01 Feb Caruso Co teams up for Slack’s “Work Is Broken”
Slack “Work Is Broken”
Produced by Caruso Company.
Caruso Company was approached by tech giant Slack to help craft “Work Is Broken”, a brand film telling the story of a modern office meltdown. We approached one of our director pals, Syra McCarthy to lend a hand. Srya, who is also a busy actor and has a singular flair for comedy, brought her actor’s sense of timing and her deep film-making chops to the project.
The film unfolds over the course of one very familiar workday—where nothing quite goes according to plan. A cast of everyday office workers battles glitchy tech, disconnected tools, and systems that seem determined to work against them. Log-ins freeze. Emails vanish. Texts pile up. Productivity teeters on the edge. The idea is straightforward: take everyday workflow issues and turn the volume up. The scenarios stay recognizable, but the reactions and timing lean into the absurd.
In this slightly absurd universe, small technical hiccups snowball into full-blown workflow chaos—the kind that makes you stare into the middle distance and question everything… or jump from your desk chair and run screaming. Then comes a simple idea: what if work actually worked? Slack suggests another way.
The edit, handled by 1606 Studio with Doug Walker, plays a big role in pacing—letting moments breathe just long enough before tipping into the next problem. Music and sound design from Temp Love build alongside the action, adding momentum without losing clarity.
We hope you enjoy the ride.