1) In a way we’ve become scrappier; more about the work and getting it done. Cutting to the chase and not being overly obsessive. There’s an urgency now to express a message in record time. The world’s state of affairs warrants immediate and timely messaging or you risk being lost, or worse off, left behind or considered slow to respond.

4) I love the film “Still Going Strong” for Facebook by Maceo Frost at Knucklehead. Its an impressive piece of work, COVID or not. But the fact that they were able to pull together so many interesting, creative people doing inventive things in such a short period of time under these conditions makes it so much more impressive: https://wdrv.it/27f023000 Our Reebok work for Pride Month also strikes a chord with me. It was one of those projects on a limited budget where everyone chipped in, invested more of their own time and partnered strongly with the community to bring to life.

5) Biggest takeaway from this pandemic is move fast. Build on momentum and produce fast. If you don’t you’ll lose your window. Assess risk, protect and align with clients and production partners by clearly outlining all the scenarios at play. Then all hold hands and jump in together. We’ve had several shoots planned and then postponed and/or moved to a different location around the world. Insurance companies are not covering losses due to COVID delays and cancellations. So picking a location on the COVID-decline, where a local director or photographer doesn’t have to quarantine, keeping locations to exteriors and talent and crew to a minimum, all plays into the decision. Spending money in phases has helped limit exposure as well.

6) I believe we’ll see more and more shoots with smaller crews, simpler messaging, and more remote shooting. More of an emphasis on ‘what, when AND how’ can we make it (all weighed evenly). Rather than a primary focus on just ‘what’ can we make. 7) We implemented a policy in production where 1 of 3 bidders will be a person of color, a member of the LGBTQ community or a woman. We will be evaluating these options on a quarterly basis to make sure our minority options are being hired, not just bid. So we’ll be holding everyone in the agency accountable for carrying this out. We’ve extended this policy to minority-owned production companies and broadened it to include photographers, editors, illustrators, and freelancers we hire in Steelhead, not just directors.

1) When this first started, there was a feeling of, “OK, let’s just wait this out a bit and then get back to normal.” We of course quickly realized that this there is no “getting back to normal,” and that in fact this moment in time is an opportunity to really learn, innovate, and move forward to new and potentially better ways of doing things. In terms of creating work, we had to react in real time with clients like Chipotle, who radically shifted their business to 100% online when the pandemic hit. Chipotle already had a very modern and robust digital platform in place, though our communications had to shift dramatically to highlight the new delivery-based offering. Working with our in-house production group, Lumberyard, and Chipotle’s internal production team, we were able to pivot quickly and execute a handful of remote, socially distant shoots.

Overall, our Integrated Production team has been closely tracking the latest filming restrictions, guidelines and new trends, and staying close to our production partners to create new solutions together. The production world is literally reinventing itself now, and while the challenges are plentiful, there are also some really exciting possibilities and changes that are surfacing too.

2) As an agency we’re focused on improving the work, but perhaps more importantly, improving the practices behind the scenes that ultimately drive the quality and representation in our work. It’s not as simple as checking a box of more diverse casting – but instead, looking closely at and solving systemic issues that exist to unlock better and more relevant work.

We’ve recently taken several actions to step up our game. Earlier this year, we brought on Dr. Cheryl Ingram as our Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. We created a DEI advisory board to ensure greater representation throughout VB&P, we’re having very open discussions with employees about how we can improve our culture, and overhauled our recruitment process and mentorship to ensure that every new hire has the training and resources they need to be successful. We are also changing the way in which we work with our clients, and making significant process adjustments that will ensure that we ultimately get to the more inclusive work that we’re all committed to delivering. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I’m excited by the many positive changes underway.

3) We’ve been working with each of our clients to develop messaging that’s truly meaningful today, and there have certainly been many adjustments to both their media plans and advertising. This is a time where action is key, and I’ve been inspired by the many ways in which our clients are making a positive difference.

