A star-powered comedy built on a meta writers’ room premise, directed by a Taika-adjacent comedy talent. It positions Skip’s rebrand with sharp, self-aware humor and a Canadian cultural wink.
Released on October 8, 2025, “The Writer’s Room” is the latest — and largest — commercial campaign from Skip (formerly SkipTheDishes) starring Canadian comedy icons Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg |(well known in the advertising industry for ads for Lay or Hyundai). This two-and-a-half-minute ad delivers sharp, self-aware humor through a clever meta premise: Rogen and Goldberg appear as themselves in a writer’s room brainstorming outrageous movie ideas, only to find every plot foiled by Skip’s ultra-convenient delivery service. Directed by Rogen’s longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg – a comedic filmmaker with a style reminiscent of Taika Waititi’s irreverent wit – the spot uses its celebrity duo not just as spokespersons, but as integral characters in a winkingly Canadian narrative. The result is a standout campaign that both entertains and underscores Skip’s recent rebrand and expanded services.
A Meta Writers’ Room Comedy
“The Writer’s Room” plays out like a sketch straight from a Hollywood brainstorming session. Seth Rogen and his writing partner (portrayed by Evan Goldberg) pitch over-the-top blockbuster scenarios, but each time their dramatic setup collapses almost immediately – thanks to Skip. In one scene, a tense mafia standoff loses all its stakes when the would-be hero simply orders takeout through Skip instead of confronting the mob boss. In another, a struggling underdog boxer never gets his big break because he uses Skip to get groceries, meaning he’s never “discovered” while bagging oranges at the local store. These tongue-in-cheek vignettes parody classic movie tropes and highlight a comedic paradox: in a world where Skip can deliver whatever you need at the tap of a button, traditional conflicts and inconveniences just don’t happen. The ad’s self-referential style is very much in line with Rogen and Goldberg’s humor – akin to their award-winning meta-comedy series “The Studio” – blending satire and absurdity to poke fun at both filmmaking and modern convenience.
Star Power with a Canadian Wink
Having Seth Rogen as the face of Skip’s new campaign is a deliberate nod to Canadian culture and humor. Rogen, a Vancouver-born “homegrown” talent, brings an authentic charm that resonates with Canadian audiences. His comedic persona – seen in films like Superbad and Pineapple Express, and most recently in The Studio – is all about finding hilarity in everyday situations. In “The Writer’s Room,” Rogen leans into that persona, delivering deadpan reactions as each grand movie idea unravels due to Skip’s too-easy solutions. The on-screen chemistry between Rogen and Evan Goldberg (longtime friends and co-writers) makes their banter feel natural, as if we’re watching two real-life buddies riff on a goofy idea (which, in truth, we are). It’s clear the duo had creative input beyond just acting; in fact, Seth Rogen played a key role in developing and storyboarding this concept alongside the agency’s team. “Evan and I always have a lot of fun being a part of a campaign that allows us to run with an idea. It’s an added bonus when we can create moments that feel relatable and unmistakably Canadian,” Rogen said about the project.
Indeed, the whole campaign gives a sly Canadian wink. There are little Easter eggs for those in the know – at one point, Rogen name-drops a few of his favorite Canadian snacks (poutine, ketchup chips, donair) to drive home the local flavor. Even if you miss those details, the very act of putting Seth Rogen front and center is a celebration of Canadian talent. “No one captures Canadian spirit and humour quite like Seth Rogen,” said Skip’s VP of Marketing, Rachel MacAdam, explaining that Rogen’s love of food, Canadian culture, and ability to find comedy in everyday moments made him the perfect collaborator for this campaign. In short, Skip isn’t just using a celebrity for fame’s sake – it’s tapping into Canadian star power and pride, giving the brand a fun, relatable personality that Canadians can call their own.
Skip’s Rebrand – “Skip to the Good Part”
Beyond the laughs, “The Writer’s Room” serves a strategic purpose: spotlighting Skip’s evolution from a restaurant delivery app into a broader convenience platform. In 2024, the company officially shortened its name from SkipTheDishes to just Skip, and introduced the slogan “Skip to the Good Part.” This signaled a commitment to help customers skip the hassle and get straight to whatever they need. Since that rebrand, Skip has expanded well beyond restaurant orders, adding more retail and convenience partners to its network. The new campaign doubles down on that message. The scenarios in the ad cleverly demonstrate that whatever obstacle or craving arises – whether it’s hunger pangs or a late-night need from the drugstore – Skip has it covered in seconds, effectively “skipping” the trouble. The writers’ room concept itself reinforces the tagline: whenever a character in their movie pitch tries to reach the good part of the story, Skip essentially jump-cuts them there by instantly resolving the conflict.
