Film
Identity, brand film, product spots
The brand system and the director's cut that anchors it, plus product promos sized for social and retail conversations.
Video production for CPG brands.
CPG video production, editorial photography, chef content, and brand strategy for food and beverage companies — grounded in WERZ's disclosed first-party work building 1971 Hook, field to shelf.
Featured film
The 1971 Hook director's cut.
The brand film for WERZ's own hot-sauce brand — the one project where we were the client, the studio, and the marketing team at once.
▶ Play with sound · 01:05- Brand
- 1971 Hook — WERZ's owned CPG brand, founded 2024
- Runtime
- 01:05
- Shot
- Hudson Valley pepper farms, kitchens, and shelf
- WERZ role
- Brand, film, photography, and content — end to end
- Distribution
- Listed in 45 Whole Foods locations (NorCal, Boise, Reno) in May 2026; the same content system runs the brand's retail and social presence.
- 45
- Whole Foods locations listed — May 2026
- 12
- 1971 Hook films in the public portfolio
- 03
- Photography series — Hudson Valley, editorial, lifestyle
- 01
- Owned brand — built end to end, field to shelf
One brand, whole arc
Field to shelf, documented.
1971 Hook is the one project where WERZ owned every step — brand, film, photography, and the retail outcome. The whole arc is public.
Full case study →Stills
The photography engine
Three series — countryside, editorial product, and lifestyle — feeding the brand's packaging, retail, and social presence.
45
Listed in 45 Whole Foods stores
The May 2026 listing. The same content system now sells the brand at shelf and runs its chef and social series.
What we do
CPG brand services.
Chef & Creator Series
Vertical-first chef content for channels such as Instagram and TikTok, scoped around real collaborators, recipes, usage rights, and approved product claims.
Full Brand Build
Brand strategy, visual identity, content systems, and launch assets, informed by WERZ's first-party work building 1971 Hook.
Campaign Strategy
Launch campaigns, retail sell-in decks, trade show content, and influencer briefs — the business layer that makes the creative work.
Influencer & Earned Media
Gifting kits, creator briefs, and UGC frameworks designed for the collaborators and channels identified in the project scope.
Brand Films
Cinema-grade brand films that tell the story behind your product — where it comes from, who makes it, and why it matters. Not a commercial. A document.
Product & Editorial Photography
Editorial, lifestyle, and packaging photography planned around the channels and formats named in the approved brief.
Clip bank
Case study →The content engine, clip by clip.
Product promos and a chef series from the same brand system — the recurring social bank a consumer brand actually runs on.
Chef Rob · crawfish
Chef Rob · oyster
Chef Rob · recipeContact sheet
Full series →The product, shot editorial.
Selected frames from the 1971 Hook editorial series — the photography engine behind the brand's retail and social presence. Click any frame.
Details
CPG / Food & Beverage, in detail.
- Built 1971 Hook
- 45 Whole Foods stores
- 65-second brand film
- Owned-brand case study
How can content support a CPG retail pitch?
Film and photography can help explain a product, sourcing story, and founder, but creative work does not guarantee a buyer meeting or placement. WERZ's disclosed first-party example is 1971 Hook, an owned hot-sauce brand listed in 45 Whole Foods locations in May 2026.
Overview
1971 Hook is a small-batch hot sauce founded by WERZ founder Sebastian Werz and sourced from Hudson Valley pepper farms. WERZ produced the identity, a 65-second director's cut brand film, an editorial campaign, a chef video series, campaign spots, and a social content library.
In May 2026, 1971 Hook was listed in 45 Whole Foods locations across Northern California, Boise, and Reno. The creative system was used during the brand's retail rollout, but WERZ does not attribute placement to any single asset. See the disclosed owned-brand case study.
1971 Hook gives WERZ first-hand experience with an owned CPG brand. It is not presented as an independent client endorsement, and the 45-store placement is not attributed to any single creative asset.
We're not just your agency.
- We own a CPG brand — we know the economics firsthand
- Strategy and production can be scoped under one engagement
- Production scope is tied to named launch and sales uses
- Social-native formats built in from the start
- Retail and DTC content in the same shoot
- Creator participation and usage are confirmed per project
FAQ
Common questions.
What does a CPG brand film production involve?
A CPG brand film starts with strategy: what story are we telling, who are we telling it to, and where will it live? From there we develop a shoot concept, location scout (often on-site at farms, kitchens, or production facilities), hire crew and talent, and produce a 1–3 minute cinematic brand film plus a library of cut-downs for digital. Typical timelines run 6–10 weeks from brief to delivery.
How much does a CPG brand video production cost?
WERZ prices CPG work after the team confirms locations, shoot days, crew, talent and usage, post-production, photography, creator participation, and deliverables. A focused film and a full brand build are different scopes; this page does not present an unsupported market average.
Do you work with early-stage CPG brands or only established ones?
Both, but we're especially good with early-stage brands that need to build from scratch. 1971 Hook had no visual identity when we started — we built everything. That zero-to-one work is where we bring the most leverage.
What food and beverage categories have you worked in?
The named CPG proof on this page is 1971 Hook, an owned hot-sauce brand with documented farm, culinary, launch, and retail work. Any new beverage, snack, or specialty-grocery scope is evaluated on its own requirements rather than presented as prior category experience.
Can you create content for both retail sell-in and DTC/social?
Yes — and we build shoots with that dual purpose baked in. A single production day can yield a brand film, packaging photography, 9:16 chef clips for Instagram, and hero images for a retail sell sheet. Smart planning means you're not paying twice.
More questions (5)
Do you handle distribution or just production?
We handle production and creative strategy. For paid media distribution, we partner with performance agencies we trust. We'll make the referral and ensure the creative is built to spec for whatever channels you're running.
How does WERZ price video, web, or marketing work?
Pricing is scope-based, not template-based. We define deliverables, audience, locations, crew, and revisions before quoting — so the budget reflects actual production needs rather than a pre-set tier.
Can WERZ work from a fixed budget?
Yes. A fixed budget works best when deliverables, locations, revision rounds, and timeline are clear before production starts. We will tell you what is achievable inside the budget rather than promise more than the scope supports.
Are there ongoing retainers, or only project work?
Both. Most marketing and web programs run as monthly retainers (strategy, content, optimization). Video and brand projects are typically scoped per engagement, with optional content retainers for ongoing assets.
How long does a typical engagement take?
Discovery and strategy run 1–2 weeks; production and build run 3–8 weeks depending on scope; launch and iteration kicks off after delivery. Marketing programs are ongoing with measurable milestones at month one, month three, and month six.
Related
Your brand deserves a film.
Tell us where you are in the build — early-stage, pre-launch, or ready to scale. We'll tell you exactly what we'd make.
Not ready for a call? Send a brief — written reply within one business day — or estimate your budget in two minutes.
- 2
- launch films featured by Y Combinator (Cosmic Robotics, Rhem Labs)
- 4 days
- Hemlock (YC F26): scoping call to a wrapped shoot
- 100K+
- impressions on Rhem Labs’ launch
- 45
- Whole Foods stores for 1971 Hook