In keeping with their brand promise to cultivate a better world, Chipotle for example has pledged $1MM to organizations fighting for equity in Black communities. They’ve also leveraged their app and online ordering platforms to encourage customers to round up their orders to the nearest dollar to amplify the company’s contributions to the National Urban League. Audi is also taking meaningful steps to ensure greater diversity in their work, and in automotive advertising as a whole They’ve committed to forging new partnerships and committed to 50% diverse influencers, talent, spokespeople, directors and content creators for the brand.

4) I love the Stella Artois “Daydream” spot/music video directed by Paul Hunter. I think we can all relate to daydreaming about things we used to do or wish we could do. Between the music, choreography and energy, it really does transport you to a summer state of mind. The fact that a creative and entertaining film like this could be made totally remotely gives me so much hope as we move forward in producing content under current restrictions.

5) Every aspect of life and work is changing, and this is a time to embrace the positive possibilities rather than be mired in the challenges. I’ve been so impressed by the innovation of the industry as a whole. Production companies have opened up their rosters to work together and problem solve, and provide content during shelter in place. Edit, post, music/sound houses quickly and almost seamlessly went from everyone working closely in an office, to working apart from home. It’s also been interesting to see how this new work era has forced earlier collaboration amongst all partners, and how that’s led to some fantastic process improvements overall.

Finally, it’s been clear that it would be impossible to continue to do great work during this crazy time without trusted production partners and clients. We’re fortune to have both.

6) This year is like no other. People need hope and levity, and I think messages of optimism will be increasingly welcomed in the months ahead.

Nike’s latest anthem narrated by LeBron James is a great example of inspirational messaging that shows triumph over pain and struggle. Hopefully we’ll see more of this ahead. It’s also very clear that flexibility will continue to be key. We’ll need to react quickly, change up our normal processes, and be less precious in order to stay relevant. We’ve been working in smaller groups internally and with our clients, to adjust where needed and to make decisions more quickly. I think for all agencies and clients, nimbleness will be essential in this climate that is so fluid and ever-changing right now.

7) VB&P is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive company, and the work we put out into the world for our clients must also reflect these values. This also extends to the vendors and suppliers with whom we partner.

In order to hold ourselves accountable, we’re tracking our progress on hiring diverse talent both on and off camera moving forward. Additionally, we’re partnering with companies like Invisible Collective and using resources like Bid.Black to help us bring new, diverse talent to the table and act as a creative partner to help create content that resonates with today’s audiences. We also believe that developing talent through mentorship is vital. We have an obligation to share knowledge and experience to help people grow, and are currently developing our own formal mentorship program. Our Fellow App (https://thefellowapp.com/), which connects women across the industry, will also play an exciting role in this program.

1) Running a production company certainly helps! Steelhead offers end-to-end production and post services. We were already conducting a notable amount of remote work prior to the start of the pandemic. Couple that with our incredible team of ‘makers’ (who all have their own in-home studios), and we were able to continue doing full-service post work and smaller, live action, tabletop and product photography shoots. While we love working with incredible production partners, an asset like Steelhead afforded us the opportunity to continue creating high volume content with aggressive timelines.

5) There are many learnings resulting from the pandemic, most notably, rethinking efficiencies. Do we really need X amount of people on a set? Is it necessary for X amount of people to travel to a shoot location? Could that money be better spent in front of the camera? All these questions are being magnified and reconsidered because we’re seeing the practical implications of producing differently. I’m so impressed by the scrappy yet thoughtful way we approached live action shoots for PetSmart, Behr Paint and a few other clients this year—they involved a lot of prep, but once we nailed the plan, creative and production teams really locked arms to safely and efficiently execute the creative.

6) I’ve never seen so many brands, agencies and production partners eager to jump back into live action productions. I think creators have done an amazing job of finding production alternatives through this uncertain time, but I also think the world is craving that human component that makes our content so special. Although it’s impossible to predict timing, I believe there will be an explosive demand for work once we’re able to ease back into shooting.

7) There are systemic issues within our industry that make it difficult forunderrepresented directors to break into advertising. Partnering with organizations like the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP) is one way we’re changing how we evaluate directors’ reels to bring real-world opportunities to talented people. It’s easy to always award well-known directors—a group that is disproportionately straight, white and male. The CDDP breaks this model by championing filmmakers from diverse backgrounds who may not have big brand work in their book but clearly have the talent and ability to make great work.