Bold Creative, Behind the Scenes
“The Writer’s Room” marks Skip’s biggest advertising push to date, and it shows in the high production value and top-notch talent involved. The spot was developed by Toronto agency Courage (the indie shop behind many of Canada’s buzzy campaigns) in close collaboration with Rogen and Goldberg. Rather than a standard plug-and-play celebrity endorsement, the creative team aimed for something more original. “We didn’t want to do another ‘celebrity endorsement’,” explains Dhaval Bhatt, Courage’s Co-Chief Creative Officer. “Seth’s persona is so woven into pop culture and storytelling that we wanted to create something that felt distinct – not just an ad featuring Seth.” In other words, they let Rogen be Rogen. The concept of “Skip ruining movie plots” arose from a clever insight: good stories need conflict, but Skip’s service removes conflict by solving problems too conveniently. What if, the team wondered, a delivery app existed in a movie universe? It would probably wreck a lot of classic scenes. Rogen and Goldberg loved that premise and jumped on board. According to Courage, the writing process became a big brainstorming jam session – with the agency’s writers and the Hollywood duo pitching funny scenarios back and forth. “Imagine volleying ideas about writing movies with the guys who wrote Superbad and The Studio,”* Bhatt recalls, “Once we got jamming with Evan on the scripts, everyone was just pushing for the funniest bit.” That collaborative spirit comes through in the final script, which is packed with Seth & Evan’s brand of humor.
Behind the camera, Evan Goldberg not only plays Seth’s scene partner but also directs the ad (with Seth Rogen himself credited as co-director). Goldberg — who has co-directed films with Rogen and shares a similarly offbeat comedic sensibility — brings a cinematic flair to the commercial’s pacing and visual gags. The production was handled by Spy Films (with LA-based Caviar co-producing), and they treated the spot like a mini-movie. From the slick cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra to the detailed set design, every element heightens the spoof of Hollywood storytelling. In fact, if it weren’t for the Skip app appearing on-screen, one might think they were watching a trailer for the next Seth Rogen comedy flick. All these elements come together in a tight 2:34 runtime that balances narrative and brand messaging deftly, reflecting a real “dream team” effort between the brand, agency, and comedic talent.
Reception and Key Takeaways
Early reactions to “The Writer’s Room” suggest that Skip’s gamble on humor and star power is paying off. The campaign debuted across Canada on TV, YouTube, and social media, and it’s hard to miss – whether you’re seeing the full 2.5-minute film online or a quick 15-second cut-down during a commercial break. For many viewers, the ad elicits a “wait, was that Seth Rogen?” double-take followed by genuine laughs at how accurately it portrays the “problem” of life made too easy by delivery apps. Fans of Rogen and Goldberg appreciate the witty nods to their filmography and the inside-baseball jabs at movie clichés. Meanwhile, average consumers are left with a memorable impression of Skip as the service that can solve almost any everyday need. The campaign also serves as a point of pride: it’s unapologetically Canadian. By using homegrown talent and in-jokes (without alienating international viewers), Skip differentiates itself from the global giants in the food delivery space. It says, “We get Canadian humor – because we are Canadian.”
One particularly clever moment in the ad comes when Rogen’s character, exasperated that yet another storyline has been derailed by Skip, essentially throws up his hands and acknowledges the elephant in the room: Skip has made life so convenient, it’s actually made writing a movie impossible! It’s a punchline that encapsulates the whole concept with a wink. By the final beat of the commercial, the frustrated duo give in and decide to just order in with Skip – a perfect comedic ending that doubles as a call-to-action for viewers at home. The message lands cleanly: Why struggle with any scenario when you can simply “Skip” it?
A Witty Throwback: From “Priceless” to “Skip-able”
There’s a sly echo in this campaign that seasoned ad-watchers will immediately catch. Skip’s tagline — “Movie ideas? Hard. Everything else? Easier with Skip!” — feels like a tongue-in-cheek remix of the old MasterCard line: “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.”
But while MasterCard’s “Priceless” era romanticized human experience and framed commerce as emotional poetry, Skip flips the formula for the streaming generation. Instead of heartstrings, we get punchlines. Instead of “for everything else,” we get “for literally everything — just tap the app.”
It’s a generational shift in advertising tone: where 1990s brands promised meaning, today’s brands promise ease. Skip knows that convenience itself is the emotional payoff now. The humor works precisely because it takes that modern truth — our craving to skip every inconvenience — and stretches it to absurdity.
So yes, MasterCard wanted to make you feel. Skip just wants to make you laugh while you tap “order now.” And in today’s marketing world, that might be the more honest kind of priceless.
Conclusion:
With “The Writer’s Room,” Skip manages to turn a marketing message into an entertaining mini-movie. This ad’s blend of star-powered meta-comedy, strategic brand storytelling, and local Canadian flair makes it one of the year’s most notable commercials. It succeeds in making viewers laugh while cleverly highlighting the very advantage Skip offers in real life. In a world cluttered with delivery apps promising convenience, Skip’s approach is to show that convenience in action – and poke fun at it at the same time. The result is an ad that doesn’t just sell a service, but also tells a story (or rather, playfully refuses to tell one). By skipping the boring bits and going straight to the good part, Skip has delivered a memorable message: life’s too short for unnecessary hassles… so just skip them and enjoy the good stuff.
