Go Bananas
Trade School Custom Production for Baskin-Robbins | February 2026
This was the first official Baskin-Robbins production done by Trade School after the account transferred to us from 22Squared. I was not originally on this project other than to lead the tactical media deliverables buildout post-shoot, but this is yet another example of how I often get brought in as a Swiss Army Knife Creative to fill in and do whatever is necessary… and on this one, I ended up doing a LOT.
This shoot date moved several times, so both Sara and Emma were unavailable to attend due to prior planned vacations. They were both going to be back by the time we started the tactical portion, but with the final date change for the shoot, I was needed on set at the last minute to supervise the second unit and oversee the stills shooting.
What made these two days at Maverick Studios extra fun was the presence of Tombras ALSO trying to capture organic social content at the same time we were filming. The Banana Dulce de Leche flavor wasn’t going to be available in stores for almost a month, so we were all sharing the same few tubs of ice cream to shoot everything needed for the flavor launch. And no knock on the team from Tombras – they were lovely! It was an interesting dance around each other to make sure everyone could capture what they needed.
This production was concepted to be a blend of high-fidelity and low-fi / UGC-style videography and photography – so you’ll notice most of the videos start with iPhone-shot video and transition into very lush, slow-motion videos captured on the SISU MoCo (motion control) rig shooting at 936 frames per second.
The entire floor of the studio and most of the equipment were draped in plastic because of the “food fight” theme and ingredients flying literally everywhere, thanks to the rigs Nathan Lee built to launch them into the air.
Katie watching the setup of a shot on the tabletop rig with the iPhone crew.
The studio was kept at a chilly 45º to keep the ice cream from melting too quickly, so we were almost all in winter coats.
The approved plan going into the shoot was to use only iPhone shots for all of the static units to make them feel more real and not as staged as the crave-worthy videos. As the edits started happening, though, the clients began questioning the iPhone shots being incorporated, so the stills for social became a kit-bash of high-fidelity stills from what we’d shot on the SISU rig and elements from the POP already designed by Maverick Studios rather than using ANY of the iPhone footage.
I spent an entire Saturday redoing all of our static assets post-delivery because the clients made that ultimate decision after Emma had already delivered the final files under the original direction.
It’s time for a food fight!
In March of 2026, Baskin-Robbins was Going Bananas…
With a full lineup of banana-inspired products and deals:
A limited time deal on the classic Banana Split Sundae and the launch of an all new flavor Banana Dulce de Leche, available as a scoop or shake.
Bananas Mean Business
(Provided by Baskin-Robbins)
Get in. We’re going bananas.
It’s March. And we’re eager for some madness 🐒 So we’re officially inviting you to 🍌go bananas🍌 with a line-up of irresistible, rich, and oh-so-gooey treats you’d hate to miss!
Starting creamy and delish with our Flavor of the Month, try the new banoffee pie-inspired Banana Dulce de Leche! This mouthwatering combo of banana and toffee flavors pair well with all your shenanigans. Like debating on whether bananas are actually berries or not in the family group chat 😳 serious stuff only.
And obviously, we’re not going full 🍌without our classic Banana Split Sundae! Better yet, you can now sip into all those flavors in our newest bev, our Banana Split Shake 🍓🍨💛 It’s gonna be craaaazy good, you’ll be kicking your feet for days 🤭
Whatcha waiting for?! Get in, we’re going bananas!
Visually, we’re going for playful banana energy.
Bold, but classic.
Our Way In:
Mirror the way people already talk & act when banana flavor is done right.
Because Banana is the flavor people break their own rules for.
Online, Going Bananas is shorthand for:
➔ An unexpected obsession (“I didn’t plan on loving this“)
➔ Breaking personal rules (“I don’t even like banana but…”)
➔ Treating yourself (“Why not…”)
➔ Permission to overreact (have heated reddit rants, and order two…three times?)
The Opportunity:
Give People an excuse to lean into Banana and act out.
The $6 Banana Split Sundae deal and new banana flavor drop gives people a reason to indulge mid week and obsess over— all while reminding them why Baskin-Robbins is the home of ice cream classics and new can’t-miss-flavors.
4x 6-15s videos
5x Statics from the shoot (these were later scrapped)
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