This year marks the ten year anniversary of The Lift.

To put that into perspective, 2005 was the year Million Dollar Baby took home the Oscar for best film, “tweeting” and “hashtags” had not yet entered the vernacular, and Kanye West was still just a beloved rapper with a hit, “Gold Digger.”

In 2005 we launched The Lift with a project directed by Filip Nilsson for Banamex. We opened up the vault to revisit the feel-good spot, “Stay Young.” Ten years later, we think it still holds up.

To immerse ourselves fully in the 2005 space in which The Lift came to life, we chatted out the company’s inception and this unforgettable Banamex spot with Managing Partner Avelino Rodriguez.

What was it like opening The Lift?

I opened The Lift while I was shooting a movie, and there was a lot of work and things going on in 2005. I miss the freedom and the creativity allowed by being a startup; everything was new, challenging and highly rewarding. I started as a producer when I was 21 years old, so I was very familiar with production, but starting a company was uncharted territory, with an unlimited space to grow and learn.

Do you remember what you were thinking during this first job?

I was very proud and nervous. The Lift was a premature baby; we were already working before even being incorporated. I remember those times as joyful and uncertain. I was already a producer but this was my first approach to entrepreneurship, and it has been a great ride ever since.

Any special thoughts on this spot or working with Filip?

It was a great spot and our first relationship was established with Publicis and La Dobla Vida. We have not stopped our successful collaboration since then.

Filip became my brother from a Swedish mother and the fun has just continued. This is a spot that set the bar for all of our productions over the years.

Enjoy the behind-the-scenes still from The Lift’s first production below.