In this episode of Unfiltered, I’m giving you a real behind-the-scenes look at how we’re building a content strategy that’s basically printing for Prism Lens Effects. Our company spends close to a million dollars a year in advertising, so we’re constantly testing what actually works. The big shift with these new ads is simple: I don’t want them to feel like ads. I want them to feel like short films or comedy sketches—entertainment first—so people build a fun association with the brand instead of feeling like they’re getting sold to (because let’s be honest… in 2026, we all know when we’re being sold to). I walk through how we’re ideating, directing, and shooting these pieces on set—plus the practical production decisions that let us move fast. We shot on a RED Raptor X, used a 24-105 to bounce between wides and tights, and kept the build lean by skipping the matte box and running MagMount filters so we could swap NDs and looks quickly. I also break down why I’m leaning into 1x1: it pattern interrupts in the feed, and it gives me more latitude to reframe for 9x16 without the piece falling apart. The key takeaway: you can sell and promote without “selling.” When we take the best-performing organic sketches and put paid media behind them, we’re seeing some of the highest click-through rates of most of our video content—and the views are proving the concept.