The first project that Automaton Creative ever pitched and produced from beginning to end was a short video series meant to promote the Worst Case Scenarios brand.  It’s a very popular non-fiction book series that, among selling millions of copies, taught our creative director Rene Amador to feel secure in his capacity to jump off a bridge into a river below (“tightening” yourself is the key ;).  So when we got the opportunity to pitch Chronicle Books and the authors on our idea, we had a lot of fun creating the concept and style that eventually got selected and produced.

Brainpickings.com yesterday listed our “Worst Case Scenarios: Breakups” book trailer among the top 7 Brilliant Book Trailers ever made.  Some info on Brain Pickings:

“[We’re] about curating interestingness — picking culture’s collective brain for tidbits of stuff that inspires, revolutionizes, or simply makes us think. It’s about innovation and authenticity and all those other things that have become fluff phrases but don’t have to be.”

By complete coincidence, it also happens to be a great publication that we read every day (and no, the article writers didn’t know that).  We’re honored to be among the other excellent book trailers listed on the site, many of which are excellent works of art and accomplishment themselves, especially since this was the first video ad we ever pitched and created. For the sake of posterity, and your viewing pleasure, here’s the trailer, “Worst Case Scenario Survival Video Series: BREAKUPS.”

CLICK TO PLAY: Worst Case Scenarios: Breakups

Credits: Directed, Edited, Designed, Written, and Sound by RENE AMADOR, Produced by JOCELYN HSU, Narration by GATO SCATENA, Music by SIDDHARTHA BARNHOORN.  We should also give special thanks to the video team at Valve Software, their work for the games Team Fortress 2 and Portal were great inspirations for this piece, and they make great games too.