Saslaw and DiMieri both have high-profile backgrounds in media and advertising. Saslaw spent years crafting high-profile campaigns for HBO and Showtime, while DiMieri previously worked as an editor at agencies like Digitas and 72andSunny and on political campaigns for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
DiMieri, who also co-produces the popular Instagram series SubwayTakes that discusses current events on the subway, applied his social media savvy to Mamdani’s campaign. “We wanted to make content that got eyeballs, got followers, and could win in the social media space,” DiMieri said. “Our content strategy was variety and experimentation. If something’s working, we’ll do it once—and if it works, we’ll do it as a series.”
The campaign’s success has helped cultivate genuine, organic enthusiasm online. One X post cracking, “you can just tweet ‘Zohran Mamdani’ immediately get 1000 likes,” drew over 17 million views, and sparked tens of thousands of reposts as users tested the claim.
While Melted Solids led the social and video creative, other firms shaped the campaign as well. Fight, a New York-based creative agency known for digital-first progressive campaigns, handled TV ads and contributed to media strategy and targeting. Forge, a Philadelphia-based design co-op founded by Aneesh Bhoopathy and Phil Ditzler, crafted Mamdani’s distinctive branding—cobalt blue and marigold yellow, inspired by NYC taxis and Bollywood posters.
According to DiMieri, Mamdani’s momentum has also helped Melted Solids grow from a scrappy two-person shop into a go-to creative partner for progressive causes. In fact, several of the agency’s new clients came through Mamdani’s network, including Alliance for Paseo Park, an advocacy group for pedestrian-friendly streets in Jackson Heights; Triage, a student-led climate action group; and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a group Mamdani has worked with for years.
