What’s the impact of the pandemic on you, your company, your approach to doing business in the future? What practices emerged that you will continue even as restrictions are loosening?
I, like most, felt a lot of emotion at the onset of the pandemic. I was concerned about myself and my family, and also for the world at large. All of the uncertainty really weighed heavily on my mind. But, being able to spend quality time with my family at home turned out to be a huge blessing.
Before the pandemic, I was traveling a TON and missing out on so much regarding my little girl. Once the stay-at-home order was in place and we had no choice but to do just that, we embraced the family time and made some amazing memories.
Regarding 11 Dollar Bill, long before Covid-19, we were utilizing remote work capabilities across all three of our offices primarily due to geography. But when the pandemic hit, it became clear that we needed to implement additional technologies such as Slack and Streambox to facilitate long-distance collaboration and remain productive. These solutions have worked exceedingly well and proven not simply to be stop-gap measures, but efficient ways to get things done.
We will continue to offer remote options for our clients and are working to further extend and improve services to benefit clients who value that convenience.
Although the pandemic brought unpredictable challenges, we have weathered the storm without serious set-backs. We remained productive and were not only able to avoid staff reductions, but we actually increased staff over the past year. We owe that to the dedication of our talented team and the loyalty of our clients and business partners.
How has the call for equity, racial and social justice affected, honed or influenced your sense of responsibility as a company in terms of the content you create and/or your commitment to opening up opportunities for filmmaking talent from underrepresented backgrounds?
Equity, racial and social justice require more than just a lack of discrimination, they require access to opportunities. It is important for those with the power to offer opportunities to others, such as through job creation, to do so regardless of an individual’s social status. Admittedly, we all can do a better job at that.
It’s important for us to realize that we don’t need to start a movement, we just need to join in.
What’s the biggest takeaway or lessons learned from work (please identify the project) you were involved in that was or is in the running for current awards season consideration (i.e., Emmys, Cannes Lions, etc.)?
We worked on a video for a local bahn mi sandwich shop, Daikon, which is currently shortlisted for an AICP Post Award. It’s a huge honor and we are so grateful.
The video was originally concepted to be a love letter from Daikon to the town of Boulder, but when Covid hit, the idea evolved into a really funny, apocalyptic story that fit the suddenly empty streets we were filming in. We had no idea the video would be such a huge hit, and we were glad to produce something that made people laugh during such a dark time in our history.
While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for the second half of 2021 and beyond.
Things are looking up. We are seeing more and more productions happening, and agencies/brands aren’t as cautious as they were last year at this time in terms of spending. I believe things will only get better from here. We will continue to see brands producing clever content that reflects the times, with an uptick in creativity and more meaningful work.
What are your goals, creatively speaking and/or from a business standpoint, for your company, division, studio or network in 2021?
Our goals for 2021 haven’t changed since our inception: be kind and do good work. That said, a lot has changed in the world. We have adapted accordingly and will continue to do so moving forward. We feel a responsibility to advocate for change and we do that through social media platforms, the work we produce, the people we hire, and the culture we build in our community and beyond.
What trends, developments or issues would you point to thus far in 2021 as being most significant, perhaps carrying implications for the rest of the year and beyond?
The biggest trend would have to be remote working. Although the concept of working from home or some other remote location is not new, the shift to more flexible working arrangements cannot be ignored. The pandemic forced a lot of people to work outside their offices, and now, even as things are opening up, not everyone is returning. People got used to working from home and they got good at it. Therefore, I don’t think we’ll ever go fully back to the old normal. Some degree of remote work is the new normal.
11 Dollar Bill has been incredibly productive throughout the pandemic and I’m so proud of our team for stepping up. While we miss seeing each other in person and having that human connection, I believe few people will return to the office five days per week. What we need to do now is have a conversation with our employees about their desire to work from home if they have it. We want to work with them to find balance between the shift toward long-term remote work and the physical work space.
What work (advertising, entertainment)–your own or others–struck a responsive chord with you and/or was the most effective creatively and/or strategically so far this year? Does any work stand out to you in terms of meshing advertising and entertainment?
I really loved Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Us” campaign. It felt very appropriate during the pandemic and I appreciate how they used sports as a source of inspiration and force for change.
Empty stadiums, cancelled games, and closed gyms didn’t stop athletes from using their voices to underscore the hopes and dreams we share with people around the world, and the desire to create a better world. By addressing the pandemic in a subtle but real way, the message was hopeful, not scary, empathetic, not apathetic.
Combining the ideas of inclusivity and perseverance made the campaign memorable. By including black, white, Muslim, Asian, male, female, abled and disabled athletes, the work showed that sports can not only bring us together, but that we’re never alone.
In addition to the messaging, the editing in this campaign was phenomenal. The montage and seamless split-screen technique was energetic and breathtaking. It was highly effective at highlighting the parallels between sports and athletes, and by doing so in such an interesting and unique way, it truly deserves praise.
