1) One project we did early in the pandemic at The Martin Agency was for Old Navy. The project was designed to help promote a large clothes donation for people in need. We were already seeing a lot of UGC and “in these unprecedented times…” type of work on-air and we knew we needed to do something radically different to break through the monotony.
We decided to work with a local Richmond, Virginia-based artist named Noah Scalin, who creates portraits out of clothes. His art is both powerful and surprising, and he often creates his own time lapse film around his projects. We thought it would be the perfect collaboration to communicate Old Navy’s efforts. Noah created a portrait of a family out of Old Navy clothes in an empty warehouse space with a few cameras to document his efforts. A local director was also on-site, but overall, very few people involved in the actual production. The result was very impactful and stood out like crazy in a sea of sameness at the time, and garnered significant press and positive sentiment for Old Navy.
2) Absolutely. But I do think those restrictions caused an explosion of creativity, as small boxes often do.
3) On this particular project, the amount of people actually involved was quite small. The post process wasn’t necessarily radically different than previous times; we reviewed edits remotely. The main difference was that there wasn’t an in-person option to review edit/color etc. even if we wanted to or preferred it.
5) Biggest piece of advice is that there is always a creative solution to an obstacle or problem in front of you. Always. As far as lessons learned, I think production restrictions force us all to be hyper diligent about clear and consistent communication with our partners and clients. Not being there in person with clients and production partners forces efficiency, clarity and a lot of pre-production agreements and approvals. Making day of/on set changes is much harder when we are all remote.
1) My advice for new directors is similar to advice I would give most creative people: make sure you have a vision and are able to articulate it clearly. But also, importantly, be ready to collaborate and truly listen and hear other people’s perspectives.
2) Be empowered to be a creative partner in the process, because you are.
3) A recent and consistent lesson learned is that you simply can’t communicate enough in these crazy and unpredictable times. I am constantly reminded of this on pretty much every project I’m involved with.
4) I recently moved from The Martin Agency and rejoined Deutsch LA. While the agency has always prioritized diversity and inclusion, they recently made a series of strong commitments to increase diverse representation at all levels and foster an equitable and sustainable environment for everyone. As part of this, they recently launched Employee Resource Groups focused on empowering and supporting underrepresented voices, including Asian, Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and women. Along with internal shifts, the agency has focused efforts outside of its (virtual) walls by partnering with The One Club for Creativity’s The ONE School, a new free, ad portfolio school for Black creatives. We’ll be sponsoring a Fall and Spring seat for two students, but we’ve also signed up, myself included, to mentor several applicants that were not accepted into the inaugural class. As a creative, I’m also particularly proud of our partnership with the Commercial Directors Diversity Program, which champions directing opportunities for underrepresented groups.
We all have a responsibility to make the advertising industry a true reflection of the world we live in. I’m really proud of the work we’re doing, but there’s a lot more to be done.
5) While I am still pretty new to Deutsch LA, I am excited about some of the new Taco Bell work. The team recently rolled out a new, innovative digital gifting program. And I mean, who doesn’t want the gift of a taco? Through the Taco Bell app or website, fans can share their love of tacos anytime with anyone, anywhere. It is one of those genius ideas that makes you think, “why didn’t we do this years ago?”
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taco-bell-launches-its-first-ever-taco-e-gifting-service—perfect-for-any-occassion-or-no-occasion-at-all-301142352.html
