NIM SHAPIRA
Creative Director, Filmmaker & Multidisciplinary Artist
Nim Shapira is a creative director and multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of storytelling, emerging technology, and culture. His work spans documentary film, AI-driven media, immersive experiences, and large-scale commercial campaigns, and has been featured by TED, the Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes’ Marché du Film, SIGGRAPH, Slamdance, and more.
Shapira’s projects explore how technology shapes empathy, identity, and public space — from award-winning feature documentaries distributed by PBS to global brand campaigns for Nike, Coca-Cola, Oracle, Walmart, and NBCUniversal. He has served as Creative Director at JOAN Creative (Adweek’s 2022 Small Agency of the Year), was a Research Fellow at MIT’s Open Documentary Lab, an alumnus of NEW INC (New Museum), and a graduate of La Biennale di Venezia’s College Cinema for VR.
Contact: nimshap [at] gmail [dot] com
Feature Documentary: TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets (PBS Distribution)
TORN captures the emotional and social fallout of the now-iconic “KIDNAPPED” poster campaign — a grassroots effort to raise awareness about the 251 hostages taken by Hamas after the October 7 attacks. What began as a simple act of solidarity quickly became a flashpoint, igniting confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists and turning New York City’s streets into a battleground of ideology, identity, and grief. Rather than offering answers, TORN centers people: their fear, rage, compassion, and contradictions — and examines how a distant war ruptured everyday life in America. (75 min)
Commercial: PETA × Starbucks — Vegan Milk Campaign
PETA asked Shapira to create a tongue-in-cheek campaign urging Starbucks to drop its vegan milk surcharge ahead of National Coffee Day. He co-wrote and directed a short film starring Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (best known for 'Succession,' 'Six Feet Under,' and 'Babe'), portraying a fictional Starbucks executive exploiting eco-conscious customers. Outcome: Starbucks eliminated the surcharge.
Awards: 2024 Silver Lovie Winner · People’s Award
360 Campaign: S&P Global - “Seek & Prosper”
After a major merger, S&P Global needed its first ever-marketing brand campaign to prove that the company stood for something beyond the stock market.
JOAN Creative’s launch campaign titled “Seek & Prosper” left the boardroom behind and inspired visionaries to literally dive deeper, while specific industry sectors each got their own stories of curiosity and discovery.
The 360 campaign ran across TV, print, digital and social in over 30 markets in publications like The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, and Forbes.
“Seek & Prosper” Case study
VR Experience: Bystanding: The Feingold Syndrome
Israeli, Canadian and German film funds** asked me to create a virtual experience that will promote social impact in the real world.
I creative directed and directed Bystanding: The Feingold Syndrome: An immersive interactive VR experience. Using novel techniques of volumetric capture, photogrammetry, and 360º animations, the VR experience allows participants to step into strangers’ shoes and listen to their deepest confessions. Will they identify with the bystanders that stayed on the riverbank and didn’t rescue a drowning rowing champion’?
The experience premiered at the 2021 Tribeca film festival. It has been officially selected to 30+ film festivals including Cannes Film Festival, SIGGRAPH & Slamdance. It won SILVER at the TELLY AWARDS for Immersive & Mixed Reality - Social Impact, "Best Virtual Narrative Experience" at the LOVIE AWARDS, and “Best Immersive Documentary Experience” at the W3 AWARDS.
Click HERE for more.
**Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, KAN - the Israeli public broadcaster, ‘Mifal HaPais’ Council for the Culture and Arts, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
Teaser for Bystanding: The Feingold Syndrome
AI Experiment: “Blue Jeans & Bloody Tears”
ORACLE wanted to demonstrate their AI and cloud capabilities in connection with the Eurovision Song Competition.
To achieve this, I created the first artificial intelligence-generated Eurovision song, titled "Blue Jeans & Bloody Tears." This humorous and catchy duet about disillusioned love between a man and a machine was composed entirely by AI.
Within hours of its release, the video reached millions of views on YouTube without any paid promotion, and received widespread media attention. The song was not only well-received, but also outperformed official Eurovision entries.
2023 TED featured video
2020 WEBBY HONOREE ART & EXPERIMENTAL
2019 LOVIE AWARDS WINNER (THE EUROPEAN “WEBBY” AWARDS): GOLD IN INTERNET VIDEO: WEIRD & EXPERIMENTAL
2019 LOVIE AWARDS WINNER: BRONZE IN INTERNET VIDEO: VIRAL VIDEO
2019 THE WRONG BIENNALE
2019 NEURIPS CREATIVITY WORKSHOP
Click HERE for more.
Webseries: Wallmart’s CAMP Featuring LeBron James: An Interactive Webisode
In response to COVID-19, Walmart created an online camp, a web-based interactive experience, hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, who served as a head camp counselor.
The experience had 100 interactive episodes that lead to 150 activities to keep kids and parents active.
I creative directed and directed CAMP Featuring LeBron James: An Interactive Webisode, an enjoyable and stimulating way for children to stay physically active.
Click HERE for more.
Commercial: PETA x Siri Update “Truth Mode“
PETA asked me to create a campaign that would reveal the truth about the dairy, egg, and meat industries in an unconventional way.
I wrote and directed a video called "Truth Mode," which initially appears to be a typical commercial for smart devices. However, it ultimately reveals itself to be a humorous campaign that uses a fictional software-update to provide honest answers about the practices in the animal protein industry.
Click HERE for more.
Interactive Commercial: Nike Canada’s “PLAY LESS NICE“
NIKE Canada wanted to pay tribute to the World Juniors Hockey Championship and asked me to enhance their PLAY LESS NICE campaign with an interactivty.
I creative directed a choose-your-own adventure game that allowed players to explore the commonly held belief that Canadians are particularly polite and apologetic, providing a fun and engaging way to celebrate the event.
Click HERE for more.
Webseries: Warner Music Group: An Interactive Game
Warner Music Group wanted to provide a unique and engaging way for users to interact with Warner Music Group's music video collection.
I creative directed this interactive trivia game that titled Mind Blown. This 80s-inspired web-based experience is not only fun to play, but also entertaining to watch, as the host's head explodes if you get an answer wrong.
Webby Awards: Best Use of Interactive Video (Nominee)
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Installation: PETA’s Boycott Seaworld
PETA wanted to raise awareness to SeaWorld's mistreatment of marine animals, and to encourage people to boycott SeaWorld. I created the BOYCOTT SEAWORLD campaign and arranged for a semi-trailer truck to travel around San Diego during peak tourist season, accompanied by a LED mobile truck at night.
Click HERE for more.
