TEQUEÑOS PAN – RONALD ACUñA JR.
Prod Co: EL LIVING EP: Rafael Ponce Director: Manny Bernardez DOP: Andres Sanchez Producer: Eduardo “Bubba” Vieira Post Co: EL LIVING EP: Rafael Ponce Editor: Antonio Febles VFX & Comp: Orlando Utrera Color & Finishing: Roberto Gutierrez Music & Audio Mix: Ruben Gutierrez
FROM VENEZUELA WITH HEAT.
Can a frozen snack carry the swagger of an MVP?
That was the challenge behind PAN’s first-ever U.S. commercial, and the first campaign featuring Venezuelan baseball phenom Ronald Acuña Jr.
For decades, PAN has been a staple in Venezuelan homes. This moment marked something bigger: an introduction to the broader U.S. market. A bold push into the frozen aisle, timed with retail expansion and the launch of Pizza Tequeños.
The strategy was simple.
Use Ronald’s MLB superstardom as the Trojan horse.
Position Tequeños not as a niche specialty, but as game-day fuel.
Working alongside agency RG2 from the earliest stages, we shaped a surreal, absurdist world rooted in the tone of modern American comedy: playful, confident, never self-serious. In close collaboration with CCO Exe Rodriguez Hopp and General CD Carlos Javier Chacon Gonzalez, we refined a script that felt culturally authentic yet universally accessible.
On screen, Ronald becomes a heat-wielding hero, effortlessly cooking frozen Tequeños with his legendary right arm. A neighbor calls over the fence. A Monster Truck demands pizza. A CG unicorn—designed with Ronald’s signature braids and number 13 pendant—steals both a Tequeño and the final punchline.
The world is whimsical.
Ronald is grounded.
That contrast makes it work.
The night before the shoot, we met face-to-face with Ronald and his team to walk through the tone. Athletes perform best when they understand the rhythm. He laughed at the right beats. He leaned in. By shoot day, the energy was aligned.
Produced by EL Living and shot by Andrés Sánchez, the film balances elevated craft with unforced charm. The food was treated like a co-star, golden crust, rising steam, unapologetic cheese pulls…’cause as we know, appetite drives memory.
The campaign launched social-first, amplified across PAN and Ronald’s platforms, generating strong early engagement and shares. It has since rolled out across Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock in key MLB markets including Florida, Georgia, California, and Texas.
More than a product launch, this campaign is a cultural handshake.
From Venezuela, with humor.
With heat.
And with something unmistakably ours.