • COMING SOON
    • Adweek Media All-Stars
    • Fastest-Growing Agencies
    • View All Events
  • WEBINARS
    • FEATURED
      • The Front Line of Customer Experience
      • Tue, Feb 19, 2019
        1 PM EST
    • COMING SOON
    • CMO Tenure Data Is the Secret to Agency Business Development
    • The Definitive Approach to Advanced Media Measurement
    • View All Webinars
  • CONNECT
    • Media Kit
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Agency Memberships
    • Group Subscriptions
    • Newsletters
    • Contact Us
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • Brand Awareness
    • Thought Leadership
    • Lead Generation
    • ADWEEK NETWORK
    • AgencySpy
    • MarketerMoves​
    • Social Pro Daily​
    • TVNewser
    • TVSpy
  • ADWEEK JOBS
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • CURRENT OFFER
    • Unlimited Job Postings
My Account Log Out Sign In Subscribe

Ad of the Day

WeTransfer Explores Björk and Jesse Kanda’s Work in Debut of New Creative Video Series

Charting the power and passion of collaboration

By David Gianatasio
|
March 29, 2018
Björk's "Utopia," with artwork by Jesse Kanda
Share
By David Gianatasio
|
March 29, 2018
Share

Musician/actress Björk and director/visual artist Jesse Kanda take center stage in the first installment of a new four-part video series from cloud-based file-sharing service WeTransfer.

Dubbed “Work in Progress,” the series explores the many facets of creative collaboration, an apt theme given WeTransfer’s brand proposition.

What’s more, Björk and Kanda seem like a fine choice of subjects for the five-minute premiere, as they’ve worked together on innovative, surreal music videos such as “Mouth Mantra” and “Arisen My Senses.”

“WeTransfer is a reflection of two things—our mission to enable the effortless transfer of ideas, and the community of creatives we serve,” Stephen Canfield, the company’s vp of marketing, tells Adweek. “Our approach has always been to respect people as people, not just ‘users,’ and art as art, not just ‘content.’ Sometimes that means we fly under the radar from a traditional marketing standpoint, but it’s allowed us to build both a stable business and relationships with creatives like Björk and Jesse.”

Jamal Dauda, WeTransfer’s global head of music, picks up the thread: “We started our relationship with Björk and Jesse last year when we premiered her video for ‘Arisen My Senses’ on WePresent,” the company’s broadcast/editorial platform, and included an in-depth look at her wild costume.

“In the course of working on that project together, we realized there was a very special connection between Björk and Jesse that warranted telling in a way that went a bit deeper than the traditional behind-the-scenes piece,” Dauda says. “The beauty of how the two of them bring contrasting styles together to make one cohesive, dynamic piece of art felt very naturally in line with the types of stories we tell at WeTransfer.”

For the first “Work in Progress” story, Pi Studios director Vivek Vadoliya delivers a fast-paced overview of the Björk/Kanda team-up. Cascading melodies and kaleidoscopic images, along with brief snatches of interview material, capture the flavor of their personalities and creative styles. The artists touch on various topics, such as the music scene in Iceland, their influences and finding beauty and truth in ugliness.

“When I collaborate with people, I really want to go on a trip,” Björk says at one point. “The work that comes from that is a natural fruit from the friendship,” enriching the performers and their audience.

Nothing’s explored in depth, and that’s fine. We get a sense of the collaborators’ aesthetic and points of view without loads of extraneous exposition. In fact, their rumination on working together combined with biographical bits pinging back and forth seem—by design or otherwise—especially on-brand, mirroring the collaborative fusion WeTransfer helps users achieve.

“WeTransfer’s role in the creative process is to get ideas back and forth, simply and effortlessly, so people can do their best work,” says Canfield. “Simply stated, they make things and we transfer them wherever they need to go in the process. With this piece, we’re showing some of the most inspiring work that’s made, so people can get a glimpse into that journey and perhaps spark their own.”

New episodes will drop in coming months, with subjects TBD.

CREDITS
Brand: WeTransfer
Production Company: Pi Studios, Amsterdam
Creator/Executive Producer: Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock
Episode 1 Director: Vivek Vadoliya

Share
https://adweek.it/2GU1hns

David Gianatasio

@DaveGian
David Gianatasio is a longtime contributor to Adweek, where he has been a writer and editor for two decades. Previously serving as Adweek's New England bureau chief and web editor, he remains based in Boston.

Popular Now

  • 1
    This Ad Captures the One Thing Every Millennial’s Dad Does
  • 2
    Subaru Highlights the Joys, Anxieties and Lifelong Memories of Owning a Forester
  • 3
    Ogilvy Announces Another Restructuring in the Latest Phase of Its ‘Next Chapter’
  • 4
    10 Royalty-Free Music Sites Every Online Video Creator Should Know
  • 5
    LinkedIn Hailed Lyft as Its Top Startup in 2018

Featured Jobs

Account Manager
Mammoth Advertising
new york, New York
New Business Sales Executive
Thomson Reuters
New York, New York
Anchor/Producer/Multi-Media Journalist
WENY TV
Horseheads, New York
Social Media Specialist
Leatherman
Portland, Oregon
Vice President, Brand and Consumer Marketing
NFL
New York, New York
See More Jobs
Adweek Adweek Adweek

EDITOR'S PICKS

Leadership & Talent

How the Lee Clow Talent Tree Spreads Far and Wide in Advertising and Creativity

by Doug Zanger

Leadership & Talent

Ogilvy Announces Another Restructuring in the Latest Phase of Its 'Next Chapter'

by Patrick Coffee

AdFreak

Thanks to Ancestry, Six Strangers Learn How They're Connected Via the Underground Railroad

by Shannon Miller

Brand Marketing

Nascar Hopes Marketing a New Generation of Drivers Can Lure Fans Back to the Sport

by Jameson Fleming

Streaming & OTT

NBA Superstars Are Here to Remind You That Hulu Has Live Sports Available for Streaming

by Sara Jerde

Agencies

Volkswagen Names Johannes Leonardo Lead Creative Agency in the U.S.

by Patrick Coffee

AdFreak

BMW Creates a Folk Hero for the Modern Age: the Unstoppable, Mysterious Ol' McLanden

by Amy Corr

AdFreak

This Ad Captures the One Thing Every Millennial's Dad Does

by David Griner
View Latest News >
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Sponsor Content
    • Jobs
  • Subscriptions
    • Subscription Options
    • Digital App
    • Newsletters
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Customer Service
  • Awards / Honors / Events
    • Awards and Honors
    • Adweek Events
    • Webinars
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Trophies / Awards / Seals
  • Publications
    • Adweek Network
    • RSS
    • Backissues
    • Reprints / E-Prints
  • © 2019 Adweek, LLC. - All Rights Reserved
  • About Adweek
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy