From the release:

Whiskey Bear continues to expand its multi-disciplinary roster with the official signing of ANDRAS (Justin Lee & Philip Kim). Operating out of Toronto, Los Angeles, and Seoul, the directing duo has carved out a unique space in commercial filmmaking defined by relentless excitement and vibrancy.

Their signature style relies on daring camera movements, hyper-realism, and meticulous world-building, perfectly blending cinematic live-action with original 2D/3D animation. For ANDRAS, the core of everything they do is connecting with audiences by dropping them directly into visually engaging, high-octane stories.

The core tenet of authentic connection was the foundation for the relationship between ANDRAS and Whiskey Bear – who worked together on two campaigns which informed the path forward to a more formal union.

“As studio founders, we really take pride in trying to work with great people, where kindness and care is held in equal regard to creativity,” explains Founder/EP Ben Murphy. “From a personal standpoint, they’re just incredible. In terms of their work, they embody a unique, fresh style, informed by bold curiosity aligned with depth of understanding about how to respect and elevate brands.”

“Their work ethic and presence on set, including how they collaborate with the agency teams, told us so much about who they are,” agrees Whiskey Bear HOP Michael Tamburrino. “They are also extremely ahead of the curve and their creative style is second to none.”

Phillip and Justin have worked together as ANDRAS for seven years, although the two first met and collaborated at a Toronto-based agency before breaking out on their own. From there, they set out to build a collaborative group of artists who frequently contribute to projects in a holistic and egalitarian approach. Prioritizing and bringing together a diverse range of eclectic voices, ANDRAS fosters a creative environment to deliver wildly original, expressive campaigns. Among them, eye-catching spots for Church’s Texas Chicken, Crocs, Hi-Chew and Footlocker.

As directors who embrace a wide variety of storytelling approaches, ANDRAS prioritizes understanding and implementing emerging technology, including AI. Their informed integration is centered in pursuit of enhancing artistic methodology, not supplanting it.

“As our style evolved to be something truly multidisciplinary, we found that if we stay ahead of technical advancements, get our hands dirty, and encourage our team to play with these tools, we could really see where they break down and where they shine,” explains Justin.

“The best way to describe how we approach AI is that we’re using it as an accelerator,” agrees Philip. “We’ve spent the last few years quietly stress testing these tools to build a genuine hybrid process that is creatively powerful.” By deploying AI strictly as a utility layer for pre-viz acceleration and heavy post-production lifting like tracking, roto, and background extensions, the studio buys its artists more time to craft. “All with real footage, real references, and real structure. We don’t create AI campaigns, we create human campaigns.”

The very human themes of identity and belonging are poignantly explored in their documentary film “Bridge the Gap,” which features Justin’s own experience facing racist discrimination and finding a sense of community through creativity. Having experienced boundaries and breakthroughs, the duo prioritizes mentorship on set.

“We’ve gained so much from our mentors so we hold ourselves responsible to pass that down as well,” notes Justin. “We hold two spots on every set for someone to come and take notes, ask questions, and think about what department they want to be a part of. We always leave that door open for anyone who wants to take it.”

All of this is very much in line with Whiskey Bear, which aims to be more than a production company; it’s a family of innovators, dreamers, and doers, all driven by the desire to tell stories that matter.