PLATO PET TREATS: BEHOLD, THE CUTEST MODELS YOU’VE EVER SEEN

Furry faces, wet noses, and wiggly bodies that just can’t contain their excitement can only mean one thing: DOGS. 

Dog models, to be exact. Our team at MEZA was definitely not sad to have a line up of cute, fuzzy friends wag into the studio and drool over the delicious bits provided to them for the Plato Pet Treats project. 

Plato Pet Treats’ ultimate desire for this feature was to connect with their clients in an honest and authentic way by creating videos showing their product in action for Amazon advertising. 

As you may have guessed, human models and dog models are completely different to work with (weird, I know). Besides the obvious differences such as having four legs and an irresistible urge to bolt after a squirrel, dogs are the most genuine in their actions. There is no faking whether they are enjoying the product - in this case, the all natural dog treats - making the creative opportunities endless. What better way to show consumers the true goodness of Plato Pet Treats than showing real dogs chowing down and begging for more of their treats? 

Along with videos, we shot flat lays and portraits and then incorporated everything into the full brand story just in time for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. The deadline was tight, but we love rising to the occasion to assist our clients with special requests and delivering fresh content when they need it most. Having a stand out brand is essential, especially in the holiday online shopping world. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, you’re last”. 

Creating custom and eye-catching content for our clients is always at the forefront of our practice. Whether the models are humans, dogs or Baby Yoda himself, we love to generate dynamic results that will propel clients’ brands to the forefront of their competition. 

And if that means snuggling a cute puppy along the way, so be it.

BLKMKTPLC. :PURPOSE, BUT MAKE IT FASHION.

Layers are what come to mind when reminiscing on this dark and sultry fashion shoot. At first look, you would see two models wearing thirty-four different ensembles over a six hour period. You would also see our crew shooting and editing, guiding models, and adjusting lighting to accentuate the styles provided by blkmktplc, a vintage store and one of the social enterprises of Neighborhood Industries.

 What you wouldn’t see are the hundreds of lives benefiting from this year’s “Diamonds in the Rough” fashion show for Neighborhood Industries, which we had the privilege of pre recording. 

As most things in 2020, this year’s fundraiser for Neighborhood Industries is completely virtual, making it even more necessary for the styles to be eye catching and engaging. Our client found a few unique concepts for the pre recorded show happening in December (including the deprivation chamber scene with Eleven from Stranger Things) creating a shadowy atmosphere with the model as a focal point. 

We love being able to take what inspires our clients and reframe it to work for the style of their needs and push boundaries of what one would expect from them – and from us! Lighting was queen in this shoot and we really got to flex those skills.

We see clothes in a different light throughout this shoot, put together on some beautiful people and celebrated wholly. What we don’t see is that all these featured pieces were once separately discarded in a bin behind Neighborhood Thrift and culled by blkmktplc. Neighborhood Industries mission is “to operate businesses that reveal value in people so they can be a positive contributor in their homes and neighborhoods'' – seeing people in a different light than they see themselves. Their main focus is job and workforce development in some of Fresno’s poorest communities.

 “This shoot is the marriage between two ideas – discarded clothes and people who think they are discarded from society,” says Alvaro Romero, general manager of blkmktplc.

 What excites him most about this project is connecting people who may not think twice about going out to a box store to buy a new outfit to the idea of sustainability in their wardrobe by purchasing repurposed clothing. 

Romero says, “We can live an eco friendly life and still look good…It’s more than high time to practice sustainability in our lives.” 

Being a part of this annual project is always special for us at MEZA Films not only because we love having a client that is open to taking risks, but also for what it does to better our Fresno community.

To find out more about how to attend this year’s virtual Diamonds in the Rough fundraiser, visit diamonds2020.com

Credits: 

MUA + Hair: Durand Carter

Styling: Alvaro Romero for blkmktplc

Styling Assistant: Kayla Castro 

Model: Brooke Simpson

Model: Ricky Bennick

Original Composition: Julio Calderon

Director: Enrique Meza

DP: Ryan Abbott

Assistant: Joseph Macharia 

Production: Michelle Wong 

Listos California: See the helpers, be the helpers

When a crisis occurs (i.e., massive wildfires or a global pandemic), it can feel like there are limited ways to help those being affected. Our minds quickly jump to donating money or items needed for individual organizations, but beyond that, it can feel like there isn’t a lot we as a community can do.

When the opportunity to partner with Listos California arose, we were beyond excited to find a unique way to showcase their disaster preparedness translations.

Listos California is a publicly funded entity whose primary goal is preparing vulnerable communities for disasters like wildfires, earthquakes and floods, and now public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

For this project specifically, Listos’ goal was to record compilations of the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, translate it into ten dialects of Spanish using translators, and eventually disseminate it through various forms of media.

The end goal – and one of the primary purposes for Listos California – is equal access to disaster preparedness information for non-English speaking communities. The more vulnerable communities are not receiving the vital information in their languages or from people they know and trust, which this project hopes to solve.

Over several days, we recorded seven translations of information on disaster preparedness and COVID-19 and studio portraits of the translators. It was such an honor to spend time with the essential workers who make sure everyone, no matter their community status, has the information they need to survive a disaster.

All the information we’ve produced will be broadcast to those individuals who opt-in for Listos California updates over text messages, email, and social media. To see how you can opt-in for updates like this, visit their website.

Translator: Rene

Language: Mixteco Vicente Guerrero, Metlatonoc, Guerrero

Translator: Irma

Language: Mixteco San Miguel Cuevas, Juxtlahaca, Oaxaca