The Mayda Creative Co. and Sphere Entertainment Unveil A$AP Rocky's Debut Collection with PUMA x F1
New York-based creative production studio, The Mayda Creative Co., has unveiled its latest collaboration with Sphere Entertainment, premiering at the highly anticipated Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The project continues Mayda's partnership with Sphere Entertainment and features American rapper A$AP Rocky in his debut collection as creative director for PUMA x F1.
Tasked to ideate and execute ‘trippy’ ways to feature Rocky on the large 360 canvas, Mayda ECD’s, Carl Addy and Ben Smith, wanted to play with scale and positioning to make the viewer feel as though Rocky is a ‘boy in a giant bubble’. The team collaborated closely with the Sphere in-house production team to take full advantage of the advanced live monitoring techniques, ensuring real time views of Rocky’s performance translated elegantly and seamlessly onto a spherical canvas.
The team strategically centered its production plan on developing shot concepts that balanced the freedom of talent performance with the intricate image safety and technical guidelines set by Sphere, ensuring the construction of visually stunning sequences.
The first of its kind film appeared center stage during the three days of the Vegas Grand Prix, presented on the Sphere from the 16th to the 19th of November 2023.
Ben Smith and Carl Addy, executive creative directors at Mayda, comment: "We wanted to create something that would really stand out during the race. The collection itself is so irreverent and bold it was about taking key elements and re-imagining them in playful sequences that would work at the Sphere’s enormous scale. Rocky wanted it to feel super trippy, so we really leaned in! His energy and performances were amazing. Having done a few Sphere films already, we wanted to push the boundaries of how it is used. Beyond sheer size and novelty, how could we be playful with the event and Rocky’s irreverent take on fashion?"
Mike Scarcella, executive producer at Mayda, adds: "We have enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with MSG Sphere on multiple brand activations for their Exosphere canvas since its launch in the summer. Naturally, partnering with them to create the first piece of live action content for it was something we were extremely enthusiastic about. The fact that it was for Puma and A$AP Rocky for Formula 1 was the icing on the cake and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out."
