Our Mexican Production Company and Cat Footwear in Mexico City
In 2019, our client Cat Footwear approached our Mexican production company with a multifaceted proposal: create second-generation, fully-integrated campaigns for two of their new product lines, Advanced Walking Machines and CODE. The challenge: consolidate two productions into a single location that could showcase the sporty Urban Trekking vibes of Advanced Walking Machines and the sleek, refined style of CODE. This way, we would be able to shave off over 30% of their travel and production costs while still creating two world-class campaigns.
Pre-Production
Though we explored a number of global candidates to capture the distinct spirit of these different model lineups, we had a good feeling about Mexico City from the beginning. And that’s also where our Cat clients decided they wanted to shoot these campaigns. The capital of Mexico and the most populous city in North America, Mexico City is a booming megalopolis where ancient architecture mixes with contemporary restaurants and snazzy bars, where indigenous cultures rub shoulders with artists, entrepreneurs, office-goers, and musicians alike.
Filming in Mexico City is cost-effective and visually compelling. The population is culturally diverse and represents the target audiences of both Advanced Walking Machines and CODE. Thanks to our local team and previous experience filming in Mexico, we were able to obtain the necessary filming permits with ease, as well as quickly sourcing an on-the-ground crew of stylists, hair and makeup specialists, and models.
Casting
Another service provided to the client by our Mexican production company was casting. Our on-the-ground experience in Mexico City gave us access to a range of talent, so we were able to cast three characters for the video who were well suited to the campaign narrative. We sought out young people with a traveler’s spirit and a thirst for exploration. They needed to embody the urban adventure ethos of Advanced Walking Machines and be willing to throw themselves into the activities we had planned with complete abandon.
After an extensive audition process, we selected three gems for our Cat production: Margarita Higuera, Esaúl Tolsa, and Juan Manuel Torreblanca. Margarita is an actress who enjoys pole-dancing in her spare time. She’s also studying herbal medicine, singing, and classical guitar. Esaúl is also a music lover who spends his free time dancing and exploring new bars and restaurants in Mexico City, his hometown. Juan Manuel is a professional musician who studied drama. He was in the process of recording a new album during our shoot, and he’s a big theater buff.
While all three of our central characters work as actors and musicians, they also brought something else to the table: a love of travel, curiosity, and a willingness to dive headfirst into new experiences. During our casting process, “genuine” was a keyword. We cast people who would not only be comfortable and professional in front of the camera but would be genuinely engaged and exhilarated by the experiences at the same time. Our aim was to capture the sincere joy and wide-eyed enthusiasm of travelers experiencing something new and exciting.
Our adventurers getting some delicious natural refreshments at Jugos Canadá in Mexico City
Scouting
The filming locations for the production were critical to the success of the campaign. While our goal was to show off the best of Mexico City, we were keen to avoid obvious tourist traps and delve deeper into the cultural, culinary, and artistic sides of the city. In short, unique places where curious and open-minded travelers would want to explore.
Our founder, Gregg Bleakney, has created content for some of the world’s top travel publications, while our Creative Director, Jeremy K. Spencer, was the editor of Outside Magazine. Together, they crafted an off-the-beaten-track itinerary of local favorites, hidden spots, and classics-with-a-twist for the Advanced Walking Machines campaign.
Scenes from the Campaign Videos
The video begins in the fashionable Roma neighborhood where Esaúl and Margarita picked up Juan Manuel from his Airbnb. The gorgeous traditional architecture of this historical neighborhood formed the opening montage of pastel-colored walls and ornate doorways as our three explorers head out to discover Mexico City.
Aztec Dancers
Their first stop was the Plaza del Zócalo, the main square in Mexico City’s historical center. This square was once the main ceremonial center of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, and its Indigenous history has been preserved by artists and street performers who gather daily for impromptu Aztec cultural performances. Adorned with elaborate feather headdresses and body paint, these dancers transport onlookers hundreds of years back in time, to when the Aztecs ruled these lands. Our characters, well-shod in Cat Advanced Walking Machines, of course, joined them in the square for a ceremonial dance.
Our next stop was Jugos Canadá. This iconic juice stall has been serving the freshest juices in the city for decades, so our trio stopped in for a quick pick-me-up before our next stop. They'd need the extra vitamins for what we were about to put them through!
Enjoying the ancient spectacle of the Aztec dancers at Plaza del Zócalo
Lucha Libre at Hercules Moderno Gym
With their colorful costumes and high-flying maneuvers, Lucha Libre wrestlers are instantly recognizable. Most travelers who visit Mexico City go and watch a live wrestling match, but we wanted to take the experience one step further and make it more immersive and active for the video. So we headed down to Hercules Moderno Gym, a Lucha Libre training spot. After filming the wrestlers in action, our characters jumped into the ring for a spot of wrestling practice. They took their pummelling with dignity, but there were some sore muscles afterward!
Pure girl power at Hercules Moderno Gym after some intense Lucha Libre training
The Lunch of a Lifetime
Chef Fernando Martinez after whipping us up a traditional feast
After all that physical activity, our adventurers had earned a bite to eat! So we headed off to meet one of Mexico City’s rising gastronomic stars, Chef Fernando Martinez, at his home. He specializes in pop-up lunches, and he whipped up a traditional feast for our eager cast. As part of our service to Cat, our Mexican production company also wrote an in-depth profile of Fernando with his favorite recipes for their blog.
But a good lunch alone wasn’t enough to relax those wrestling-ravaged muscles: we needed liquor! So we moved on to El Palenquito Bar for mezcal. This agave liquor is the true smoky, earthy, soulful spirit of Mexico, especially when paired with a crunchy big bowl of chapulines (fried grasshoppers). El Palenquito is a home-away-from-home for authentic rural Mezcal culture; it’s cosy and convivial and refreshingly authentic. No velvet ropes and guest lists in sight.
Salsa, two ways
By now, we’d subjected our trio to a wrestling smack-down and some pretty strong liquor. But the evening was young. Our next stop, as the sun set and Mexico City’s billions of lights started to flick on around us, was El Babalú. This secret second-floor salsa club is the connoisseur’s choice for dancing in the city. Esaúl, Margarita, and Juan Manuel enjoyed an intimate salsa class with the celebrated dance teacher Lucia Carrere.
We enjoyed one more stop before the day was done, and it was a superb way to end a day of adventure in Mexico City (and pack on all those calories we lost dancing and wrestling!): fresh tacos at Los Güeros de Boturini. These guys have been slinging the best tacos in the city for more than 50 years. Simple and delicious food: pure magic. What more could you ask for after a day of wrestling, dancing, drinking, and dining?
Cat’s Advanced Walking Machines dealt with the intensity of an urban trek in Mexico City with ease
Productions in Mexico and Around the Globe
The production of Cat’s AWM & CODE campaigns in Mexico City allowed our Mexican production company to showcase our creativity and agility. We planned and executed two complete campaigns, from zero to asset delivery, in just one month. We also procured stylists, hair and makeup specialists, and all of our actors within that time, and arranged for asset delivery of the Cat shoes to Mexico City.
Thanks to our multilingual production capabilities and experience of filming in Mexico, the entire project went off without a hitch. We delivered a full suite of video and still photography assets to our client while saving them 30% of their travel budget at the same time.
Work with our Mexican Production Company
Our Mexican production company offers unparalleled local knowledge, a wealth of experience, and a creative, energetic, and seasoned team of videographers, producers, fixers, and storytellers. We’re ready for you, in Mexico, and beyond!