Every year, BTS has a simple holiday goal: to give folks a few minutes to step away from work, laugh a little, and enjoy something intentionally over-the-top and full of holiday cheer. This year, when our mixology budget met reality, we did what any reasonable team would do—we turned to artificial intelligence and leaned all the way in. The result was a tongue-in-cheek tribute to history’s greatest film about AI: 2001: A Space Odyssey. Complete with questionable AI decisions, blinking red lights, and a reminder that some things are still better done by humans, this year’s video was certainly our most popular ever! 

Below, we’re breaking down the moments, the references, and the props that brought this year’s mixology video to life—and answering a few of the questions we’ve been getting ever since.

The Spoof

Great parodies come from the small and subtle nods to the characters and conversations of people and movies we know well. It’s why we find impersonations so funny. Below are some of the specific scenes and their counterparts from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (yes, we count ourselves among the great filmmakers of our time).

The Props

Crafting our version of the Hal9000 wasn’t the most difficult aspect of bringing him to life. It’s a plasticcore sheet with an old red camera filter on it with a flashlight battery inside. What WAS difficult was getting the light to stay properly angled during the shoot. Total cost of materials to make MIX9000? $7. Total amount of time creating it and getting that $!@# light working correctly? Too much. 

FAQ (We can’t believe you’re still reading this)

In the intro, was Dan dropping a huge bag of money into a drawer?
Yes! And the sound was not edited. That’s the sound of a big bag-o-nickels and crushed up paper going into Dan’s keep. Please note that this is not how we actually store money at HQ. 

I caught a few easter eggs referencing past videos. Did I get them all?
You might have! We had 10+ toy horses, a Wiley Coyote, and our tactical margarita tumbler referencing past videos over the years. Watch it again and look for all the easter eggs!

How long does it take to make these videos?
Planning starts in early summer to focus on the concept and how it best fits that year. The real planning, scripting, and prop work begins in September, all converging in a single shoot day (actual filming time only being a couple hours).

Did you order that portable bar just for this video?
Uhh, no. I think you can guess who already owned this and had it at the ready.

How did the doors magically open on it?
Invisible string, physics, and a lot of annoying retakes. 

Did you really destroy MIX9000?
Oh, of course not! The smashed up parts after David “axes” MIX are from an iPhone 7 and old RCA to coaxial adapter. 

David’s bourbon bill is mentioned. Can we know the exact figure?
Our Accounting Department asked us not to share those details, sorry.

How many gigs of footage was the entire shoot this year?
68.05GB

What AI tools did you actually use?
Nano Banana, VEO, topmed.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini

What can we expect for 2026’s mixology video?
Just… you… wait.

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Tags: 2001 space odyssey, mixology