We spoke to Gramafilm production superstar, Jessica Palmarozza Bere, about what it took to produce the latest Android Show. The largest online Android developer event in the world.
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Since 2021, we’ve partnered with Google Android to create #TheAndroidShow, a series of global livestream events & short episodes built around creating conversations with the Android developer community. With over 95M views across all assets, #TheAndroidShow has quickly taken the developer world by storm, solidifying its position as Android's largest online developer marketing event. We spoke to lead producer & Gramafilm superstar, Jessica Palmarozza Bere, about how she approached the latest edition!
Android Show 2023, Q3 - Recap
Each Android Show has had a particular focus, could you quickly give a little backdrop of this show's focus?
Sure! This episode the focus was on developer productivity, exploring the latest innovations and changes from the Android platform which make it faster and easier for developers to build their apps.
The show explored tools developers can use to make their apps feel premium and responsive to the ever-changing variety of screen sizes across the Android ecosystem. Screens just like the Pixel Watch II.
Despite entering its third year, the show continues to introduce fresh elements, such as the 'Made by Google' segment. Why?
‘Made by Google’ was a new segment we introduced as an opportunity to showcase the latest device from the Google team - the Pixel Watch II. We travelled to New York to film at the super secure launch event which was taking place at the Pier 57 Google offices, a beautiful new renovation on the west side of Manhattan.
Excitingly, we were amongst the first members of the public to see the device. We even had two Google experts chat us through the features and why developers should be excited to adapt their apps for the watch face.
This new Google hardware definitely deserved a new Android show segment.
Android Show 2023 - Made by Google
We also made five Android Developer Stories, over double our normal episodic output. Our stories for Kayak, Zoom, Snapchat, Threads and Reddit were filmed all across the US in locations such as Boston, New York, and the Bay Area.
I noticed Nick Butcher, who hosts that segment, works for Android, whilst Annyce Davis, #TAS co-host, is part of the developer community. What advantage does having these hosts bring to the show?
A big one. As in previous episodes, bringing a Googler and a developer together as hosts acted as a surrogate for the wider conversation between Android and the community of developers. We wanted the Android Show to feel like a conversation with fellow developers, so having the hosts be developers themselves was a no-brainer.
Co-host Annyce Davis is part of the Google Developer Expert programme, which means she acts as a liaison between Android and the community and speaks at conferences around the world in this role. This made her the perfect host and Google spokesperson.
With Nick, it was fantastic to be working together again, as we filmed with him back in 2021 on a previous project we shot for the Android Developer team. He’s definitely a natural in front of the camera and it was great to have someone on set who could really dig into the developer details. As he is a fellow Brit who had travelled to New York, especially for the shoot, we were able to swap jet lag stories and soak up the beautiful autumn (or should I say ‘fall’) sun we were lucky enough to have.
You worked with Android's US team to produce the Android Show, how was that?
One of the highlights of this episode was getting to be on set with lead client, Christopher. After collaborating on so many projects together remotely, it felt like a novelty to be in the same room or in this case, on the same rooftop!
For each of the episodes, we work closely with the internal studio team at Google who take care of the live broadcast elements of the show. We cover all of the pre-recorded segments, and they stick it together with the live elements like the Q&A and the tech demos. Quite the production.
Android also had a total brand refresh recently, how was working that into the new Android Show?
There were two major elements to the Android rebrand; first, the introduction of 3D elements, and secondly, bringing back the body of the robot.
You know, these guys…
We started by updating the intro sequence which plays at the beginning of the broadcast. New 3D line, new shapes, new lozenge all made an appearance.
We also needed to update all of the typography and transitions including astons, end cards, stings and on screen graphics, to match the new design aesthetic which was a challenge within the time frame. We enjoyed experimenting with the new neon green colour in the Android palette as well as introducing more of the Google blue to tie the brands closer together. You can also see these new bots in our Android 2023 wrap-up.
Finally, how was shooting on Google’s new roof??
We filmed the co-hosts in the public garden which is on top of Pier 57 which has stunning views of downtown Manhattan and across the river to New Jersey. Even though it was a little hazy on shoot day, you could still make out the Statue of Liberty in the distance. It was sunny and dry all day. While the crew appreciated the dryness, we had to work quite hard to combat the direct sun on the hosts faces which meant using a fair bit of lighting kit, but luckily we were in the capable hands of gaffer Johnny and fixer Michael who had all the necessary bits of gear on site.
