Meet Vince, a comedic yet slightly unnerving 10-minute short film that captures the chaos and comedy of an ad session gone awry—blending industry satire with an eerily familiar situation: what happens when AI stops taking direction and starts taking control—literally?
Inspired by a real recording session at Toronto’s Eggplant Music + Sound, where an AI-generated voice was used as a temporary guide track for an ad, Vince was born out of one of those “you can’t make this up” studio moments. When the human voice actor arrived, the team was repeatedly asked to make him sound “more like the guide track.” That moment flipped a switch: what if they turned the scenario around—voice-direct the AI, and see what weird things start to happen?
That experience led Adam Damelin, Partner at Eggplant Music + Sound, to create what he thought might make a funny filmed sketch, initially intended as a self-promotional piece for the studio. But as he brought on creative partners, it grew into something much more. Vince quickly evolved into a full collaboration between Damelin, Lindsay Eady, Executive Creative Director at Toronto agency The Garden (Humanise Collective), her writing partner and comedy writer Cole Rosenberg-Pach, and award-winning director Adam Greydon Reid (repped by Holiday Films and The Jennifer Hollyer Agency), who also edited the film.
“We started this as a funny take on an audio session gone wrong,” says Damelin. “But it quickly became something bigger—about the creative tension we’re all navigating: how to keep the humanity in what we make, even as technology becomes part of the process.”
The film stars an ensemble cast of acclaimed Canadian actors and comedians, including Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Jennifer Robertson (Schitt’s Creek, Ginny & Georgia), Ennis Esmer (Children Ruin Everything), Tricia Black (Baroness Von Sketch, Pretty Hard Cases), and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll (Ghosts, Kim’s Convenience). The result is a sharp, authentic, and laugh-out-loud look at creative chaos, capturing both the absurdity and heart behind modern collaboration.
“We started by imagining what it would feel like to be trapped in an audio session with a malevolent AI actor,” says Rosenberg-Pach. “Then we took it one step further—could endless client notes drive even a machine to the brink? After all, what keeps this whole crazy industry running is the patience and collaboration of real people.”
When Vince was conceived in 2024, the advertising world was still deeply skeptical of AI—especially among writers, actors, and production teams concerned about its impact on creative livelihoods. By the time the film completed its one-year festival circuit in October 2025, the industry’s conversation had become more open and nuanced, though tension still exists between opportunity and uncertainty. The film was always intended as satire—an entertaining conversation starter rather than a statement for or against the technology.
“When we started writing Vince, AI’s role in advertising was still in its infancy, and the output wasn’t great,” says Eady. “Over the last year, AI has come a long way, and the conversation has shifted from whether we should use it to how we can use it without losing what makes great creative work.”
“AI will keep getting easier to use, but nothing replaces the spontaneity and connection that come from human collaboration,” adds Reid. “The creative process isn’t perfect or predictable—and that’s exactly what makes great work feel real and authentic. So the question is: how will AI help us make things we couldn’t otherwise make, while preserving the imperfection and magic of making film?”
True to its theme, Vince used AI tools during its production—most notably to create visual content that appears “AI-generated” within the film. Using Midjourney, the team produced and refined images that were later composited and enhanced by designer Scott Johnson, showcasing how technology and human craft can complement each other.
The music and sound design, crafted by Eggplant, play a starring role, bringing humour, tension, and realism to this dark comedy. Hours of meticulous audio work turned the film’s single-day shoot into a richly layered soundscape that amplifies both its comedy and chaos.
The film completed a successful international festival circuit in 2025, with official selections at the Cannes Indie Short Awards, Whistler Film Festival, New York Indie Short Awards, and Victoria Film Festival, and took home an award at the Art Film Spirit Awards.
Alongside Eggplant Music + Sound, The Characters, Mann Casting, and Jigsaw Casting contributed to the film’s financing, supporting its goal of sparking dialogue about AI’s role in the film and TV industry.
Left to right: Adam Greydon Reid, Lindsay Eady, Colin Mochrie, Cole Rosenberg-Pach, Adam Damelin
About Vince
Vince is a 10-minute semi-nonfictional short film that humorously explores the evolving relationship between AI and human creativity in the advertising world. Written by Lindsay Eady and Cole Rosenberg-Pach, the film is directed and edited by Adam Greydon Reid, and produced by Eggplant Music + Sound. It features Colin Mochrie, Jennifer Robertson, Ennis Esmer, Tricia Black, and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll.
Credits:
Directed, Edited & Produced by:
Adam Greydon Reid
Written by:
Lindsay Eady & Cole Rosenberg-Pach
Executive Producers:
Adam Damelin
Nicola Treadgold
Lindsay Eady
Cole Rosenberg-Pach
Co-Producer:
Kyle Welton
Cast:
Tricia Black
Ennis Esmer
Jennifer Robertson
Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll
and Colin Mochrie
Post Production
Online:
Post Producer: Zal Machado
Online Editor: Mark Driver
Colourist: Mark Driver
Graphic Designer / Art Director: Scott Johnson
Visual FX / Animation: Gabriel Stern
Audio: Eggplant Music + Sound
Executive Producers:
Adam Damelin
Nicola Treadgold
Re-Recording Mixer and Dialogue Editor:
Nathan Handy
Foley and Sound Design:
Ben Spiller
Composer:
Adam Damelin
Produced in Association With:
Eggplant Music + Sound
The Characters
Steve Mann Casting
Jigsaw Casting
Habibi Film Rentals
ACTRA
The Casting Directors Society of Canada
Talent Agents and Managers Association of Canada
Production
Director of Photography:
Samy Inayeh
Camera, Lighting and Grip Rentals:
Habibi Films
Casting:
Steve Mann
Art Director:
Jessica Grunenberg
Location Sound:
Scott Taylor
1st Assistant Camera:
Kyryll Sobelev
Script Supervisor:
Hilda Babazadeh
Gaffer:
Ryan Dioso
Key Grip:
Andrei Ermolaev
Makeup By:
Jasmine Duffey
Hair:
Rana Al-Naaj
Filmed on Location at Revolution Studios, Toronto, Ontario
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