November, 2025.– In this Roastbrief interview, Justin Barnes, Executive Creative Director and Founding Partner at VERSUS, reflects on the making of We Are Versus — a film and book that together form a love letter to the creative industry and the people who shape it. At a time when the conversation around automation and AI dominates the creative landscape, VERSUS chose to go in the opposite direction: to celebrate humanity, craft, and community.
The project emerged from a simple but powerful idea — to give the creative community a voice. Through an old answering machine connected to a studio phone line, hundreds of collaborators, clients, and friends shared unscripted thoughts about creativity, the industry, and their own experiences. These messages became the foundation of a visual and emotional collage that captures the diversity, honesty, and resilience of creative people everywhere.
Complemented by a 400-page printed book, We Are Versus stands as a reminder that creativity is not disposable — it’s meant to be experienced, held, and remembered. For Barnes, the message is clear: real creativity is imperfect, emotional, and human. “The work and the community are worth it,” he says. “In a world defined by automation, this project reminds us why we create — and who we create for.”
1. What was the initial inspiration behind *We Are Versus*, and how did the idea of turning the camera inward to celebrate the creative community come about?
We actually wanted to turn it outward and let clients, partners, collaborators and the community speak to creativity and we do, collectively. We wanted to make something that spoke with the people who define us. “We Are Versus” was born from the idea that creativity lives not just in what we make, but in the people, stories, and shared spirit that shape it. It is something bigger than ourselves, less about self-congratulation, more about connection, and a reminder of why creativity matters and who we make it with.
2. Could you elaborate on the process of setting up the hotline and inviting collaborators, clients, and artists to leave unscripted messages?
We installed a new phone line at the Versus office and had our IT person figure out how to connect an old answering machine to it, which was not easy. Once that was set up, we reached out to people in our industry and our network that we knew best, to invite them to just call in and speak about creativity, our industry, what drives them and what the Versus “Spirit” means to them. As we started getting powerful responses, we opened up the idea to more people, inviting them to contribute and share their thoughts.
2B. What kind of responses did you receive, and were there any particularly surprising or memorable submissions?
We were surprised at the number of people who called and left messages. Hundreds came in, and they were from all over the world and at all hours. Some were venting on the industry, some speaking on the power of creativity, and others about how creating for a living has changed them. One person did a freestyle rap, our editor’s Mother called in and left a message of how proud she was of her son, a longtime client and friend of the studio who is on the verge of retiring, called in and poured his heart out about the creative industry and what his career has meant to him. Recently laid-off people called and voiced concerns for the future, while others spoke to how a new age of creativity is here and they are more excited than ever.
It was an incredible overview of where the industry is and how the people in it are feeling. Overall, it was all positive; the spark and spirit, and love for what we do are actually stronger than ever. It was reassuring. Only two people left their names, so we are not sure who is who, which we love. It’s almost anonymous.
3. The project launches alongside a 400-page printed book. How does the book complement the film, and what does it offer that the film does not, particularly in capturing the studio’s evolution and analog processes?
We see the book and the film as a single statement, a dual release that stands together. The book is the physical record of the work, and the film is the voice of the community that powers it.
The “We Are Versus” book presents the studio’s journey and mission in physical form, part monograph, part archive, part celebration. For our clients, partners, and the people who contributed to the film, seeing the work printed across 400 heavy pages, bound into a solid hardcover book, signals something bigger and more lasting: that the work we did together is permanent, important, and timeless. To hold the book and see the work in this light makes the impact stronger, more tangible, and more meaningful.
To us, this is really important right now as SO much work is being created and we just move on to the next. We need to hold onto the creative journey we took to make something a bit more.
There is very little copy or text in the book. We didn’t feel the need to explain or analyze the work, only to celebrate it. The film already speaks enough for what we are doing. The book serves as its counterpart, a signal that the work itself, and the community behind it, are both important and enduring.
We are not selling the book, we are giving away every copy to everyone who has helped or had an impact on the studio, big or small.
4. In an industry increasingly focused on automation, *We Are Versus* emphasizes art and community. Was this a deliberate counter-narrative, and what message do you hope to convey about the role of human creativity in the current landscape?
Absolutely. None of this was easy or straightforward, and that’s the point. The work and the community are worth it. There is so much noise around AI, industry uncertainty, and the supposed threat to creativity itself. With this project, we’re choosing to refocus on what truly matters: people, community, and the craft of making meaningful work.
We hope that “We Are Versus” serves as a reminder and a rallying cry that we’re all in this together: clients, collaborators, and creatives alike. The spirit of Versus is the collective spirit of the industry itself.
From the printed book to the vintage answering machine, the analog nature was intentional and turned the project into a timely celebration of process, imperfection, and our collective drive to create. In a moment defined by automation and acceleration, We Are Versus stands as proof that creativity, at its core, is still deeply human.
5. What challenges did you face in creating a visual collage from diverse audio recordings, and how did you ensure that the film maintained a cohesive narrative and visual style?
Yeah, great question. Cutting down all the messages was tough; we could have easily made the film 10 minutes long. Building a narrative that kept the energy, conveyed the emotion, and drove the message was a challenge. We know that we have around 90 seconds of attention, so every second counts. The visual style was meant to feel very raw and very Versus. The work itself is polished; this frame we built to show it could be loose and experimental, much like the creative process itself.
6. How do you envision the film and companion book being used or experienced by the creative community? What kind of impact do you hope *We Are Versus* will have on individuals and the industry as a whole?
We hope it inspires and gives a bit of energy and light to the creative community. We know there is uncertainty and we know it’s increasingly tough to make it in this industry, but we also know that nothing is going to stop any of us from creating. I also hope that we start to look at studios and creatives for more than just the work, but what they bring to the community as well.
Most studios might not have taken the time, or found shortcuts, or cut costs, etc… but we didn’t, we put in the work, and we loved every moment of it.
That’s not to say we didn’t have our doubts the entire time making this. Would it work? Will it resonate? Are people going to understand what we are trying to do? In the end, it didn’t matter, we were celebrating the studio, the people, the industry and creativity itself in the only way we know how, by making something.
7. Given the rich media files you’ve provided, are there any specific excerpts or elements you would particularly like us to highlight in our article to best showcase the project?
We like how it’s laid out on our site. Showing a bit of the making of the book, some imagery, and leaving a bit up to interpretation.
8. Finally, what does “creativity” mean to Versus today, especially in light of this project and the current industry trends?
That’s the right question, and one we wake up every day trying to figure out.
The Versus studio is designed to look at things through a different lens, a lens shaped by experience, perspective, emotion, skills, talent, society, and collaboration.
As the industry shifts and evolves, so will we, but we will never lose the Versus ethos and spirit.
So for today, for us, “creativity” is taking something that everyone sees and feels and framing it into something meaningful and unexpected.
