Beyond the Brief: How Motion Sickness, Dylan Pharazyn + Kathmandu found comfort in nature

Kathmandu’s latest global campaign ‘Outside, your comfort zone’ redefines what it means to feel at home in nature – inviting people to find calm, connection and renewal outdoors. Created in partnership with Motion Sickness and directed by Dylan Pharazyn, the work takes a quieter, more human approach to the outdoor category. In this edition of Beyond the Brief, Head of Brand Marketing Angela Flynn, Executive Creative Director Sam Stuchbury and Director Dylan Pharazyn unpack the thinking, craft and emotion behind the campaign.

From Kathmandu’s perspective, what was the insight or challenge that shaped the brief and ultimately inspired this campaign?

Angela Flynn: The brief was to connect people with the outdoors, and to make clear why Kathmandu should be the gear partner of choice. The context behind that brief is that we acknowledge today’s world is designed to keep us inside, which has made us believe that getting outside is hard. It doesn’t need to be. The true human ‘comfort zone’ is out there. It’s not just about the strenuous climbs to the summit, or the battle with extreme environments… it’s about the small moments that bring stillness, grounding and revival. And that’s what the campaign conveys. Kathmandu is enabling people to experience those small moments, and the transformative power of nature as a result. We’re really proud of that.

How did the idea of positioning nature as home come about, and what gave you confidence it was the right direction for the brand?

Sam Stuchbury: When we looked at the category, we noticed how many outdoor brands frame nature as something to battle, wild, dangerous, something you need to be protected from. But for most of us, the outdoors is where we actually feel most at ease. That’s where the idea started: what if the outdoors wasn’t something to conquer, but somewhere to get comfortable? It captured the simplicity and warmth that had been missing from the category. It felt true to Kathmandu’s spirit, and everyone who saw it connected with it straight away.

What were some of the biggest creative or production challenges you had to solve along the way?

SS: Time was the biggest constraint we had to capture a lot in a very short window, so we designed the shoot to be simple, smart, and close together geographically. That meant being decisive about blocking, movement, and light. On top of that, the work needed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global outdoor brands, so maintaining a world-class level of craft was key. A lot of the challenge was about restraint: trusting the purity of the idea and not overcomplicating it. Simplicity was the hardest and best decision we made.

What went into designing bespoke soundscapes for each scene?

Dylan Pharazyn: Our sound designer and composer, Max Scott, helped create a rich, immersive audio world central to the storytelling. We recorded detailed ambient sounds across the locations, layering textures to give each place its own presence. Early on, the sound feels almost interior — a subtle misread of comfort — before gradually opening to the full scale of nature. The close-up moments are soft and intimate, staying close to the characters’ inner world. The music is a restrained, atmospheric drone — carrying emotion gently, sitting low in the mix as if the landscape itself is holding the feeling. I love when sound and image quietly work together — when film puts you under its spell.

Was there a particular moment in the process, on set, in post, or otherwise that stood out as a highlight?

SS: Getting the 35mm film footage back from Belgium was definitely a standout moment. We’d shot on the Sony Venice and projected that digitally captured footage onto film, which was a bit of a creative gamble. But when we saw the results — the texture, contrast, and emotion it brought — it completely elevated the work. There’s a subtle feeling that audiences might not consciously notice, but they feel it. It’s what gives the campaign that depth and warmth.

Kathmandu has a history of strong brand campaigns. How did you approach building on that legacy while still making something new?

SS: Kathmandu’s legacy has always been tied to the transformative power of nature, that sense of renewal and connection that comes from being out there. Our goal was to continue that tradition while finding a more modern and emotionally resonant language. “Outside is your comfort zone” does that beautifully. It doesn’t shout. It just reframes the relationship between people and the outdoors in a fresh, human way. The challenge was to make something that felt timeless but still moved the brand forward.

The campaign looks like a big collaborative effort. Who were the key partners you worked with to bring it all together?

DP: It was a small crew and a low-key approach — the simplicity of the idea really guided how we wanted to shoot it.

Our DOP, and my good friend, Adam Luxton, was central to the project. We’ve worked together for years and share a deep love of nature and transcendental realism — that search for meaning in stillness, in the quiet observation of real life. Adam has a rare sensitivity to light and landscape, and together we tried to let the environment speak for itself.

We found our locations in the Coromandel, not far from where we live, which meant we could return often — testing cameras and quietly tuning in to how the place wanted to be filmed.

For casting, we put out a local call and 200 people showed up. The final cast was a group of real friends from the area — grounded young people with an honesty and inner life you can feel on screen.