Mischief Launches AI-Powered Production Studio for Industry’s “Unprecedented Transformation”

Independent agency Mischief has launched a new production studio: The Candy Factory.

The studio is based in Mischief’s New York City office – a 24,000sqft space the agency moved into at the start of the year – and Will Dempster, EVP head of production and partner at Mischief, is leading the shop.

A team of content producers, editors and creators will offer services including live-action videography, quick-turn social, photography, creator space, post-production, editing, and AI content.

According to a company announcement, The Candy Factory puts AI in a “critical role”. The team involves AI-specific creator hires to lead content generation, implementation, research, and experimentation, reportedly responding to “a client need for agile, quick-turn, high-efficiency production”.

“Lightning-speed reactive moments in culture, small-to-mid-sized shoots, stills and product shots, creator activations, AI-generated content and implementation… These are just some of the needs we hear from client partners that The Candy Factory can now answer,” said Will.

“The Candy Factory is for marketers who want to move at speed but may not have the ability to do so within their own teams – or to complement in-house team capabilities – and for those who want to be at the forefront of production’s rapidly-evolving landscape.

“We built this in anticipation of the industry’s unprecedented transformation. It has never been more important for brands to know how and when to use technology like AI tools to balance creativity and problem-solving with efficiency and budget. ”

The studio will work in partnership with current agency clients, and as a standalone solution. By executing elements, or full campaigns, in a fast and budget-friendly way in-house, Mischief’s goal, the announcement reads, is “to bridge the gap between top tier, full-up productions, and smaller scale or more social-first content projects that are on the rise from marketers.”

The move comes just months after Mischief revealed it had been building a full-service media practice over the last year. The Candy Factory has already worked with a number of brands on Mischief-led ideas.

This includes VFX for Capri Sun, a Fourth of July brand activation for Goldfish, and a studio shoot for Tinder’s RelationChips product packaging – not to mention AI content generation for Mischief’s own fifth birthday celebration. The Candy Factory branding itself was also developed in-house by Mischief’s design team, led by Robyn Makinson.

"As we look at Mischief's growth, it's always through the lens of: ‘How can we make the most impact?’, ‘How can we spread more Mischief?’,” said co-founder and CCO, Greg Hahn. “Production and media felt like natural answers to that. We see The Candy Factory as a natural extension of Mischief’s strengths. Jumping into and creating culture at speed with smart strategy and unignorable creative."