The Holiday ad world is not for amateurs
By mid-November, the holiday creatives are still scrambling: talent, sets, props,
permits, motion, stills. If your brand wants to stand out in 2025’s seasonal clutter,
you need more than joy and fake snow — you need poetry in motion, who had done it before and, knows how to make chaos look magical.
Stewart Cohen has shot everything from hospitality to portraiture to humor reels. He’s
not shocked by weird weather, union logistics, pre-lighting nightmares, or that last-minute script rewrite at sunrise.
Why holiday shoots are their own beast
- Timing & logistics — you can shoot snow simulators, gift unwrappings, nighttime
exteriors, or ice rinks only in tight windows. - Casting & art direction — seasonal specificity (sweaters, ornaments, mood).
- Motion + still synergy — often you’ll want a hero still, social motion cut, TV-length
spot, behind-the-scenes microcontent. - Emotional cueing — the line between “festive” and “corny” is razor thin. You want
warm, not cheesy.
Stewart has built a full-service studio in Dallas that supports video, stills, lounges, and
client comfort.
Stewart doesn’t just snap pretty frames. Whether it’s a still, a short film, or a hybrid,
he brings narrative muscle. His portfolio is a testament — anything from Gatorade
to The Cosmopolitan to Family Dollar (holiday) to American Airlines travel lifestyle.
Imagine your brand’s holiday campaign as a short film: a quiet moment under
string lights, a child’s dreaming gaze, a slow pan across a festooned store window.
Stewart knows how to time that “beat” visually so it breathes.
Over the years he’s been featured in Communication Arts, profiled by Adweek,
and honored in archives of top advertising photographers. Yet he retains a
friendly, self-effacing humor. Ask his students at SMU that he has helped. He shows up, cracks jokes, but expects you to bring your A-game.
By November, top talents are booked. Equipment, crew, locations, client
approvals — they all get harder. If you want your holiday visuals to be elevated
and not “‘just fine,’” now is the time to lock in.
So let’s talk. Stewart and team are ready. You bring your brand, your holiday
vision, your festive weird ideas. They bring decades of lighting mastery, a full
studio, humor, and the ability to make even Santa look cinematic.
