Kate McKinnon is back in full chaos mode for Zoom, playing a maniacal boss who tries to take down the platform by using it.
The new spot, “Zoom Gets It Done,” was created by No Notes Productions, the agency founded by Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost, in collaboration with production company Lord Danger.
Directed by Chris Werner, the campaign continues Zoom’s effort to move beyond the perception of the platform as simply a meeting tool and position it as a broader work hub where conversations turn into action.
McKinnon plays a boss hell-bent on sabotaging Zoom, only to discover that every attempt to weaponize the platform somehow demonstrates how effective it is. Take a look below:
The spot first broke during Monday Night Football and is rolling out across linear and connected TV, out-of-home, digital, and social.
The work also carries some strong SNL DNA.
Werner is a staff director at Saturday Night Live, where he has directed a number of the show’s digital shorts, including last season’s “Plans,” starring Sabrina Carpenter.
That connection makes McKinnon an especially natural fit. The former SNL cast member built a career around committed character work, physical comedy and performances that can go from controlled to completely unhinged in a matter of seconds. The Zoom spot gives her plenty of room to operate in that zone.
It is also the latest collaboration between No Notes and Lord Danger.
Earlier this year, Mike Diva, Lord Danger co-founder and another SNL director, helmed Zoom’s “I Use Zoom” campaign featuring former SNL cast member Bowen Yang.
So while the brand work focuses on productivity, the creative approach still leans heavily on comedy talent with a shared late-night lineage.
For Werner, the timing is notable. The campaign arrives just as SNL prepares to return for another season, giving one of the show’s behind-the-scenes directors a national commercial platform as his day job heads back into production.
That crossover between entertainment and advertising has become increasingly common, but here it feels especially direct: SNL talent in front of the camera, an SNL director behind it, and Colin Jost’s agency helping shape the work.
Zoom may be selling productivity.
But this campaign knows that getting attention first is part of getting anything done.
CREDITS:
BRAND: ZOOM
- CMO – Kim Storin
- Head of Brand & Activation – Whitney Magnuson
- Head of Creative – Dan Schunk
AGENCY – NO NOTES PRODUCTIONS
- Executive Producer, Founder, CCO, Copywriter – Colin Jost
- Executive Producer, Head of Content – Jeff Grosvenor
- Executive Producer – Emily Hason
- Producer – Rebecca Mazouz
PRODUCTION COMPANY – Lord Danger, Los Angeles & Good Company, NYC
- Director – Christopher Werner
- Executive Producer / Lord Danger – Josh Shadid, Anthony Ficalora
- Executive Producer / Good Company – Jonathan Lia, Ryan Heiferman, Ralph Miccio
- EP/Producer – Taylor Vandegrift
- Director of Photography – Jason Vandermer
- Production Designer – Alex Delgado
- Casting Director – Kristen Paladino
- Production Manager – Jonathan Kaplan, Trevor Battaglia
- Production Coordinator – Abby Brazinski
- 1st AD – Samantha Melville
- Stylist (KM) – Rebecca Grice
- Key Hair (KM) – Stevie Barbieri
- Key Makeup (KM) – Cassandra Garcia
- Stylist (OCP) – Brian Hemesath
- Key Hair & Makeup (OCP) – Karen Roy
- Gaffer – Keith Devlin
- Key Grip – Kurt Schwarz
- Art Director – Nell Tivnan
- Asst Art Director – Jianca Lazarus
- Set Decorator – Jessica Templin-King
- Prop Master – Henry Lockwood
POST – Good Company, New York
- Head of Post Production – Ralph Miccio
- Editor – Chris Salerno
- Assistant Editor – Mak Makower, Julia Miller
- VFX – John Mattiuzzi, Loic Maes
- Color – Matteo Belletta
Music & Mix – BANG Music, New York
- Executive Producer – Brian Jones
- Composer – Timo Elliston
- Mix – Nick Cipriano
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360 News. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on LinkedIn.
