20th Century Fox × Casey Neistat

When 20th Century Fox needed to promote The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with a modest budget, the obvious answer was another trailer. Instead, we identified an emerging creator whose way of thinking embodied the film’s message and trusted him to interpret it his own way. The result became a cultural story rather than another piece of advertising.

Aug 3, 2026

20th Century Fox × Casey Neistat

When 20th Century Fox needed to promote The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with a modest budget, the obvious answer was another trailer. Instead, we identified an emerging creator whose way of thinking embodied the film’s message and trusted him to interpret it his own way. The result became a cultural story rather than another piece of advertising.

Aug 3, 2026

CLIENT

20th Century Fox

Role

Creative Strategy & Creative Direction

Service

Brand Strategy, Campaign Strategy, Content Strategy

CLIENT

20th Century Fox

Role

Creative Strategy & Creative Direction

Service

Brand Strategy, Campaign Strategy, Content Strategy

CLIENT

20th Century Fox

Role

Creative Strategy & Creative Direction

Service

Brand Strategy, Campaign Strategy, Content Strategy

The Situation

The Situation

The Situation

YouTube creators weren’t yet considered strategic partners for major Hollywood releases. With only a $25,000 budget, producing another conventional trailer would likely disappear into the noise. The challenge wasn’t making more content. It was finding someone people already trusted to tell authentic stories.

The Idea

The Idea

Instead of producing the campaign ourselves, we put the story in the hands of Casey Neistat.

His response surprised everyone.

Rather than filming another movie trailer, he proposed using the entire production budget to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. 20th Century Fox agreed. The documentary he created became a story people wanted to share because it embodied the film’s message instead of explaining it. Trust the storyteller, not the script.