Becoming ‘Scheme Engine’

Making commercial work that stands out in a crowded landscape but also transcends the label of 'content' is no easy feat. That is unless you’re a multi-award-winning production company like Scheme Engine – an entity that doesn’t need to wonder what’s relevant or cool because its roster of directors is intimately familiar with cultural shifts and tides. 

Scheme Engine was born in a NYU dorm room, recalls CEO Alex Kaplan, with “an entrepreneurial group of friends in filmmaking, business, and music.” It was a transformative time in digital marketing, marked by what Alex describes as the “convergence of culture and branding”. 

Their first big break came when “Roc Nation tapped us to provide creative direction and content for their artists and brands, including Rihanna and Jay-Z. That collaboration helped us envision ourselves as the future of the entertainment industry, showcasing the commercial potential of our BIPOC perspective in terms of representation, creativity, and equity,” Alex says. 

As for the name, “When you’re hustling to build a business on an unchartered path, you’re constantly using your enterprise, ambition, and energy, developing scheme after scheme, just seeing what sticks. At that point, you become a ‘scheme engine'”, says Alex.

Scheme Engine first found success in documentaries and branded content. The company’s growth accelerated with the arrival of executive producer Sheira Rees-Davies, formerly of Anonymous Content. “Sheira brought in clients like Apple Music and major record labels for video opportunities and helped us scale our documentary expertise into features and multi-cam live music films”, says Alex.

Five years ago, Jannie McInnes joined as executive producer, driving the next phase of expansion by developing the commercial side and building a director roster that includes established superstars like Floria Sigismondi and rising talents such as Charles Todd, Anthony Jamari Thomas, and Kimberly Stuckwisch. Since then, Scheme Engine has earned accolades at Cannes Lions, The One Club, the Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, AICP, The Clios, Webbys, and D&ADs.

More recently, Scheme launched a TV and Film division leading to noteworthy original work for HBOMax, Hulu, CNN, MTV, PBS, and Starz; and last year, they had longform projects premiere at SXSW and Tribeca.

While the industry grapples with the word ‘authenticity’ and how to resonate with audiences, Scheme Engine embodies it in everything they do; you could say that it’s in their DNA. 

“We’re one of few BIPOC-owned production companies and with a roster that leans towards underrepresented directors—because that’s where we think the most compelling creative voices emerge. Our creative standards are high. There’s a cultural currency with our roster and a strong sense of identity.” explains Alex. 

Anthony Jamari Thomas’ multiple campaigns for Jordan, and Charles Todd’s Ray-Ban Meta projects, one featuring Erykah Badu, make Alex’s case, illustrating how expansive, fun, and highly crafted the work is. 

Anthony reflects that “cultural authenticity is a bit of a riddle, a metaphor, a matrix,” describing the distance between what a client says they want and the preconceived notion they may already have. “It may be limiting, and it may not be a totally contemporary vision.  In the collaboration, I’ll provide the nuance or the comedy and, as a director, you’re sometimes leasing out parts of your own experience. I avoid flattening my own identity and that of others, steering clear of parody.”

Jannie adds: “Cultural authenticity is best expressed by those living it. Understanding the nuances of culture—its attitudes, vernacular, and complexity—isn’t something you source online. I love when agencies and clients invite directors to collaborate, to get it right, avoiding stereotypes, and bring their unique perspectives. It elevates the work to be more expansive and relevant.”

The company’s guiding philosophy seeps into everything they do: Advertising can and should be more representative of the world we live in. Jannie adds, “We want to change the limited perception of what ‘purpose-led’ work looks like, to recognise its market value and infinite creative potential: innovative, comedic, fantastic, fashionable. It doesn’t have to be serious or sad—purpose and profit co-exist.”

As an example, she points out Charles Todd’s campaign for Google, ‘Black-Owned Friday'. “It’s a super fun, hyperbolic, mixed-media visual adventure that swept the major awards, got 14 million views, and had a socio-economic impact for Black-owned businesses.” Charles calls ‘Black-Owned Friday’ a “one-of-a-kind interactive music video that has all of the ingredients of a signature Scheme Engine project. The recognition it got was amazing and hearing the success stories of small businesses selling out their products was the cherry on top.”

“When a creative team says, “'We don’t want this to feel familiar' - that’s the spark. When everyone’s locked in, with creative ambition, there’s real reward,” adds Jannie. Floria Sigismondi’s music video for Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras, 'Unholy', was an LGBTQ+ operatic extravaganza of performance, costume and risqué dance that caused a sensation on and off-line. It was nominated for five MTV VMA awards, including Video of the Year and Best Direction.

“We’re here to carve out a space for directors who are pushing boundaries with distinct creative voices. The industry is tough, but we’re motivated by the recognition in branded and the success of our TV & Film division,” says Sheira. 

Jannie adds: “There’s a new creative class emerging with agencies and clients bringing fresh perspectives, especially from people of colour, shaking up the game and redefining what the work can be. It’s a call we love to answer.” She points out that art and commerce are part of the same ecosystem: art is what resonates, and commercials are an opportunity to tell meaningful stories on bigger stages with resources to create impact. “Our directors,” she continues, “tend to be multidisciplinary, and they keep the artistic well full with strong personal practices that influence their commercial work in great ways. Our directors are fine artists, writers, designers, tastemakers, experimental in theatre, DJs, and activists.”

This year will see the release of ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy', a five-part docuseries, directed by Charles Todd, and executive produced by Drake. He describes it as a “genre-bending, female-focused project that explores the story behind the iconic Atlanta strip club, its decades-long influence on hip-hop, and the lives of the women who shaped its mystique.” 

At Scheme Engine, there’s never a need to pick between what’s cool and what sells, between what’s effective and what speaks to audiences, between what’s creative and what has purpose at the core. Alex has the last words: “The founding spirit of the company remains strong as we evolve and grow.”