1) Our team has been incredibly nimble in transitioning to remote work. I see the word “surprising” bandied about a lot in this context but I’m not at all surprised—our team is awesome and hit the ground running from Day One. Lucky for all of us, the technology we needed for this moment was already here. And now we’re making the most of it. In terms of content, that required a harder pivot. We were days away from flying off to five different shoots, and not only was that not possible, the work we were about to make was suddenly, shall we say, less relevant. But this gave us an opportunity to lean into the moment, think in entirely new ways about what people need most right now, get really creative, and collaborate with both new and trusted partners to make some really cool work.

2) As a woman-owned business, it’s in our DNA to prioritize diversity and inclusion, both in front of and behind the camera. I’m proud of our diverse team at Quigley-Simpson and the efforts we’ve always made to push for more representation in our productions, as well. That said, the moment we’re now living in calls for heightening our awareness of, and sensitivity to, every hiring decision, every casting spec, every characterization—every everything, really. And I am here for it!

4) The work going on that strikes me as most profound right now is not the content any of us are making but rather the actions being taken within our industry. For instance, the creation of 600 & Rising—and the powerful agency response to its first initiative, requesting the publication of diversity stats and a commitment to real action.

5) We work on a number of travel-related brands, so we had to learn quickly how to communicate about travel in a way that wasn’t tone deaf or irrelevant. Tone but also word choice was critical, and we explored myriad ways to express what people were feeling at different stages of the pandemic. Early on, in place of the knee-jerk “We’re in this together” statements that a lot of brands put out, we found that what people most responded to was a basic acknowledgment of their discomfort around travel. And unsurprisingly, they also wanted to hear about the concrete actions brands were taking to ease things for them or provide value in their new circumstances. As time went on, one surprise was learning that joyfulness was still welcome, and even desired. Optimism and hope are more important than ever, and we brought that to bear in several initiatives designed to bring the joy of travel home—to keep it fresh in people’s minds—and to thereby increase relevance for a product rendered a bit less relevant overnight.

6) This isn’t a prediction but more of an appeal for change: I’d like to see our casting process completely upended in one regard. I’d like casting directors to call in people of color for every role, automatically. Conversely, can those of us issuing casting specs add “all ethnicities please” to every spec we send out? While we (and I hope many other agencies) already do so, the longstanding truth of our industry is that unless specified otherwise, Caucasians will be the only people you see. Let’s change that.

7) One example: For the creation of a celebrity-driven campaign—a big package of 7 spots—our team was led by women, including women of color. Our co-president, ECD, agency producer, line producer, director, DP, key grip—all women. It was a powerful experience and one everyone in this business should reenact. I don’t say “should work hard to reenact” because it’s not hard to make this happen. It just takes will. I’m married to a Director/D.P. so I get the importance of “your crew” and decades-long relationships. Change has to start with an openness to trying something new. I think most of us can agree that a lot of established systems are not serving most of us. And it’s incumbent upon those of us who can make these calls to make them. Like, now. Not “next time.”

In terms of mentoring new talent in the community (and I take this question to mean talent who wouldn’t otherwise find a foot through our doors) I think it starts early. We have to reach kids who aren’t even aware of the things we do as a job option. We work with the Spark Mentorship Program, which pairs middle-schoolers with our employees. They shadow us, meet our colleagues and hear about our jobs. And we nurture and support their creativity through a months-long project. For me, this issue is all about breaking down the gate, and turning the gatekeepers into the gate-openers.

1) While there’s no question that this giant COVID-19 comet has knocked our industry out of its usual orbit, I’m proud to say that GS&P has adapted brilliantly. Within the first two weeks of the quarantine, we created 30-plus new ads and have continued producing work for more than 80 percent of our clients, thanks mainly to our robust in-house facilities. We’ve also stayed close to production companies in terms of their current capabilities and have been working well with many despite the challenges. We’ve been making a lot of stuff. I’ve actually never been busier.

