This Hollywood Producer Is Finally Talking About His Secret Agency

For years, Microsoft’s most emotional and engaging ads—specifically, inspirational Super Bowl spots celebrating tech’s impact on people’s lives such as “Empowering Us All” (2014) and “Braylon O’Neill” (2015)—had an element of mystery. At the time of their release, Microsoft had credited “in-house” talent. But now, the mastermind behind the ad is talking.

Andrew Panay, a feature film producer of hits like Wedding Crashers and Van Wilder, founded creative agency BLK-Ops in 2012 to tackle a challenge given to him by Microsoft—condense memorable cinema into 60-second spots, which was above and beyond his production of an energetic film for Microsoft Surface. Until earlier this year, Panay opted to stay in stealth mode, preferring to market himself primarily as a film producer.

Born out of Hollywood, BLK-Ops currently employs about 20 creatives, both filmmakers and agency vets alike, who work with clients like Disney and Warner Bros. “We’ve always wanted this company to organically evolve through our work,” Panay explained. “Now, we feel we’ve proven to ourselves that we have a new and effective model for advertising that has been road tested for five years.”

Today, marketing and film hold equal importance in Panay’s life. “I don’t sleep,” Panay noted. “I love branding, and I love advertising, and I love movies. They’re very connected. Storytelling is storytelling. A 60-second TV spot could be just as moving as a two-hour movie.”