CROSBY Q&A: Appetite Appeal in the Age of AI
- Henrik Friberg
- Jun 15
- 3 min read
Our Q&A series continues as we sit down with Petrus Olsson, CCO and Co-founder at CROSBY, the latest studio to join the SweetSpot roster. Known for an uncompromising standard of craft, they combine technical mastery with a sharp eye for visual storytelling.
We discuss the daily reality of integrating generative AI into high-end 3D workflows, the secret to mastering tactile appetite appeal in Food and Beverage campaigns, and how to build explainer films that actually secure startup funding.
Henrik: "AI is your clearest focus area right now, but you are also known for meticulous, high-end 3D visualizations. A lot of Creative Directors are tired of the generic 'AI look' and want true high-end polish. How are you practically using AI within a rigorous 3D workflow to speed up the process without sacrificing that premium, crafted quality?"
Petrus: "Whether a 100% AI production or combining it with a 3D workflow we use the same discipline as always. The goal is an effortless realism, where the visuals feel believable, tactile and alive, avoiding results that are too polished or perfect in the wrong way."
Henrik: "You have extensive experience in the Food and Beverage sector, combining live-action film, photography, and CGI. When trying to capture that perfect, mouth-watering appetite appeal, there is always a debate about what to shoot practically versus what to build in 3D. What is your rule of thumb for making that call on set?"
Petrus: "We never let the technique lead the idea. The question is always: what gives the client the strongest appetite appeal, the best control, and the smartest production value? Sometimes that means shooting real food on set, sometimes it means 3D or AI, and often it is a carefully planned mix of all three."
Henrik: "You create a lot of explainer films tailored for startups needing to secure investors or launch products. Tech founders often want to show every single feature they have built, which usually kills the pacing of a video. How do you guide a startup client to kill their darlings and focus on a visual story that actually drives investment?"
Petrus: "With startups, the first job is usually to separate what the product does from why anyone should care. We help founders find the core story: the problem, the shift, and the value that makes investors or customers lean in. Once that is clear, the film becomes less about listing features and more about building belief in their story or product."
Henrik: "Since you handle everything from traditional commercial photography to cutting-edge AI and motion, your campaigns often mix multiple mediums. For a producer trying to budget and plan a hybrid campaign today, what is the biggest misconception about mixing live-action with AI and 3D?"
Petrus: "The biggest misconception is that AI makes everything instant and almost free. It can absolutely speed things up and open new creative routes, but campaign-quality work still needs direction, iteration, consistency and finishing. You might get lucky with a single image, but building a full brand campaign takes the same level of hard work and control as any other production."
Henrik: "Looking at the year ahead and your heavy push into AI, the tools are evolving weekly. If you could write your own dream brief right now, combining your deep roots in Food and Beverage with these new AI capabilities, what kind of visual boundary are you most eager to push next?"
Petrus: "The most exciting briefs are the ones that let us explore ideas that would have been difficult, expensive or almost impossible before generative AI. At the same time, AI can now basically generate any world you can think of. The real challenge is often much more specific: getting the product itself to feel right for the client. The correct stickiness of caramel, the natural freshness of fruit or the close-up surface of a fried chicken. That tactile realism is still hard to nail. For us, that is a really interesting boundary to push. When AI can help create both the impossible world and a believable product inside it, that will open up a new level of visual storytelling for Food and Beverage."
Henrik: "A massive thanks to the team at CROSBY! Hearing how you balance the daily integration of generative AI with an absolute obsession for physical realism and tactile appetite appeal is spot on. Nailing that level of detail requires immense technical control, and you bring exactly that mastery to every single campaign. We are incredibly proud to welcome you to the SweetSpot roster!"
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