BEYOND THE ONIROS FILM AWARDS®
VIP Interview with A.J. Kamdar, producer and director of the commercial ‘A Day In The Life Of Nadia’
by Alice Lussiana Parente
Today we present A.J. Kamdar a talented producer, director, and writer. In this interview, we talk about his latest commercial and collaboration with ambassador Nadia Mejia, what’s behind the production of a commercial and the advertising aspect of it, in a time where marketing is part of our everyday life.
1. When did you begin working in Marketing /Advertising and what brought you pursue this career?
That is a great question! My first recollection of being attracted to the World Of Marketing and Advertising was back in 1983. I was 13 yrs old and my Dad was the WW Director of Marketing Strategy and Analytics at General Foods. They owned the iconic Maxwell House brand and he was involved in the Jerry Seinfeld TV commercial where he famously is delivering his comedy routine and segways into this commentary about coffee. I remember him talking about it and I was fascinated about this entire world. He mentioned how they were using his career as a stand-up comic as the platform for this new campaign. It was a huge hit! Fast forward to the year 2000 and I was offered my dream job. To work directly in Brand Management at Capital One, where I would be involved in the creative, narrative, new product marketing and work directly with Ad Agencies. In my prior job, I worked in advertising research at Nabisco. I never got close to this side and was “pigeon-holed” as the numbers guy. I recall being up in NYC working on the very first iteration of the “What’s In Your Wallet Campaign” and brainstorming on the creative/ direction for our very 1st commercial ever. The company spent over 100 million dollars over the next 2 years supporting the campaign in market. That campaign is still running 20 years later and it’s surreal to think I was involved in something that is regarded to be one of the most successful campaigns ever. I mean you can’t go 5 minutes watching TV without seeing Jennifer Garner in a Cap One Ad!
2. Can you tell us more about your partnership with brand ambassador Nadia Mejia? Is this your first project together? Are you planning on collaborating again?
Absolutely! Let me share some context first. My last corporate job was running WW Consumer Insights for Transitions Lenses [owned by Essilor/ Luxottica] – the world’s largest eyewear company. We had retained 4 Global Brand Ambassadors to represent their professional segment where we saw high usage of our Transitions lenses. That’s where I witnessed the benefits of having a long-term, authentic representative for your brand. I leveraged my experience here and initially we were in contact with a very well-known TV Star/ Musician about partnering with her. It did not come to fruition, as she wanted her likeness on the brand and we wanted to build the “Kitchen Crafted Brand” organically. A few yrs. later [after having success with Kitchen Crafted in the early stages], I wanted to identify a long-term Brand Ambassador, similar to how it was done at Essilor Luxxotica. It was an interview that Nadia Mejia had given as part of her Miss California press tour that sealed the deal for me. She talked about having a love of food. She spoke of her heritage of being from a fusion culture of Latin/ Mediterranean and exposure to many flavors. She spoke of her passion in the kitchen at an early age, opening a restaurant and was even on her way to the legendary Cordon Bleu Culinary School [I found out later]. I knew right there she was the one! She was the perfect brand representative for Kitchen Crafted – Millennial, Female, Foodie, Active Lifestyle and into Health & Wellness. And later we come to find out she is a woman of many passions and talents! She is a highly sought-after fashion model. She is a musician. She is a cook. She is into living a very active and healthy lifestyle. She is recently engaged and embarking on a family life. She is dedicated to her faith and family. She is ultra-positive, upbeat and it has been an absolute pleasure working with her over the past year. She is an incredibly talented young woman that we have been blessed to showcase her in many different angles and perspectives. I know from my work in the past, you have to tread with delicacy when selecting someone to the be the “face of your brand”. They are an extension of your vision and represent what you want your brand to stand for. I can say with 100% conviction, she is the epitome of a Modern-Day Renaissance Women. We look forward to many more projects and I have in fact just penned the screenplay to our next film. The company and brand has evolved into many different forms and was a ship without a captain. We are ecstatic that we have Captain Nadia to take us to unchartered territory, like we did with her film, “A Day In The Life Of Nadia”.
