Super Bowl Next Up | Senior Executive Producer Mandy Harris on producing AB InBev Super Bowl campaigns

You’ve been working on Super Bowl campaigns for some time. Can you walk us through your Super Bowl history?

Yes – Super Bowl is my favorite time of year at The Mill! The first Super Bowl spot I worked on was in 2015 for the Budweiser “Lost Dog” spot with the Clydesdale horses. The agency was Anomaly, and the director was Jake Scott. When I saw the job confirm in our system, I immediately put my hand up to produce it. We had an all-female compositing team on it, and it was a lot of fun to work on. I took a break from Super Bowl the following few years for life experiences (honeymoon and two kids!) but when I came back – I produced the Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade spot in 2020 into 2021.  And this year, I’m the EP on the Bud Light Super Bowl spot … but you will have to wait until Feb 12 to see that one!

What is your favorite Super Bowl ad?

My favorite must be the Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade spot from Super Bowl LV called “Last Year’s Lemons”. It basically made fun of how the year 2020 was a “lemon of a year” with Covid and all. I thought the creative was very witty and fun. We made CG lemons rain down from the sky and hit people in almost every shot – it was hilarious! The agency was W+K with director Mike Warzin from Arts & Sciences. It was such a fun spot to work on, and our Mill team did an amazing job on the FX. One of my favorite projects to date! 

Why is the Super Bowl so important for the advertising industry? 

Super Bowl is important for advertising because it’s the one time of year that all the focus is on the commercials (and the football game, of course!) Very often, commercials get overlooked because viewers just want to skip the ad to get back to their show, but during Super Bowl, some people ONLY tune in to watch the commercials. And most people don’t realize the amount of work that goes into making the spot. From conception to pre-production, to production, to edit, to sound and visual effects – everyone works so hard in our industry, and it’s nice to be recognized (at least once a year) for all the creativity and artistry that goes into it.

What makes The Mill a trusted Super Bowl partner?

It’s all about the people. The Mill will always get the job done to the highest quality and standard. Nothing will go out the door without multiple eyes on it, and everyone is here to produce the best work. We also have size/scale on our side and can work across the globe and in multiple offices if need be. But at the end of the day, it’s the people that work here that make the magic happen, and I trust them 100%.  

Do you have any favorite Super Bowl traditions?

It’s all about the commercials….and the snacks.

Stay tuned for more from our Super Bowl Next Up series. You can also get in touch with our VFX team to discuss any upcoming project via our contact page.