Smirnoff collaborates with Stept Studios on branded films

Smirnoff is celebrating the life and color of America’s diverse cultures and scenes through Come On In, a collection of 3 short-form cinematic documentaries, created in collaboration with Stept Studios.

Smirnoff’s latest campaign, For the People highlights Smirnoff's dedication to elevating the cultural conversation about how amazing things can happen when everyone's invited to the party. Last week, the team debuted the spots during a private screening at the skating rink where the Atlanta film was shot. Attendees were able to experience the undeniable energy of skating for themselves before enjoying a delicious Smirnoff cocktail.

Come On In, is an example of how we create entertainment and storytelling as part of our brand campaign to authentically connect Smirnoff with consumers’ cultural communities and interests,” said Jennifer Holiday Hudson, Smirnoff North America Brand Leader.

This docuseries is a continuation of the brand’s message and serves as a love letter to the irrepressible American spirit and the power of people coming together – ultimately creating communities around passions and pastimes that uplift and amplify their voices.

“This opportunity was a dream, to tell stories of incredible people who were making space to bring people together to play and breathe as the pandemic started to ease. We got to celebrate humanity and Smirnoff was the perfect partner to bring this to life with.” says Davey Spens, Stept Executive Creative Director, Entertainment

ROLLER-SKATING IN ATLANTA 

Centering on the stimulating energy of Atlanta's skate community, this community continues on after years of intermittent shutdowns due to Covid. The dancing, choreographed skates and vibing out in the high energy of the rinks are what keeps this crew together. Filmmaker: Courtney Sofiah Yates

DRAG IN CHICAGO 

An intimate portrait of the Chicago Drag community, zooming into the human level by allowing us to sit behind the mirror individually with some of the most illustrious drag performers. Filmmaker: Jasper Rischen

DUB-STUY SOUND SYSTEM IN BROOKLYN 

This short explores Dub-stuy as not just a unique culture but a multi-sensory experience of music, food and good vibes that connects and amplifies a Brooklyn community voice and sound. Filmmaker: Jess Colquhoun

This is the second collaboration between Diageo and Stept Studios, previously collaborating on the award-winning short documentary Sundays at the Triple Nickel with Crown Royal, where they showcased the intimate portrait of Harlem legend and parlor jazz concert host, Marjorie Eliot. Sundays at the Triple Nickel was also directed by Jess Colquhoun, who directed the Brooklyn Come On In film. 

With its foundation in documentary storytelling, Stept is making a significant investment in expanding its unscripted entertainment division. Stept Entertainment will focus on these brand partnerships as well as long format projects. Their mission is to partner with more filmmakers, brands, and studios to tell stories of incredible human capacity with a creative visual sense, letting the quality of filmmaking take center stage. 

At the helm is Head of Entertainment, Meredith Rodriguez supported by entertainment powerhouses, Davey Spens and Sarah Stewart. Stewart is an Academy-Award nominated producer and filmmaker that has come aboard as Director of Development and Archival. Executive Creative Director, Spens has extensive experience in advertising, television, and digital entertainment. Spens was previously executive creative director at Pulse Films, running branded entertainment.