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?
The pandemic made clear the fundamental need for human connection. The barriers of isolation meant that connection needed to be more active, creative, and intentional. This had an important impact on me as I had to be more proactive in reaching out to people, connecting with my team, and being more thoughtful about how we connect to people through our work. During the pandemic, our clients tasked us with bringing people joy, and that is something I want to see continue. If that is not our compass, what is?
We created virtual events, at home meal kits, road trip itineraries, and rewards that did just that. Moving forward, I hope this ethos continues to guide us. Whatever the circumstances, whether personal, professional or through a campaign, we need to meet people where they are with a positive intention. Modern advertising is about building community and how you impact that community matters. That shift was certainly accelerated during the pandemic.
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?
One of the reasons I value being part of the Quigley-Simpson team is our agency’s commitment to diversity. As the country’s largest WBENC-certified, woman-owned agency in the country, and with women and people of color represented in top leadership positions and throughout the agency, we are committed to collaborating with other diverse creators and content makers. This is important to everyone at the agency and also important to our clients. We understand the value of amplifying different voices and perspectives. It truly yields the best work.
Representation matters. Equity matters. And, it matters in front of the camera as well as behind. It matters in leadership, and it certainly matters in the way we talk about inclusion. It’s not enough to check a box, we need to foster an environment where all voices can be welcomed, heard, and fairly represented. As we create campaigns and content, we have a powerful responsibility to show multidimensional characters that challenge stereotypes and inspire others to see what’s possible. This representation matters in every aspect of production, because you can’t craft compelling stories if you exclude people from the decision-making process.
This is something that has guided my career from the beginning. Advertising has changed dramatically since I first started, but it still has a ways to go. I’m happy to be doing work that keeps pushing boundaries so that real, authentic, human stories can be told.
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’re currently working on a campaign for a major travel brand that encourages people to “Expand your world” and see things from a fresh perspective. Our platform expresses the good of travel—the power it has to expose us to new cultures, people, and experiences. Throughout this campaign, we are sharing real stories from people who are pushing boundaries and following their passions. The people we’ve met throughout this campaign have been a big inspiration for me and really opened my eyes to the ways representation matters. In one story, we learned how self-acceptance can shift once we are empowered to live out our dreams. It’s incredible how much what we see influences what we think we can be, and I’m happy to be working on stories that make things seem possible for other people.
It’s also been interesting to reflect on our team—from production, to editing, to our agency and our clients—it’s a diverse group of people committed to telling these stories. We all value authenticity and integrity, and we encouraged these stories be told from the voice of our creators—unscripted, and with their prior review before launch. With so many platforms putting people in control of their own narrative, and providing the ability to craft incredible content, it’s our job to simply amplify these stories, not put words in their mouths. Our job is to inspire and create opportunity.
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.
Community building and authenticity is critical. Stories need depth and a sensitivity that wasn’t always present before. We need to ask ourselves multiple questions as we create them. “Are we challenging or reinforcing stereotypes? Is this honoring someone’s story or exploiting it? Who was part of the decision-making process? How are we meeting people where they are? Are we inspiring people with our work or creating a culture of exclusion?” The future is paved with empathy and thoughtfulness. It’s no longer enough to be clever or strategic. You need to connect with your audience. Our humanity is our strength.
What are your goals, creatively speaking and/or from a business standpoint, for your company, division, studio or network in 2021?
My goal for 2021 and beyond is to continue to tell compelling stories and uncover perspectives that challenge the status quo. We are all capable of crafting a better world with every choice we make. It starts with small things, like making time to truly check in with my friends, family and colleagues. It means actively listening instead of pushing my own agenda. I really just want to be a cheerleader for what’s possible. I see the role of a leader not as the person people look up to, but the person people feel supported by.
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?
I’m really excited to see the creativity of the next generations. People are creating content from birth, they are savvy, they are plugged into a more connected world. While many may lament this, I’m optimistic that this will build communities online and off that are more engaged, thoughtful, and view the world through a bigger lens. Empathy is trending and I’m here for it.
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?
We are consistently being asked to create advertising that is also educational, entertaining, and inspiring. From branded content to exclusive series and even traditional ads, we are looking to connect with people in a real, human way. There is a lot of competition for eyeballs today, if you aren’t compelling, you will be skipped over.
I’ve really admired the community that Peleton has built and see that as a benchmark for the ways brands can bring people together in a meaningful way. Advertising is no longer one-sided. It’s cultivating a conversation.
We work with travel brands, which was very challenging during a pandemic. What we learned was that simply planning travel—having something to look forward to—can boost your mood. Our three-part virtual dance party series that brought cultures and dance moves from around the world to people’s living rooms was a great way to keep that inspiration alive. We tapped into a positive community through a connected experience and the feedback we received was incredible. We were actively listening, and the joy was palpable.
Community. Hope. It keeps us all moving forward.
