• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

Italian coffee brand Lavazza kicked off a collaboration with NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center with an event hosted by Scorsese; his daughter, actress and filmmaker Francesca Scorsese; and Lavazza Vice President of Marketing Daniele Foti.

The event introduced Lavazza’s collaboration with the school on a new cafè lounge within the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center. Located at Industry City, on the Brooklyn waterfront, the Center offers the NYU Tisch School’s new Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Virtual Production program, “a nine-month, immersive education in the rapidly evolving art of storytelling through virtual production, blending technology, performance, and design.”

The lounge is designed to be a “a creative hub and a place where students can gather, collaborate, and recharge,” while taking design inspiration from Sicily to bring “Italian warmth” to Brooklyn. Lavazza’s Flavia machines will operate from the lounge, offering the brand’s signature Dolcevita Classico espresso and coffee line.

In a release announcing the news, Lavazza said the new lounge “embodies the brand’s mission to fuel creativity and foster exchange.”

  “At Lavazza, excellence isn’t just a standard, it’s a mindset that combines creativity, precision, imagination, and that uniquely Italian spark we call estro” [an Italian word referring to inspiration or creative drive]," Foti said in a statement.

“The world of film reflects all these qualities, and our partnership with NYU Tisch allows us to support the next generation of artists who embody this spirit,” he added.

According to Lavazza, the activation is a reflection of the brand’s “long-standing commitment to supporting art, culture, and cinema.” Lavazza has partnered with cultural institutions and events such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Guggenheim Museum.

The launch arrives in the middle of Lavazza’s campaign reuniting comedic actors Steve Carell and John Krasinski with the robot character Luigi from last year’s cinematic “Pleasure Makes Us Human” campaign.