NAT GEO – ENTERTAIN YOUR BRAIN
Manny Bernardez - Director /Mark Robin – Editor Sara Odze – Designer/Animator Ned Piyadarakorn – Animator /Milan Boncich – Colorist /Greg Cutler – Flame Artist Rob Meyers - Executive Producer / Click Entertainment Megan Kelly - Executive Producer / Managing Director - Live Action Matthew O’Shea – Line Producer Michele Watkins – Post Producer Heard CityCory Melious – Sound Designer / Re-Recording Mixer Music Composed by Able Baker Kinema Films Jose Ludlow - CEO Dalia Sierra - Head of Production Bernardo Trujillo - Production Designer Luis Sansans - Director of Photography National Geographic Channels International Liz Dolan - CMO FIC & NGCI Emanuele Madeddu - SVP Creative and Marketing NGCI Alyshia Linares - Marketing Director NGCI
What better way to celebrate curiosity than with a four-ton chain reaction designed to do one thing: entertain your brain.
Built in the spirit of Rube Goldberg, this kinetic spectacle unfolds in a single, unbroken shot—led by Street Genius host Tim Shaw as he sets the first trigger in motion. What begins with the tap of a Newton’s Cradle escalates quickly: bowling-ball pendulums, gear-driven descents, monowheel tightrope crossings, oversized dominoes, and a wind-propelled VW Beetle. Each element plays its part in a larger, scientific symphony of chaos and delight.
The contraption featured 38 triggers and 71 moving parts in total, weighing over four tons once assembled. Conceived by director Manny Bernardez in close collaboration with production designer Bernardo Trujillo, the design was engineered for more than spectacle. Every movement, color, and transition was crafted to build toward a final, unexpected reveal: a bird’s-eye view of the entire machine, laid out in the proportions of National Geographic’s iconic golden rectangle.
Filmed at the Otomi Ceremonial Center outside Mexico City, the location added cultural depth and scale to match the ambition of the piece. And while the final beat may be a levitating Earth surrounded by fireworks, the idea at the heart of it all is simple: when science sets things in motion, wonder follows.
The piece was honored with two Gold PROMAX BDA Awards—for Best Direction and Best Program Spot.