Introducing X-15: Supersonic Transportation to New Worlds of Creativity

The name X-15 may strike you as familiar – depending how closely you follow the developments of experimental aircraft. After all, it was the name given to North America’s first rocket-powered aircraft built to enter outer space. In 1967, the X-15 program received global reverence after setting unprecedented new speed and altitude records. Inspired by the punk-rock nature of this pioneering space program, Brian DiLorenzo wanted to give the same name to the innovative production agency he built to help clients in the brand space.

The zeal of the original X-15 mission left a lasting impression on those growing up amidst the newfangled space-mania of the 1960s – and Brian was no exception. “X-15 was a skunkworks program intended to achieve rapid results. It was all about figuring out how to get somewhere by working outside of conventional systems – that calibre of badassery and camaraderie had great appeal to me.”

Ever-inspired by outside-the-box thinking and following two decades overseeing production on behalf of industry giants such as Fallon, BBDO and McCann, Brian launched his first independent mission in 2014, forming the progressive integrated agency, Ming, with CCO Linus Karlsson. By the time covid reared its ugly head in 2020, creating a sea change within the industry, Brian was ready to develop an expansive, “free range” production approach. Recognising the need for custom workflows and offerings outside of traditional brand and agency silos, his new model would move at the same high-speed as the original X-15 program and personify the same spirit: accelerating abstract assignments to deliver top tier results through efficient, purpose-built teams. 

The need for an agile, independent model becoming more and more apparent, Brian joined forces with his best and brightest co-pilots: seasoned production manager and studio director, Clair Hoffman; business affairs specialist, Kristen Reut; and agency production veteran, Adam Davis. The four had previously worked together and - with the complementary nature of their skills and a shared passion for innovation - successfully launched X-15 in late 2020. Embodying a whole new format, X-15 offered culture-specific production expertise for companies searching for efficient solutions and support as they build and refine their own capabilities. 

Taking inspiration from its namesake, X-15 employs a mission-based approach to the work. The team attacks projects equipped with strategic and unconventional solutions garnered through their combined 80 years of experience in advertising. “We focus on finding a way to do something super efficient without sacrificing the creative,” explains Brian. “We assess challenges as a team, solving as much in advance as possible, knowing mistakes can be costly and distracting.”

Acting as president, studio director, head of business operations and head of production, respectively, Brian, Clair, Kristen and Adam have been hard at work establishing productive partnerships with brands like Best Buy, BMW and Ikea, and serving as the production armature for a variety of nontraditional, up-and-coming agencies wanting production and business affairs expertise. 

With a deep bench of seasoned producers, a growing support staff and committed vendor partnerships to plug into assignments, the X-15 team has delivered content in everything production – from full-funnel broadcast to short films, branded entertainment development and social/influencer content, as well as studio and cost consulting. 

Taking a closer look at their longest standing client partnership, with Best Buy, provides plenty of evidence in support of X-15’s far-ranging capabilities. Their expertise has been deployed by the global retailer, shepherding production on multiple fronts for almost three years.

Adam, reflecting on the collaborative partnership, explains, “We came in to support their new in-house initiative, working with their operational and creative team, building with them all the inner stitchings of creative, procurement, execution and delivery, while managing the logistics that come with a dynamic enterprise like Best Buy. Speed, efficiency, vendor diversity...these are paramount, and it’s incredible how seamless this partnership has been.” 

Due to the multidimensional experiences of each member, the X-15 team is able to shapeshift, lending a hand to a full spectrum of assignments with lots of moving parts - like the Best Buy work. This highly functioning operational approach to production has gone down well with clients thus far, says Kristen; “We act as a strategic production partner, and literally, we’re there to help them execute their vision, both their outside production and in-house capabilities. With Best Buy’s volume of content and growth vision, the real dynamic in our relationship is helping facilitate the best route between the two.”

Another area of the X-15 model is their exploration of content development and branded entertainment. Having harboured a career-long interest in campaigns of this nature, like the BMW Films, for which he is best known, Brian and team are developing original content with brands and other entertainment partners. One ongoing project is Best Buy’s mini-doc series profiling its Teen Tech Centers.

“We produced some really beautiful and resonant shorts for this initiative,” explains Clair. “These ‘Teen Tech Centers’ are built around the idea of mentorship–something we really believe in here–and access to career-building tech for teens in underserved communities. Across three campaigns, we profiled teen photographers, kids learning how to record and mix their own audio, young artists and filmmakers, etc. We reinforced this foundation of mentorship by bringing on like-minded partners, and we hired teens from the Tech Center program to work on set, giving all of them their first official production gig while we shot the docs.”