Motion Theory at rest: cofounders Mathew Cullen and Javier Jimenez (foreground), canine muse Carly, and some of the "microstudio's" 50 employees, which includes writers, effects people, animators, programmers, designers, and directors. 
"We were looking for a compelling way to say that you can tell who somebody is by what they're doing on their computer," Roman says. Motion Theory shot music producer Pharrell Williams, Survivor creator Mark Burnett, novelist Paulo Coelho, and tech entrepreneur Mark Cuban, each in one continuous take, as they described what was on their HP notebooks; their gestures illustrated the story by conjuring up animation and photography that seemed to flow from their fingertips. The campaign wasn't about pitching the product, Roman says, so much as communicating an attitude: "Here's a company that has its heritage and tradition but is also the company you want to be associated with--we're on top of tech, we're clever."
"Hands" went viral. Spoofs proliferated. "It became iconic," Roman says. "When you get viral distribution and word of mouth, that peer-to-peer communication really has value." Even Bill Gates asked HP to create a "Hands" spot to use in a speech announcing a Microsoft-HP partnership.
Motion Theory's name riffs on Newton's eponymous theory: A body remains at rest or in motion unless acted on by an outside force. Cullen and his colleagues don't seem to rest much--look out for Nike and Reebok commercials airing later this year, as well as a video for the South London singer Adele--but right now the biggest outside force coming at them is Hollywood: Film scripts keep pouring in. It won't be long before Motion Theory goes long form, into film or television. "I was always drawn to the idea that everything we do is constantly moving and evolving," Cullen says.
Now he and the Motion Theory crew are eager to figure out just what shape that evolution will take. "If you look at the grassroots of the most influential work being done out there now, it's short films, commercials, and music videos," Cullen says. "And that's one of most exciting things about this business. We don't have to go through the studio system to bring a new vision to life. We can wake up one morning, decide we're going to do something, and just do it."
Diane Mehta's work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle Decor, and The Atlantic Monthly.
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