TONIC DNA as part of their in-house experimentation, this short film, JUMP was created as research into how they can merge 3D and 2D animation to achieve new animation styles. The story is about Leaf, a young person learning to use their power to jump into new universes. Each jump gave Tonic the opportunity to explore new stylistic possibilities. They wanted something cyberpunk, alive with Kirby crackle, graphic and punchy, with stills you want to hang on your wall.

BluBlu created this stunning explainer to demonstrate Natural Atlas' new updated App that enhances your hiking and exploration experiences. With interactive maps, in-depth information and real time updates.  

Yelp’s first campaign since 2016 celebrates restaurants’ ability to ‘Turn the Tables’ in this fun 60 second film. It features three restaurateurs who managed to turn the unpleasantness of the pandemic into positive, and sometimes selfless, situations - by giving food out to local people and offering opportunities to chefs who were struggling to get by. Seed jumped in once they had chosen to lead with 3 of the most inspiring stories, featuring Ketsuda, Glen and Ann. Besides the personalities of these people, we also had rich visual pickings from each of their restaurants. They created a miniature style environment, with larger than life characters, and a device based on the ‘Turn the Tables’ theme where empty cafes turned into thriving spaces. A big shout out to the team at Yelp for giving Seed the opportunity to visually develop this from scratch. It's a treat to have such an enthusiastic client willing to creatively explore.

The collaborative bunch at Girl&Bear (VCCP's production arm) approached Seed to develop, design and direct "a few" commercials for Sage, the accounting, financial, HR and payroll tech firm.  A few turned out to be a 15 spot campaign that needed to be on air around the world in 2 1/2 months.   Seed stepped up and shot live action and integrated lovely animation for this insightful, first-person campaign. 

To mark World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st, intellectual disability charity L’Arche debuted a teaser for a new short film, entitled ‘Freebird’. Partnering with Canadian musician Jordan Hart and award-winning animation studio Tonic DNA and their director Joe Bluhm,  the charity produced a beautiful film that challenged the misconceptions surrounding Down Syndrome. The plot follows the coming-of-age story of a boy with Down syndrome who learns to navigate the world with a loving mother, an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush. Now, as the full four-minute film launches, we witness 45 years of life flash by in just a few short minutes. Not that it moves too fast to leave an impact - quite the opposite, as a combination of stunning animation and soulful storytelling communicates the quintessentially human story at the heart of this campaign.

Roof ended the year by creating this eye-catching passion piece from director and co-founder Vinicius Costa. Picturing My Mind is a whimsical animated journey through the doors of past memories. A visual open that explores the profound experiences that shape us all. "In contrast to the rich details in the background, I wanted our character to stand out as simple. And body language is important to this film, as I animated her with big motion - opposite to the rigid stiffness of the structures near by. This conceptual juxtaposition allows the character to appear relatively small in frame while capturing your attention." - Vini 

IGA’s holiday campaigns capture the essence of the holiday experience. Family, friends, and good food! Over the years these touching, and even avant-garde stories have helped to lead the field of animation, and Tonic was proud to be part of this chapter together with agency of record Sid Lee.

Coming off a long stint, shooting episodes for The Kids Are alright and Breaking Up Together, Jay Karas is available for commercial work.   It has been a busy Summer for Jay who directed the NBC special  "Feeding America Comedy Festival" which aired on May 10 2020.  The special raised enough money to provide 16 million meals to people in need across the country.  All segments were shot with an incredibly minimal crew, under strict Cover-19 safety protocols, to keep the talent and crew safe.  Produced by Funny or Die, DP Karsten and directed by Jay Karas.