It’s a challenging time for creatives. Almost every day brings news of layoffs, consolidation, mergers, acquisitions and the resulting reductions in force. Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming on strong, although everyone still says it’s just another technology tool that we all must learn to use. Budgets and time are short, but demand for quality remains perhaps higher than ever. 

Against that backdrop, New York-based Versus decided to take a different approach when it came time to shape its new studio anthem.

“In a moment when so much of the industry conversation is consumed by AI, industry insecurity, and the threat of creativity itself, we wanted to shift the focus back to what truly matters: the people, the community, and the process of making great work every day,” said Justin Barnes, executive creative director, Versus.

To create the video, Versus first brought a recorder to client meetings and asked people to respond to the question. But the answers felt canned and not what Versus was looking for. So it tried another tack: it acquired an analog answering machine off of eBay and asked people to call in and leave one-minute messages about what creativity means to them. Some 100 people called in, discussing everything from the state of the industry to what they feel it means to be creative to their own fears and anxieties about their work.

“Calls came in at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. We definitely got a sense that people are anxious, working late to meet deadlines, that sort of thing,” Barnes said. 

Versus took all of those responses and edited them down to accompany its 90-second video that walks viewers through many of the projects that the agency has produced. The multimedia video moves quickly through many different styles, capturing the breadth and diversity of Versus’ work over the years.

“We are fortunate to be in one of the few industries that encourages you to push the boundaries of what is possible,” says one caller.

“In this business, you dream and then you prove you can make that dream real,” says another.

Versus worked with a printer to publish a limited edition 400-page hard-bound book that captures the studio’s evolution over the 12 years it’s been in business. Images of that book are captured within the video.

“‘We Are Versus’ is both a reminder and a rally cry that we are all in this together; clients, collaborators, and creatives alike, and that the spirit of Versus is the collective spirit of the industry itself,” Barnes said. “Its analog nature, from the printed book to the answering machine where clients are encouraged to remind themselves what creativity means, makes the project a timely celebration of process, imperfection, and the human drive to create.

"Versus has always been the sum of its parts: the people, the work, the community, and the act of creating itself. We Are Versus is the embodiment of that spirit, capturing not just what we make, but who we make it with, and why we do it. The book is the physical record and the film is the voice of the community that powers it.”