2) GS&P has never been afraid to take on charged topics, and the current climate is no exception. In fact, the latest calls for social justice have only fueled the agency’s ongoing efforts. A group of volunteers at the agency created the #Respond2Racism Twitter bot, which features Asian frontline workers responding directly to COVID-19 racism.

In response to the injustices against George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, we produced “Being Black Is Not a Crime” and “Not a Gun” for Courageous Conversation Global Foundation. For Tulsa, we created a print ad that read, “Being Black is not a crime,” which doubled as a sign for people who were protesting during the weekend of Trump’s visit.

4) GS&P’s innovative “Lessons in Herstory” technology (an app that uses augmented reality to celebrate stories of women typically omitted from history textbooks) for Daughters of the Evolution has been crushing the award-show circuit, winning—most recently—the white pencil at D&AD. And rightly so. It’s a perfectly important tool for the times that will hopefully inspire even more technologies geared toward social justice and equality. Oh, and if you have kids at home right now, like I do, you’ll totally appreciate this: we just launched Camp Tonsafun for Xfinity through their X1 platform. It’s summer camp for your hellions—er, little ones—right in your living room, with cool, crafty lessons taught by artists and celebs across the NBCUniversal stable. Without the risk of Wave 2 Cabin Cross-Contamination. And hey, after four months of domestic quarantine, I’m sure you’ll agree that it comes not a moment too soon for parents across America.

5) We’ve been in heavy production mode for Comcast/Xfinity throughout the pandemic, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how smooth the transition into the uncharted world of remote Zoom shoots (let’s call them Zoots) has been. The approach really works. Sure, it’s not the same as being on set and making “in the same room” decisions, but in the end, the output hasn’t suffered in the least. I suspect that this approach will stick around long after COVID-19 subsides. Maybe permanently.

7) On Comcast/Xfinity we always include a diverse group of directors for creatives to review. And we work hard to always include at least one woman or person of color in every triple bid. That has always been our goal. We sometimes do come up short and average closer to 40 percent inclusion in the bidding process.

We also work to include a diverse group of artists on the crew. We track DPs, ADs, editors and composers right now. Lastly, we are working to implement a process by which we include more entry-level people, using programs like Streetlights and Made in NY (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/mome/industries/pa-training-program.page).

These programs promote diversity by training people for entry-level positions in film and TV. We have a long way to go, but we’re committed to being on the forefront of this important movement. We have full agency and client support.

1) At Fancy, we’ve always been remote-optional, so working from home has not been a huge transition for us. What has been a surprise is the whole bunch of other people at home (including, but not limited to, kids that need to be homeschooled, partners that are also trying to work, grandparents and muddy dogs. etc.)! Needless to say, juggling it all has been a challenge and has required some creative workarounds. Production restrictions have meant we’ve used animation where we may have produced live-action in the past and done some work in hyper-speed, only to redo it based on shifting needs within the ever-changing COVID times. The good news is, though, that sometimes, like a tight brief, restrictions result in surprisingly interesting work.

2) We are viewing every piece of work as an opportunity to push the message farther. As advertisers and marketers, we can sit back and reflect the world we are in, or we can create work that strives to change it. We embrace the latter.

3) We are an agency focused on elevating what’s important to women. You can see it in our client work, or pro bono work, and in the way we work. The clients that are attracted to us have a similar mission. Though our clients have always been concerned about addressing inequality regarding gender, sexual orientation, race, and age, with the recent and needed focus on intrinsic racism in this country, there is a more concerted focus on creating work that is actively anti-racist.

4) Apple’s “The-whole-working-from-home-thing” video was incredibly insightful. They did a great job covering so many aspects of the work from home reality. The truth is, emergency project or not, in the WFH world, there is somehow less time for everything. It also helps remind us why we started our own agency. Mean bosses should never be OK.

5) In March we created a social campaign for Mask Match, an organization formed by Liz Klinger, to address the lack of N95 masks for healthcare workers. It was all done instantaneously. Liz, came up with the idea of pairing unneeded masks with those in need and instantly mobilized a bunch of eager volunteers, Fancy created the campaign in a week and the cause was incredibly successful (almost a million masks were matched). A valuable lesson in how much good can be done in a very small amount of time when people pour their hearts into it.

