Unfiltered: Digitec Galaxus releases film marking its 25th anniversary
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Digitec Galaxus has got itself – and its customers – a very special gift. A short film that reveals how the company got off the ground, almost collapsed, then ended up growing larger and larger.
It all starts with frustration. A young Oliver Herren takes a bite of his kebab. He and his buddy Florian Teuteberg have just been turned away by a nightclub bouncer. Again. The solution? Florian thinks he’s cracked it: «If we ever want to get in anywhere, we’ll have to start our own club.»
This conversation spawned a success story that almost all of Switzerland is familiar with. At least, that’s how it’s portrayed in Unfiltered, the film Digitec Galaxus has made to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Those who’ve been following the company’s story for a while might remember its earlier productions, including Digiteco, the film marking its tenth anniversary. This new company film asks the ultimate question: how did it all begin? The biopic, made in true Digitec Galaxus style, delivers the answer. One thing’s for certain: nobody’s ever seen a company film like this before.
The road to filming
From a trailer idea to a 15-minute film
«This isn’t actually what we planned to make at all,» says Eva Lipecki, the Senior Brand Communications Manager who led the project. «At the first pitch meeting we held, there were two ideas for how we could mark our 25th anniversary. A biopic – a film-based biography of the company – was the most popular one. But it was just supposed to be a trailer for a fictional film, not an actual film. Although our adverts are sometimes fairly long, we’ve never ventured into blockbuster-length territory.»
The result was a 15-minute short film with several accompanying trailers.
And then came the question of the film’s title, Unfiltered. «If you watch the film, you’ll interpret the title in two different ways,» says Jessica Sonderegger, who worked on the project as a freelance producer. It intentionally references the thousands of search filters used in the online shop to make it easier for customers to find the right product.
Casting the lead actors
Looking back on the project, Eva Lipecki describes it as «rock ’n’ roll» and a lot of fun. The road from concept to cutting room required a joint effort from Digitec Galaxus employees and experts in lighting, make-up, set design and locations. About 30 company employees starred as extras in the film.
Director and author Jelena Vujovic says she could’ve easily made a feature film. «There are so many interesting, funny anecdotes stemming from the company’s 25-year history,» says the filmmaker, who most recently worked on the series «Tschugger» (SRF and Sky). The Digitec Galaxus project presumably had to be completed on a smaller budget and a tighter schedule. «For the sake of the story and the budget, the main thing we had to do was strip things back. So choosing what to keep in and leave out was tough.»
So how were the actors playing Digitec founders Florian Teuteberg and Oliver Herren cast? «Lookalike casting calls are extremely challenging,» says Amber Roth, a member of the Digitec Galaxus Design Team. But as soon as she and her colleagues set eyes on Jonathan Fiebig (Florian) and Joël Schnabel (Oliver), they immediately agreed they were the right choice. Perhaps the actors will now have people stopping them on the street to ask why their parcel has been delayed.
A company party premiere
The film recently premiered at the Digitec Galaxus’s annual company party in Zurich. Essentially as a substitute for a motivational «We’re the best, let’s smash it!» speech from the CEO.
Unfiltered is now available for anyone to watch. And if you’re wondering whether the film depicts what really happened with 100 per cent accuracy, the answer is: yep, sure, absolutely. Except for this one thing, perhaps.
Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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