3. How did you choose the locations? Do you think they affect the perception of the product?
We are based in South Florida and I work exclusively with Nadia’s Talent Agency. The owner, Jules Newmark, has been a very trusted partner since the onset of this fruitful relationship. People around me joke that I live on the Moon. And I prefer to think more like the Rings of Saturn! And Jules is a fellow astronaut! For our very first project, I crafted a very detailed photo shoot and Jules, Nadia and the iconic celeb photographer Jorden Keith, nailed it. Jorden, BTW makes a special cameo in the Film. It is also important to note, that I was heavily inspired by our AI Technology Partners, DCCAPTL. I had worked with their Co-Founder, Hasani Wharton 10 years back for a Washington Post sponsored Ed Tech company and kept in contact with him. He showed me this unbelievable and magical video they shot with Ted Baker and Valentino. It was the first time I saw a Shoppable Film that was blending stunning visuals, whimsical music, an emotionally connecting and immersive experience, leaving me to watch again and buy some of the items! I think I watched it at least 50x over. I was mesmerized. I knew I needed a locale that represented this magical and mythical environment. I landed on the iconic Vizcaya Gardens and Museums in Miami. My screenplay played to “What Would A Real Day Look Like For Nadia Mejia?” I wanted to blend all her passions into the film in a way that was real, authentic, and captivating. The idea was to create 4 separate vignettes that highlighted Nadia’s 3 passions: Health & Wellness, Modeling and Cooking. As you see, the estate is stunning, and the aesthetics are breathtaking. It was the perfect backdrop to show Nadia in her modeling capacity while integrating our products throughout the shoot. The 2nd day, we located a house with a beautiful modern kitchen to shoot Nadia in her cooking element. And wrapped shooting with her morning stretch/ yoga routine on the exterior of the property.
Absolutely I believe the locations affect the narrative and have an influence on the overall perception of the product. I loved bringing that outside whimsical element from the Ted Baker video to transitioning to the interior with change in tempo and bringing out Nadia’s pure love of flavors and cooking. She is energized, dancing and absolutely enjoying the moment. I am so honored and privileged I could create a nostalgic film that allowed her to revisit her younger self. I must point out, that none of this is accomplished without my incredibly talented Cinematographer, Joey Newell. Do you know that the version you see on Film, is the 1st draft he sent and we never edited the film. That’s the sign of someone who is immensely gifted!
A.J. Kamdar director of the award winning commercial ‘A day in the life of Nadia’ starring Nadia Mejia – www.kitchencrafted.com
4. Can you tell our readers more about what is an Interactive Food Film?
Yes. An Interactive Food Film did not exist prior to the creation of our film to the best of our knowledge. And certainly no one was using AI (Artificial Intelligence) Cloud-Based Platforms to create Shoppable Films. This is a 1st to our knowledge in the U.S. Food Industry. We were seeing a lot in traditional social/ digital approaches to brand / product advertising. Lots of Tasty/ Buzzfeed video-style recipes. In today’s society, harnessing and leveraging immersive technology puts you at the forefront of creating engaging experiences for your audience, especially the Gen Z and Millennial audiences. Our partners, DCCAPTL, are at the forefront of this technology working with many musicians and high-end fashion brands. Which is a further proof point this medium is helping to shape the future of shopping. And it reinforces how Nadia, who plays in many adjacent and complimentary spaces to Food (Fashion, Music, Fitness) allows us to build storylines around her and move in many directions. And we went counter to popular culture that focused on quick :15 to 30 sec spots and tries to consolidate a wealth of visuals/ product benefits and push it out on social/ digital/ tv and other channels. I wanted to build a Short Film that is engaging and has a deeper narrative. And where you can Shop The Film! Which is also based on my experience with System 1 Research – who I was introduced to through Teri Hoffman and Bianca Pryor who were at the forefront of System 1 Science at the time. Rooted in Nobel Prize Psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking. Fast and Slow, its premise, focused on the instinctual, intuitive and spontaneous decision making of the human mind. And which is the basis for this Interactive and Shoppable Food Film.
5. What would you say have been some of the biggest surprises or challenges in this process? Do you have any funny anecdotes from the production to share?
