The Beak Street Bugle, a leading online publication in the UK covering the advertising industry, sat down with The Lift’s Managing Partner Avelino Rodriguez to discuss the origins of The Lift and the evolution of commercial production in Mexico.
The article covers the shifting paradigms in production in Mexico over the years. Back in the early 2000s, Mexico was a country well equipped to take on features, but with little infrastructure for commercials. Through The Lift, Avelino has worked with the Mayor and the Film Commission to standardize practices, eradicate corruption, increase security, and transform Mexico into a production-friendly environment that’s now regularly credited on commercials with the highest production values.
There was particular emphasis placed on the UK market, which has been nothing short of essential to the country’s growth. In particular, work from Academy including the FKA Twigs x Nike collaboration and Feist’s “The Bad in Each Other” video directed by Martin de Thurah, Sara Dunlop’s “Beautiful Morning” film for Levi’s out of Rattling Stick (above), and Blink’s own Juan Cabral’s “Trucks” for Cadbury have elevating the standing of Mexico as a fantastic destination to shoot in.
Some highlights from the article…
On the beginning: “Avelino’s life in production service began with a slowly dawning realisation while filmmaking in his native Mexico. An assistant director on commercials and a producer for feature films, he began to notice the potential Mexico had as a service destination. With its massive catalogue of locations, top talent and low costs, he knew it should be attracting way more foreign production than it was.”
On The Lift’s culture of international advocacy: “Avelino’s keen to create international advocates for his country. He wants directors and producers to give Mexico a try because they so often go home and tell everyone how positive their experiences were.”
On the growing world of production: Mexico has also been experiencing a boom of foreign production since 2015. “The James Bond film had a lot to do with that,” says Avelino. “It sort of put Mexico back on the map as a solid production destination. We have been part of this boom by providing top-of-the-line production experiences for our foreign clients. If they have a good experience, they go back to their countries and share those experiences with other people in the business. This is very good for us and for the country. It’s also a very solid way to fight those misconceptions.”
Read the piece in full here.