The film was written with a keen eye for observation and detail around modern advertising's grueling approval process, deftly capturing the dozens of subtle and not-so-subtle ways that creative work is made worse or outright killed. The casting, costuming, art direction, makeup and hair-styling were all pain-stakingly researched to be perfectly accurate to the 1880’s and 1930’s.

People have been decrying the “death of creativity” for decades, but that call has only gotten louder as the barriers to producing great work seem to be getting larger every year. “Museum-Worthy” captures an unspoken frustration many people in the creative industry have been feeling.

Work that wins at the AICP Awards enters the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, alongside legendary artists like Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Picasso, etc.

Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Frida Kahlo’s “Fulang-Chang and I” are renowned works that are considered artistic masterpieces.

“Museum-Worthy” is a short film that imagines historical scenes of Van Gogh & Kahlo attempting to get their masterpieces - “Starry Night” & “Fulang–Chang & I” - through modern-day advertising’s grueling & frustrating approval process, ultimately resolving with a super:

It’s hard to create museum worthy art.

It’s harder to create museum worthy ads.

We were tasked with driving entries to AICP Awards. In a sea of awards shows, AICP stands out because winning work earns entry to the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, alongside artists like Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Picasso, etc.

FILM: “MOMA, THE HARD WAY”

VG SCENE 1

OPEN ON VAN GOGH AT HOME WHEN TWO ACCOUNT PEOPLE - DRESSED IN 1889 GARB, BUT SPEAKING 2024 MARKET-ESE -WALK IN TO DELIVER ‘CLIENT FEEDBACK’ ON HIS MASTERPIECE ‘STARRY NIGHT’. THE JR ACCOUNT GUY BRINGS THE PAINTING IN HIS HANDS AND SUPPORTS IT ON A PAINTING EASEL.

ACCT: Hey! Just wanted to pop by real quick, let you know the client’s super-happy with the overall direction.

VG: Stop it. You’re giving me the compliment sandwich.

JR ACCT: Compliment sandwich?

VG: That thing where you’re about to give someone bad news, but you’re burying it between two slices of good news. The bad news is the meat. Just give me the f*ck**g meat.

ACCT: Uh…ok. They think the tone is too dark and suggested a slight tweak.

VG: What?

ACCT: Can you make it a “sunny day” instead?

VG SIGHS. JUNIOR ACCOUNT DUTIFULLY FINISHES THE COMPLIMENT SANDWICH.

JR ACCT: They loved the way you signed it.

VG: Sandwich!

ACCT: He’s a fast learner.

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FRIDA

CUT TO FRIDA KAHLO IN FRONT OF HER MASTERPIECE “FULANG CHANG & I.” DISCUSSING WITH HER ACCOUNT PEOPLE – ALSO A SR & JR ACCOUNT – FRESH OFF A MEETING WITH THE CLIENT.

ACCT: Frida, we had a good meeting.

FRIDA: Oh great, so they bought it.

ACCT: Well-- They felt heard. And that’s important for them...

JR. ACCT: It was a really good meeting.

ACCT: But they don’t love the unibrow.

FRIDA: They asked for a self-portrait, right?

ACCT: Un-huh.

ACCOUNT PEOPLE STAND THERE BLANKLY. FRIDA FINALLY POINTS AT HER UNIBROW TO MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR.

ACCT: Good point, we’ll reconnect with them.

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VG SCENE 2

SENIOR ACCOUNT COMES IN WITH MORE BAD NEWS.

ACCT: I’m sorry, Vince. It failed testing…

CUT TO A FOCUS GROUP ROOM WHERE WE SEE THE ‘ANIMATIC’, A CHEESY ILLUSTRATION OF THE PAINTING, BEING PRESENTED TO UNSEEN CONSUMERS. AS THE MODERATOR SHOWS THE PAINTING, SHE’S WINCING AND SHAKING HER HEAD, LEADING THE QUESTION.

MODERATOR: Would you agree with this statement? “This painting makes

me feel more comfortable about the plague.”

BACK TO VG’S STUDIO/OFFICE.

ACCT: So, we think maybe we can use an influencer to resonate with young audiences.

ENTERS A YOUNG PRIEST IN THE ROOM.

VG: So what, you want me to paint this guy in the picture?

ACCT: Of course not. He will paint himself; he’s a creator.

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FRIDA SCENE 2

THE SR AND JR ACCOUNT PEOPLE COME BACK IN.

JR ACCT: We connected with the client on the unibrow and they totally get that it’s a self-

portrait.

ACCT: It’s just that the CMO apparently has a dead-beat brother-in-law with a unibrow who she can’t stand, so it’s kind of a non-starter.

FRIDA SHAKES HER HEAD; SHE CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HER LIFE.

JR ACCT: Oh. And the monkey.

ACCT: Ok, ummm… The monkey… Uh, research says people don’t find monkeys trustworthy. Can we have a dog?

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VG SCENE 3

ACCT: It was a tough meeting because swirly is not trending righ now, you know.

But the good news is they approved the vertical format!

VG: I didn’t make a vertical format.

JR ACCT: Oh, we had the JR. painter comp it up real quick. It’s great.

WE SEE A TERRIBLE VERTICAL VERSION OF A SUNNY DAY IN VAN GOGHISH STYLE WITH AN UGLY DRAWING OF A PRIEST ON IT.

VG: I swear to God if you release it, I will cut off my goddamn ear.

CUT TO CARD.

SUPER: Making MOMA-worthy art isn’t nearly as hard as making MOMA-worthy ads.

But you can try.

LOGO/CTA: Submit your best work to AICP and get into MoMA.

CUT TO THE VERTICAL SUNNY DAY PAINTING ON A MUSEUM WALL SIDE BY SIDE WITH A FRIDA KAHLO PAINTING WITH TRIMMED EYEBROWS HOLDING A GOLDEN RETRIEVER.