A few of the challenges that we definitely were faced were that one, we were shooting during the time when stronger restrictions we in place in Florida. On the grounds of Vizcaya, only Nadia was allowed to not wear a mask as long as we followed a tight set of restrictions. The other big hurdle is that our photog, Jorden Keith was also shooting Nadia. So envision Nadia posing for a Jorden Keith still, then being filmed on video by our incredibly talented Cinematographer, Joey Newell, completely immersed back in the film plot. All of the movements, emotions and acting cues were done entirely by Nadia. We set the music based on her tone and tempo throughout the Film. It was a Herculean effort that involved immense pre-planning/ coordination and on the spot decisions with real-time judgement calls. Keep in mind, Nadia went through at least 6 wardrobe changes on site and we shot the entire property in record time, as we were working in the early afternoon and had time restrictions for optimal lightning. And all the HMU were done by Nadia and Jules themselves in a makeshift environment. Yes! I have a funny story. I remember that we took a break from shooting on site at Vizcaya and we all grabbed some lunch. This is my first time meeting Nadia in person mind you. I am thinking about modeling in general, and it dawns on me that there is a “window” that you have during your lifetime to maximize your opportunities and passions before you close the chapter. I was thinking of all of my generation models and how they reinvented themselves in the next career. For example, Kathy Ireland and Cindy Crawford entered the world of furniture and did extremely well financially. So in my attempt to be clever and quick witted, i threw out a question to Nadia and phrased it in the form of a Food Analogy. I asked her, “Would you be interested in pursuing your own TV Series on The Food Network, given that your expiration date is in about 3 years?” Immediately I said in my head I wish I could have that one back again. But Nadia thought it was “sassy”. LOL! And how cool was it that 3 months later, Nadia was representing Kitchen Crafted at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SOBEWFF) which is attended by every Celeb Chef from Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, Giada and everyone who is on the Food Network. And the highlight is that Kitchen Crafted sponsored Food Network icon Jeff Mauro’s Tacos After Dark and Nadia got some great photo opps with Jeff!
6. Being a marketing expert yourself, do you have any advice, since that is such a huge part of making a film now, that you’d like to share with young producers?
It is very interesting going from a Marketing background and venturing into the world of Film. Usually, I have seen the reverse happen quite a bit. I would say that obviously utilize all of the social/ digital channels to get the word about your project. And don’t be afraid to test new fertile ground in how you market/ advertise your work. We are a perfect example. Once I completed the film, we took to the normal channels to spread the work and generate buzz. It hit me that why don’t I start sending these to Film Festivals and let’s market this channel. Once we landed an Official Selection at the French Riviera Film Festival, that got my juices flowing and I become a one-man PR agent of my film. At the time, we actually had a PR Agency of Record, who had no clue on how to market this film. I literally handed them the blueprint, but they were so linear/ mechanical in their thinking. All they did was focus on Product. Not the People. Not The Content.
30 Official Global Selections with 8x wins for “Best Commercial Film/ Best Experimental Media”, literally thru hustling my film. The mere fact I am sitting here even answering this question proves if you have a dream, don’t let anyone ever get in your way. Keep in mind that I wanted to go to NYU Film School in 1987 and pursue my dream like my director-heroes Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and Spike Lee. It took me 35 years to finally fulfill on a dream. And in my case, I was going to deliver a 365-degree surround sound marketing campaign to get people to notice.
The director A.J. Kamdar with Nadia Mejia on the set of ‘A day in the life of Nadia’ – www.kitchencrafted.com
7. When I think about food commercials, I often remember a director once telling me that “food needs make up as well” which made me laugh at the time, but I then realized how hard it is to properly light food and drinks to make them appear desirable. Was that the case for your production as well?
Yes! That is true! We have employed “Food Stylists” in the past and their function is to create a sensory and desirable food experience through visuals. You are 100% percent correct that Food needs makeup, especially in still images. The house we choose had a modern, bright and airy feel which aligned to our brand tone. I also had a trained chef on site who assisted with the way the final dishes during Nadia’s cooking segments were shown in the Film. But I can unequivocally say that it was Joey’s ability to take my vision through a series of camera angles and close-ups that triggered sensory stimuli [sizzle of smoke permeating, close up of spice granules slowly being added, Nadia dispensing the SPRD into the blender] that is the driving force of the why Nadia’s cooking scenes come off the screen. There are many more nuances and subtleties embedded into the Film, and this is why Joey is a visionary filmmaker in the works. If you heard the term, “Food Porn”, that is in essence what Joey was able to parlay in the Film. The neuroscience behind Food Porn is that it increases a hormone called ghrelin, which causes hunger and stimulates the primorial urges. It’s all subject to debate, but to answer your question, emoting a visceral reaction is the end goal for Food Marketers.
