Build-A-Bear A Squeeze Away

Build-A-Bear’s “A Squeeze Away” campaign set out to capture something simple but deeply emotional: the idea that a loved one’s voice can feel just as comforting as a hug. Developed by Highdive, the social-first campaign used surreal, cinematic storytelling to showcase the brand’s “Record Your Voice” feature in a way that felt emotional, playful, and culturally relevant.

As Executive Producer, one of the biggest challenges of this project was delivering an ambitious creative vision on an extremely lean budget. The creative team referenced emotionally cinematic work in the vein of John Lewis holiday campaigns, while the production realities demanded a highly strategic and resourceful approach.

We produced four spots in a single shoot day, requiring careful planning, creative problem solving, and the right production partnerships to maximize every moment on screen. To help stretch the budget further, I leveraged the Illinois film incentive program—allowing us to reinvest tax credit value directly back into the production and elevate the overall scale and craft of the work. We also leveraged AI voice dubbing to localize one of the spots with a UK accent, allowing us to avoid additional casting and production days while maintaining consistency across the campaign.

Finding collaborators who understood how to create emotional, cinematic storytelling within tight production constraints was critical to the success of the campaign. Every decision was made with the goal of protecting the emotional core of the work while delivering a high volume of content efficiently.

This project was a reminder that great production isn’t always about having the biggest budget—it’s about building the right team, staying flexible, and finding creative ways to bring ambitious ideas to life.

Agency: Highdive

Role: Executive Producer + Senior Producer

Production Co: Picture North

Director: Edward Andrews

Post: Picture North