Zach Goodwin, Cofounder of DC creative agency This January, Makes Narrative Directorial Debut With THE REPLICA

Washingtonian, writer and creative director Zach Goodwin makes his debut as a narrative director with THE REPLICA, a 14-minute science-fiction thriller that, states a release, is about an unemployed man in near-future New York City who becomes convinced his girlfriend has been replaced by a double.

Written and directed by Goodwin, the short combines psychological suspense with dark comedy, exploring technology’s increasingly intimate place in our lives—and the companies selling us a future we may not actually want.

“The premise is strange, but the feeling underneath it is pretty familiar,” said Goodwin. “Someone you love starts to feel like a stranger. I wanted to take that feeling literally and see how far it could go.”

Goodwin, cofounder and Chief Creative Officer of This January, is a two-time Cannes Lion winner, who, states the release, "created work for brands including Lufthansa, Nike Running and Angry Orchard. THE REPLICA brings that experience in building persuasive brand worlds into a story where persuasion takes a more troubling turn."

“In advertising, you spend a lot of time making the future look appealing,” said Goodwin. “For this film, I was interested in what happens when the pitch is beautiful and the thing being sold is deeply unsettling. How much are we willing to overlook if the promise sounds good enough?”