8. Many famous directors also worked on successful commercials. I think of Spike Lee, Wes Anderson, David Lynch, just to mention some of them. Did any of these directors inspire you particularly while producing your commercial?
It is very ironic that you mentioned Spike Lee, Wes Andersen and David Lynch. I am huge fans of all 3! I remember seeing Spike’s “Do The Right Thing” and being from NY, I thought he captured the tone, visual and racial dymamics of NYC in the late 80’s brilliantly. Huge fan of David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” and love Wes! My wife and I have watched every Wes flick and “The Royal Tenenbaums” is still one of our favorite movies of all time! Now when I think about how each applied their unique skills in storytelling, it is rather profound. Spike Lee’s, Nike commercials with Michael Jordan, were raw, gritty and captured the street essence of NYC that I remember. David Lynch and the Black & White Calvin Klein Obsession commercials of the late 80s were visionary. And I remember seeing both the Prada and Stella Artois commercials that Wes did and saying this is pure brilliance. Everything is precise. From the framing, symmetry, typography, color palettes, fashion, music, storytelling, it’s completely his own. And to answer your question, I am highly influenced by all 3 and there are elements of all 3 you can find in the film if you look very closely.
9. Do you have a dream project or someone you would like to work with one day?
Actually, I just completed my screenplay to my follow-up film, which will again star our Brand Hero Nadia Mejia. It’s entitled the “The Spice Of Life” and will again be a blend of highly-immersive tech and bright, colorful visuals with an engaging narrative. The other project I also want to get to screen, is actual a Behind The Scenes documentary on one of the professional athletes that works on our AMPower Energy Bar. I am a former competitive tennis and soccer player and it was a time that was filled with great emotion. I have 3 athletes of ours in mind (Sierra Blair Coyle, Kaytlin Neil, Darnell King) that I want to follow them around and pull down the veneer. All of them have very unique stories filled with hardships and challenges they had to overcome to get to the pinnacle of the sport. It’s that content that tests the human condition that I want to capture and document. I am also a huge fan of sci-fiction, post-apocalyptic dramas and thrillers. The original Blade Runner with Harrison Ford and created by Ridley Scott was visionary for me. I would love to work with him. When Alien was released, it is an all-time favorite and I still remember him for directing one of the most memorable commercials of all time – “1984” Apple Macintosh commercial.
10. Was the commercial created during the pandemic? If so, how did the covid restrictions affected the process?
Yes. The entire commercial was shot in Miami in Feb 2021. We were fortunate that Vizcaya was allowing 3rd parties to shoot on the property as long as you followed the protocols. I have to defer to Jules, who pulled all the pieces together behind the scenes. They improvised in a number of situations, but that is the nature of their industry. If you think about, their livelihood is based on having the freedom to shoot at various locations without any impediments. When COVID hit, they had to course-correct, and Jules is a master of adapting to less-than-ideal situations. I am sure I am leaving out some key challenges, but she did such a great job on set, it seemed like this was the norm.
11. What’s next for you? What are you currently working on?
Good question! As mentioned, I have more film projects in the works. I am working on the storyboards for the “The Spice Of Life” and can’t wait to show it to Nadia, Jules and the rest of the team. It is very ironic. The subtext for the film is “Do you blend your passions”? I just saw this amazing bold, colorful, animated commercial with Dua Lipa and Truly. David La Chapelle directed it and it’s premise is to show “No One Is Just One Flavor”. That is the exact narrative I seeded a year ago with Nadia. She is a Model. A Musician. A Food Lover. A Fitness Enthusiast. It was essentially the plot behind “A Day In The Life Of Nadia Mejia”. Be prepared to embark on a magical, immersive global journey through the eyes of Nadia as she takes you through our “The Spice Of Life”. We are targeting early 2022 as our production date.
Connecting to A.J. Kamdar:
“A Day In The Life Of Nadia Mejia” Film: https://bit.ly/3xh2jnl
A.J. Kamdar FilmFreeway Profile: www.filmfreeway.com/akamdar
Kitchen Crafted Website: www.kitchencrafted.com – Instagram: www.instagram.com/kitchen_crafted/
