Xfinity Spot Imagines a Techtastic 'Bring Your Kid to Work Day'

These days, kids say the darnedest things about technology. That sounds like a fun concept for a Comcast Xfinity commercial, right?

Watch the :60 below and judge for yourself. Goodby Silverstein & Partners developed the spot with director Lance Acord. The latter’s known for strong storytelling, often with accents on comedy that never stray too far from the point. He’s delivered such goods for Volkswagen (in “The Force,” a timeless classic), Travelers and HP, among others.

Now, he stages “Bring Your Kid to Work Day” for Xfinity. This could have been insufferable, all cuteness and quips. We get some of that, but the premise tallies as the next generation schools tech-heads on what’s best in a 10G network. 

“I am not spending eight hours at school to come home and deal with latency issues,” one tyke snarks during a coffee break, adding: “Who doesn’t want an internet that helps A.I. do your homework even faster?” 

Heh. We all want the tech to work like child’s play, with no fuss, muss or tears. The ad embraces that reality, and lets the kids speak basic truths.

“Young people have suggestions for everything, especially when it comes to the latest tech,” GS&P creative director Anthony DiMichele tells Muse. “That idea crystallized for us during a conversation with Xfinity’s SVP, marketing communications Todd Arata, who told a story about his daughters and their ideas about home internet. We thought, ‘Hang on, he can’t be the only Xfinity parent to talk shop with their kids. What would it look like getting all these kids together to hear what they want from a network?'”

Filming took place at the former Siemens HQ in Los Angeles, which also appeared in The Dropout. It looks suitably corporate and soul crushing. (Good. Let those little know-it-alls get a taste of their futures in cube-land!)

“Our generation was into making mixtapes; this generation is using ChatGPT,” says Rose Holden, executive director of brand marketing at Comcast. “Kids today are so much more literate when it comes to tech and internet than we ever were—or will be.”

During the shoot, “Working with these kids was a lot of fun,” recalls Sean Smith, also an agency cd. “They’re not acting. They were just being themselves, and that authenticity came through.”

CREDITS

Client
Chief Marketing Officer: Sophia Ahmad
SVP, Marketing Communications: Todd Arata
Vice President, Marketing Communications: Dustin Hayes
Executive Director, Marketing Communications: Rose Holden
Director, Marketing Communications: Christina Weil
Senior Specialist, Marketing Communications: Sarah Kezbari

Agency

Creative
Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson
Executive Creative Director: Jim Elliott
Creative Directors: Jon Wolanske, Jon Wyville
Associate Creative Directors: Anthony DiMichele, Sean Smith

Design
Design Director: Ryan Self

Account Services
Managing Partner: Leslie Barrett
Executive Group Account Director: Chad Bettor
Account Director: Kirsten Tsitsos
Account Manager: Casey Leong
Assistant Account Manager: Ayo Ehindero

Brand and Communication Strategy
Partner, Head of Brand Strategy: Bonnie Wan
Partner, Head of Communication Strategy: Christine Chen
Deputy Director of Brand Strategy: Kelly Evans-Pfeifer
Group Strategy Director: Adam Arola
Group Content Strategy Director: Nick Reggars
Communication Strategy Director: Maren Severtson
Communication Strategist: Taylor Yada

Production
Director of Production: Jim Haight
Executive Producer: James Horner
Senior Producer: Kateri McLucas
Associate Producer: Senait Hailemariam

Business Affairs
Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra
Business Affairs Manager: Brittany Longden
Production Business Manager: Yelena Kompaneyets

Production Co.: Park Pictures
Production Company City: Los Angeles
Director/DP: Lance Acord
Founding Partner/Executive Producer: Jackie Kelman Bisbee
Executive Producer: Scott Howard
Line Producer: Caroline Kousidonis
Production Designer: Philip Messina

Editorial: Exile Edit
Editor: Matt Murphy
Assistant Editor: Lee Bacak
Managing Partner: CL Kumpata
Executive Producer: Jennifer Locke
Post Producer: Chris Meadows

Audio and Sound Design: Lime Studios
Sound Designer/Audio Engineer: Rohan Young
Assistant Mixer: Jeremy Nichols
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Producer: Cassie Underwood

Music: Mutato Muzika
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Music Supervision: David Fisher – Songs for Film & TV

VFX 
VFX Studio: Pariah
VFX Supervisor: Pat Murphy
Head of Production: Michael Steinmann
Managing Director/EP: Mark Tobin
VFX Producer: Gladys Bernadac, Jenny Bright
Flame Artists: Russell Fell
CG Supervisor: Mike Wynd
CG Artists: Pete Jensen, Mitchell Jaeger, Elizabeth Hammer
After Effects Artist: Jonathan Ficcadenti 

Color
Company Name: Trafik
Colorist: Mark Gethin
Color Assistant: Nate Seymour
Color Producer: Greer Bratschie
Executive Producer: Meghan Lang Bice