Mirada Partners with American Express and dentsuMB on 22 Seasonal Spots Celebrating Small Businesses

MIRADA, in partnership with dentsuMB, is excited to share its latest work for American Express’ 12th annual “Shop Small” campaign—which highlights 100 small businesses around the country to help drive sales during the festive season and beyond.

MIRADA, renowned for creating immersive and pioneering storytelling for brands, was tapped to create 22 online spots for the “Shop Small” campaign, each one featuring a unique jingle in the style of a Broadway show tune with brand-specific lyrics. In addition to highlighting select retailers, the campaign also included regional clips with unique anthems encouraging people to “shop small” in cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

MIRADA’s Founder, Mathew Miguel Cullen—an award-winning film, music video, and commercial director who has worked with Beck and Taylor Swift—directed all 22 spots in just three days in Toronto; almost all of them in one take.

The high-energy, show-stopping spots feature eight Broadway actors, including Rebecca Naomi Jones, Courtnee Carter, and Jorrel Javier, singing and performing festive tunes written and produced by Score A Score, an award-winning music company specializing in original music for marketing.

“What I love about small businesses is that they represent innovation in this country— the drive to create something that doesn’t exist and have the courage to make it happen,” said Cullen. “When I cast these spots, I wanted to find the right ensemble that felt like we were putting on our own theater show, and that each of the cast really complemented each other so it felt like they were a family of friends. Their chemistry really comes across on screen, and we created an environment where they could express themselves naturally.”

Cullen continued: “Small businesses were hit particularly hard during the pandemic, as were Broadway actors because Broadway was closed,” said Cullen. “So one of my goals was to bring Broadway actors together to tell the stories that celebrate small businesses across the country.”