AT&T Delivers Chaos, Comedy and Small Business Truths with ‘Wake Up with CrAIg: The Movie’

AT&T Business has premiered ‘Wake Up with CrAIg: The Movie,’ created by BBDO and directed by David Shafei of World War Seven, marking one year since the launch of the ‘Wake Up with CrAIg’ ad campaign. Built to shine a light on the real journey of small business owners and celebrate what it takes to build something from the ground up, the campaign followed Craig Robinson and a cast of familiar faces — including Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Creed Bratton, and Oscar Nuñez — as they turned a simple idea, an AI alarm clock designed to motivate small business owners, into a growing business.

The campaign began in summer 2025 with a leaked video of Craig announcing that he was quitting stand-up comedy in order to spend more time on his new venture. Throughout the year, the story unfolded across four chapters, watching as their doors opened, the company expanded, and everyday challenges began to surface. Mirroring what so many small business owners experience daily, the campaign became some of AT&T's most-shared spots last year.

‘Wake Up with CrAIg: The Movie’ weaves together scenes from the previous chapters, with new footage from the core cast, and a newly inspired Leslie David Baker, whose own business needs a wakeup call from CrAIg. Comedic heavy-hitters Robby Hoffman, Chris Gethard, and Hannah Pilkes also join the fold, staying true to the campaign's tone and the chemistry of a cast fans know and love.

“‘Wake Up with CrAIg’ has become a powerful example of what happens when creativity and culture work together. We put small business owners – those whose hard work powers the communities they’re in – at the heart of the campaign. And in doing so, we showed how AT&T Business connectivity and security can support them through the real challenges of running and growing a business,” said Val Vargas, SVP creative content and advertising.

True to the campaign's spirit of putting small business owners at the center, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, as well as at a “blue carpet” screening event in Los Angeles, where business owners were invited to connect with the film’s cast over shared experiences and real challenges. AT&T Small Business Contest winners attended the LA premiere, which also featured a panel with Craig, Ellie, Creed, Angela, Oscar, and David, hosted by Arturo Castro. At Tribeca, BBDO ECD Danger Bea joined David for a panel about how they brought the campaign and film to life, and David offered insights as a business owner himself.

“WW7 started above a tattoo shop in Silver Lake, and we definitely could’ve used a CrAIg alarm clock back then,” said David. “The trick with this campaign was honouring what people already love about our stars while grounding it in something real. Starting a business is exciting, but it’s also stressful, uncertain, and sometimes pretty lonely. Small business owners live with that every day. That’s where the truth is, and honestly, that’s where a lot of the comedy is, too. Having a cast like this and giving them room to play was a real gift.”