Project Snapshot

For Canopy’s Pack4Good campaign, creative studio People’s Television, with teams in New York and Washington, D.C., set out to dramatise how packaging choices impact forests through a quirky rom-com storyline featuring “Sweetfella,” a chocolate-bar hero, and Flora, a forest guardian. 

Challenge

Although People’s Television is renowned for festival-calibre documentaries like Minted, which premiered at Tribeca and now streams on Netflix, this was their first project built primarily with AI. They had narrative and motion-graphics talent in house but knew unforeseen hurdles could threaten the immovable Valentine’s deadline. To de-risk the schedule, they invited Arthur Machado to join as AI consultant, having seen previous work in the same space and knowing it would help them achieve their goals within the time constraints of the project. 

AI-Driven Solution

Drawing on prior experience with similar AI productions, Arthur mapped a pipeline flagging and bypassing likely roadblocks before they surfaced. Together with director Cutter Hodierne, the team set a clear cadence for review sessions and made astonishing progress in-between. When the biggest issue arose, keeping Sweetfella’s friendly expression and signature chocolate-shaving texture perfectly consistent, Arthur jumped on the tools himself to train a custom LoRA model.

Outcome

The campaign video launched on Valentine’s Day and headlined Canopy’s call for “forest-free” packaging, with the article praising Sweetfella and Flora’s love story as a fresh way to visualise complex supply-chain issues.

Credits

Client: Canopy Planet

Executive Producer: Nicholas Bruckman & Ryder Haske

Director & Editor: CUTTER HODIERNE

Producer: Jenny Catherall

Animator: Ivan Kander

AI Consultant: Arthur Machado

VO Artist: Meghan Hoople

Curious Refuge issued a real client brief complete with brand guidelines and product photography for CulturePop Soda, a probiotic sparkling drink that pairs fruit with culinary spices. Working solo, Arthur Machado wrote the script, designed the entire production workflow and delivered a 30-second spot titled A Perfect Match, celebrating the brand’s unexpected flavour combinations.

The film earned public shout-outs from Curious Refuge organisers and CulturePop brand managers for its faithful yet imaginative take on the brief. It also became a calling card that led People’s Television to engage Arthur for the Pack4Good Sweetfella consultancy, citing the CulturePop project as proof of concept.

Credits:

Brand: CulturePop Soda

Writer, AI Director and Producer: Arthur Machado

Client Brief Provider: Curious Refuge