6) I am very hopeful that content and agencies will continue to become more inclusive. It’s just plain good for the world, good for business and the right thing to do. I’m dreaming of the day when diversity and equality are the norms. And, I think there will still be a lot of empty office space as WFH becomes the default and more small, 100% remote agencies are born.

7) As a 100% women-owned, operated, and focused agency, we know the challenges and barriers women face to get ahead despite their talent. We have an opportunity to help lift women and minority filmmakers, and so we do. One of the beautiful things about our (mostly) project-based agency is that we are able to build teams of people who are especially relevant for and passionate about the assignment. It also means we know a lot of people, who know a lot of people. We’re always looking for (and appreciative of) introductions to more diverse talent and partners.

1) We’re Magnetic has always been an Experience First Marketing agency that has taken a consumer-first approach to our work for our clients. As the world suddenly changed in mid-February, we quickly dove into insights and research to understand how the consumer mindset changed with it, and proactively planned for what different variations of experiences might look like. This included virtual and digital experiences, hybrid approaches, and live moments. We identified early on that we’d need a range of experiences to meet the waves of opening and closings across the country, noting that the basic necessities of life would be what people crave--things like human connection; joy; comfort; and safety. We also noted that drive-ins could be a unique option for a live experience and shared it all proactively with our clients.

Specific work has included designing and producing a 3-week live streamed Virtual Drag Brunch series for Klarna to help support the drag community and the entertainers who lost work due to COVID-19. To keep it as engaging as a broadcast TV show, we included pre-recorded video content and had special guests. We’ve also created virtual sales tools for our clients designed to enable them to deliver a unified brand approach when doing video conferences. We’re also building AR and VR worlds for a few of our biggest clients that will enable consumers to explore a virtual experience, just like they would at a live experience.

2) We pride ourselves on being a truly diverse group of people at We’re Magnetic. The increasing call for social justice and the reality of how it impacts our team, and those around the world, has been extremely important to us. As a company we took this seriously, and first looked inward to encourage open dialogue and ensure our employees felt supported. Within the industry, we have continued to participate in the ongoing dialogue with other industry leaders. We are also part of the Experience Good Agency Coalition that is tackling issues around COVID, diversity, and social injustice. With regard to our clients and work, we have continued to take a consumer-first approach to helping our clients navigate what’s on the minds in the hearts of their consumers in order to create compelling and authentic work for their brands.

3) Our clients continue to look for ways to bring positivity into the world that is authentic to their brand. We have seen some of our clients add additional, new projects to address these timely issues. We have also seen them focus funding and resources within their organizations to ensure they are meeting the needs of their consumers and society.

4) This year has seen a lot of great work. For me, the passion of the creatives around the world who entered the UN’s Call for Creative submissions to tackle COVID-19 was impressive and inspiring. The Real Heroes Project, which celebrated the frontline workers by bringing together athletes from every sport to change their jersey names, was timely, authentic and moving. I also loved the Apple Maps update to get the Black Lives Matter street mural that led to the White House up in near record time. It’s a great example of looking at tech creatively to make a statement for good. Other campaigns that stood out were Nike’s Don’t Do It and Sesame Street Standing Up to Racism on CNN, which brought a unique approach to tackling a difficult subject. Then there were campaigns that I found effective for different reasons. The Awkwafina 7 Train Takeover in NYC put a fun twist on the daily drone of the train by allowing passengers to hear her voice announcing station stops, while Burger King’s Moldy Whopper made me jealous for its stopping power.

Our firm helped American Express create a new platform called #ExpressThanks that launched on Employee Appreciation Day. The effort aims to encourage colleagues to show appreciation for each other and for companies to do the same for employees. The goal of the program addresses a huge issue within corporate America. It’s a big, ambitious platform that has the goal to become an annual effort, similar to Small Business Saturday.

