Spark Delivers Creative Package for Astral Media's Mpix OnDemand

Award-winning LA-based creative group spark has been tapped by leading Canadian media company, Astral Media to develop a user-friendly promo package for Mpix OnDemand. As part of the new package, spark created a 50-second spot designed to educate the Mpix audience about the channel's on-demand capabilities and to showcase its film library of dramatic, suspenseful and action-packed movies. This latest project is part of the companies' longstanding, ongoing relationship, which has involved both launching and re-launching channels in addition to creating elements for special promotion.

spark delivered the image spot along with a complete toolkit to Astral Media, allowing the company to update the promo monthly. The 50-second spot, which began airing in July showcases upcoming movies set to air on the channel.

"spark's challenge was to communicate the on-demand features in a way that was very clear and did not make the spot terminology and technology heavy," said Heather Senst, Executive Creative Director of Astral Television Networks and Family Channel. "spark created a spot that was fun and user-friendly and also tied back to the look and feel of the Mpix channel."

spark previously collaborated with Astral Media on the re-launch of Mpix and the launch of Mescape when the company created complimentary identities for the two premium channels. In the most recent collaboration, spark expanded upon the look and feel of the original Mpix campaign by adding movie characters such as a vampire, a boxer and a pirate to the palette to communicate the on demand message. The solution involved an HD green screen shoot with all compositing completed in After Effects and edited in Avid.

"The on-demand aspect of Mpix offered the opportunity to expand the brand language while also saying something new about the channel," said Elaine Cantwell, Founder and Creative Director of spark. "The team at Astral gave us free reign to expand the already established brand and the solution takes the network to the next level in both message and offering."

Committed to harnessing the creative spark through emotive and thought provoking brand communication, spark blends unique vision, effective strategy and innovation together in the development of creative solutions for media clients. Raising the creative bar of the broadcast design industry, spark creates a broad range of groundbreaking, award-winning identity packages.

---

---