Meet Melted Solids, the Scrappy Agency Behind Zohran Mamdani’s Primary-Winning Campaign

Zohran Mamdani’s surprising win because the Democratic nominee in New York’s mayoral main shocked the political institution. It additionally shocked the scrappy staff of filmmakers behind his viral marketing campaign movies.

The company driving the inventive cost isn’t a standard political consultancy however a small, Brooklyn-based collective that operates extra like a guerrilla manufacturing studio than a buttoned-up agency: Melted Solids. Based in 2019 by Debbie Saslaw and Anthony DiMieri, the company’s solely full-time staffers, Melted Solids goals to mix sharp storytelling with humor, a robust social media presence, and a give attention to capturing real, relatable moments.

Saslaw instructed ADWEEK that Melted Solids’ course of on Mamdani’s marketing campaign was collaborative and sometimes chaotic. A staff of pros—together with communications director Andrew Epstein, videographer Donald Borenstein and Kara McCurdy, Mamdani’s marketing campaign photographer since 2020—contributed to the marketing campaign. Mamdani’s spouse, Rama, additionally created animations for a number of viral movies.

Borenstein, who initially joined as a volunteer in early 2025, turned a key drive behind the marketing campaign’s day-to-day video output. Because the election neared, they stepped right into a full-time function, usually working “practically 24/7,” in response to DiMieri. Whereas Saslaw and DiMieri balanced different gigs till the ultimate month, Borenstein’s regular presence helped maintain the marketing campaign’s speedy content material cadence.

That DIY method has outlined Melted Solids’ ethos from the beginning. “The idea was: ‘Who do we all know that has unimaginable digital camera gear, is knowledgeable audio mixer, and actually desires to do one thing politically?’” DiMieri mentioned. “It’s good to make use of these abilities for one thing you care about.”

Amplifying on a regular basis voices

Melted Solids has been working with Mamdani for the final 5 years, together with tasks just like the “Fix the MTA” marketing campaign of 2022, which featured Mamdani driving buses with commuters to spotlight the challenges of on a regular basis New Yorkers. The marketing campaign additionally proposed phasing out bus fares over 4 years.

Main as much as the 2025 main, the marketing campaign comprised a number of viral movies that showcased Mamdani throughout all 5 boroughs. Mamdani plunged into Coney Island waters to advocate for lease freezes. A Valentine’s Day video contained voter registration data hidden inside a field of candies. One other video documented Mamdani’s interactions on the Puerto Rican Day Parade after receiving AOC’s endorsement.

Its messaging was easy: amplifying the challenges going through on a regular basis, working-class residents.

“I’m [a] marketer and storyteller, and what I assumed was essential and wanted within the political house was the power to talk to common New Yorkers, like utilizing promoting… as a vessel to listen to their considerations,” Saslaw instructed ADWEEK. “It’s not about Cuomo; it’s not about Adams. They’ve bought everyone in New York feeling like they’ll’t reside right here anymore–myself and Anthony included.”