5) The biggest takeaway from work this year is that we simply can never forget to expect the unexpected. We all need to be ready to quickly pivot.. As an agency that does a lot of work in live events and experiences, this has always been part of our DNA. But with the realities of COVID-19, it put us to the test. For one client, our plans to do an immersive month-long experience had to shift, leading to something that is going to be equally as magical in a virtual world. For another client, the plans for a national tour disappeared all together. So you take a deep breath, and keep hustling to create opportunities and help solve problems.

The other big lessons I learned this year, or actually relearned, is that there’s no time to overthink things. Agility and nimbleness are the key to success for agencies and clients. Our gut is usually right. And a small focused team is often the way forward.

I was also reminded of how much I love this industry and the people I get to work with each day. I miss the casual interactions in the office more than I thought and the simple joys that are a result of being face to face. That said, I also learned that working remotely can work really well, be efficient, and some version of it is here to stay for our industry.

6) Looking forward, we’re going to go through peaks and valleys due to the changing landscape of COVID-19 from city to city, and region to region. This means clients will be unsure of what to do, fearful of committing big budgets, and agencies will need to help them create plans that can easily go back and forth from digital and virtual, to smaller live experiences – with variations of content being in the mix to drive scale.

When it comes to content, we’ll start to see more innovative and interesting forms of virtual engagement and webinars, as people are already experiencing webinar fatigue. This is something we are already working on with our clients. We’ll see the quick and fun content that doesn’t need to be overproduced continue to fill our streams and inboxes. But we’ll also see more highly produced experiences that take cues from broadcast TV, infusing interstitial pre-recorded content, surprise and delight moments, two-way interaction, and innovations that are built for our new world landscape.

7) Our agency is a female majority owned company. We take pride in the diversity of our employees, and look to do the same when it comes to who we work with as partners. When it comes to new talent, we have had internship programs every year across departments where the talent works on real client projects, are part of teams, and also work on a special intern project. The goal of the program year-over-year is to bring our interns on full-time or help them find a job with our friends and partners across the industry.

2) As a producer, part of my job is exposing filmmakers to creatives. I need to ensure that women and minority filmmakers and artists, along with women and minority owned businesses, are represented and, in turn, engaged in searches and production.

5) BBDO NY and Mars Petcare embraced the pandemic in their work. In March, we were able to quickly put together a shoot and produce a lovely commercial for Nutro that told the story of our stay at home lives through a dog’s eyes. Working with trusted partners, BBDO, Mars and O Positive were agile and turned creative around from concept approval to air in two weeks. Pedigree took the social distancing a step further and gave people the opportunity to adopt dogs without having to leave home. Using Zoom, we set up, hosted and broadcast webinars from multiple shelters, allowing hundreds of people to see adoptable dogs in their area. People then completed the adoption process online and were able to have a contactless adoption.

2) If the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement is only on our immediate work, we will have failed to fully embrace it. Not to get too deep on it, but even though our work is commercial the creativity involved is often deeply personal. Beyond adding more diverse voices to the ranks of the industry’s creators (which is the most important, long-term proposition), this is a moment for those with creative decision making power to examine our own biases and bring a more empathetic approach to everything we do. If we change who we are as people, the work will be authentically impacted.

4) Besides the ongoing comedy series of Facebook, trying to sell America a home video (totally not surveillance) device, the best thing I’ve seen this year is HBO’s “Betty.” For the most part it seems to have been overlooked, but I found it to be funny, moving and up lifting. It’s about a group of young women skateboarding through New York City and has an impossibly good soundtrack. You should watch it and you should never put a video camera made by Facebook in your house.

5) Agencies talk about courage. Clients have it. In March we were working will Stella Artois to launch a wildly ambitious summer campaign. Then, if you were reading the news, a few things happened that made this more difficult than usual. The client had every reason to pull back, but they never wavered in their desire to do something epic despite the circumstances. It took a tremendous amount of teamwork and trust to launch the “Daydreaming in the Life Artois” campaign, but it all started with a client willing to take a risk.

