Stay with Me

How Rio hosts invited the world to their doorstep

Categories: Behind the Scenes — Roger Hoard

Here in the Art Department, we’ve found the most interesting stories are the ones that happen away from our computer screens. Lived experiences resonate more than those you make up, especially when it comes to a community like ours, where hosts and guests create magical stories every day.

With that in mind, the in-house creative and production team left their desks and co-created three films with Malu, Daniel, and Bernardo. Entitled “Stay With Me,” the effort is a look through the eyes of these three Rio superhosts as they share all the cuisine, nightlife, and precious hideaways that make a stay with them so entirely unique. The team included a producer, writer, cameraman, photographer, and director duo who flew over to meet, get to know, and celebrate these hospitable souls in a way that could only come to life through our platform.

This required not one conversation, but several as we immersed ourselves in their lives for a few days. We toured their neighborhoods, hung out at their favorite restaurants, met people near and dear to them, and after awhile a narrative began to form naturally. Once we all agreed on the stories they wanted to tell, we partnered with a local film crew to help make the film more authentic. For instance, our sound recordist Paulo meticulously captured bird chirps and traffic noise that he was convinced locals would recognize. And given he handled all the sound for the movie “City of God,” who were we to argue?

 

Another key player was Alessandra, our assistant director. She made sure street parties were spontaneous, wall murals were credible, and Capoeira dancers were on point. Not to mention she ran one seriously tight ship. All these nuances were crucial, given the primary audience would be Brazilian travelers.  And having production partners who truly understand the textures and flavors of the region makes for work that speaks to the heart.

We unlock our community’s creativity through collaboration. And that collaboration is and will always be the inspiration for everything we do in the Art Department, whether that be with hosts, artists, or those who happen to be both. And the wider our pool of collaborators becomes, the richer our stories will become. To view the full campaign, check out the stories from MaluBernardo and Daniel (for english subtitles click the CC tab).

 

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Dillon Petrillo, Ian Rowe, Adam Hobbs, Allison Gay, Holly Butler, and Roger Hoard make up the in-house creative production team who co-create stories like these and many more.

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Roger Hoard is a Creative Lead in the Art Department. You’ll find him either running, dancing, or toying with words at his desk.

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