We Need To Talk

Client: MTV

Roles Performed: Executive Creative Director, Creator, Story & Scripting Lead, Visual Development, Production Director, Sound Design

Description: We Need To Talk is a six-episode short series that was commissioned by MTV Asia, which was ultimately dubbed into several additional languages and broadcast across Asia and Europe.

We Need To Talk tells the story of a puzzled Al chatbot named DIA as they attempt to understand the actions of their user. The episodes touched on topics including streaming, dating, digital image manipulation, hopelessness and our place in the world, and what our relationships are with our ‘digital assistants’.

This was a challenging project, as the subject of human interaction with self-aware AI has been done — a lot. By making the story an examination of how a concerned ‘alien’ would view our obsessive interactions with technology, we managed to strike a nerve.

For the production of We Need To Talk, I was responsible for the stories and scripting, the creation of the lead character, leading the visual development of the series, and assisting with the sound design. 

The series was recognized as an Honoree in the Social Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion category of the 2022 Webby Awards.