6) Using history as a guide, I feel comfortable predicting that I will not make it past page 50 of “Infinite Jest” by the end of the pandemic, no matter how long it lasts. Beyond that I would say one of two things are possible: Like Europe after the bubonic plague, humanity will emerge from this and experience a second renaissance where creativity, art and science expand our consciousness. On the other hand, the result could be more like 1918 when the Spanish Influenza combined with the First World War created such economic and social devastation that fascism rose around the world. So what I’m really saying is: wear a mask and go vote!

1) With the new challenges facing brands, agencies, and production companies along with learning to navigate countless restrictions and guidelines, comes new opportunities. These opportunities are being driven by transformative, societal and individual changes in behaviors that a brands’ messaging must now address. This is a time of assessment, discovery, and the need for openness and adaptability for change to a somewhat unforecastable future.

As an industry, we rely on our collective, shared knowledge that has helped deliver reliable results in the past. This new era now forces us into unchartered territory where the learning happens ‘together’ and our partnerships’ communication and trust is more crucial than ever.

Our goal as an agency is to help our clients find unique solutions to common problems. We look for disruptive ways that speak to consumer behavioral changes during these new times, while still addressing relatable experiences rooted in human truths. We rely on shared experiences in order to find creative ways to achieve inventive storytelling that now must adhere to restrictions and social distancing guidelines. With these uncharted parameters, we must use the power of creativity in different forms to deliver innovative solutions now more than ever.

5) Earlier this year, TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles worked with our longtime partner/client, The Recording Academy in launching a film that reflects the disparity around female music producers. The film shares a poignant message represented in a 50-person all-female ensemble choir singing an arrangement of Alicia Keys’ “Underdog” as they slowly, group-by-group ceased participation and sit down leaving one woman standing - representing the mere 2% of popular music produced by women.

We aimed to bring light to the topic by sharing this data to encourage and urge for change. An ensembled team of amazing female artists from every discipline of production contributed their time and talent towards this endeavor. The film featured 50 strong female individuals of varying ages, body shapes, ethnicities, and sexual orientation all coming together to convey a message that signifies hope for change and inclusion.

This industry allows us to access and contribute to such amazing platforms. We are grateful to have partnered with many who expressed the same vision and values that push against convention and the status quo to generate conversation. We learned that the strength of unwavering passion, shared goals, and the pursuit of expression during culture-defining moments can ignite powerful creativity and connectivity within the community.

7) Joining TBWAChiatDay LA through the Minority Advertising Training (MAT) program has allowed me to witness first-hand the support and values placed on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within our agency. Jay Chiat, a visionary of his time that advocated for brave and bold work, supported equal opportunity and created this program more than two decades ago which has served as the foundation of the agency’s core beliefs toward inclusion. This program exposes young minority talent to an industry that may/may not have been available to them. It has allowed for young talent to embark on a career that celebrates creativity, building brands, and the art of storytelling through communication. As an agency, our goal is to carry on his vision by not only developing programs that foster and retain our employees through mentorship and training programs but also creating a pipeline for the next generation of talent to enter the creative industry. From high school curriculums to minority programs to our Young Bloods program, we’re educating young talent and giving them first-hand experience on the many career opportunities within this industry. We’ve also given an opportunity for emerging diverse talent to elevate and build competitive portfolios by giving them critical feedback and sharing techniques that will help shape the work. At Chiat LA, we support and encourage Free the Bid/Free the Work initiatives for underrepresented talent and stand behind minority owned, led, and targeted businesses as our valued production partners.

1) Creatives love problems. And the rules have become more and more stringent. During this COVID-era, the toolbox is considerably smaller, particularly given production restrictions. Now more than ever, we need to innovate and stretch our skill sets to unearth new possibilities.

Our goal has been to push beyond the realm of familiarity, and find unique ways to leverage real creativity and originality - without developing a “house style”. We’ve done this through pushing the boundaries of what we can do in digital formats, via influencers, distressed outdoor inventory - and traditional shoots as we recently completed a COVID-safe production for our TaylorMade client.

2) At our agency, two things are simultaneously true: Diversity has always been at the forefront of our thinking and in our work. However, we recognize that we still need to do more. The climate has amplified this commitment, and we’re taking further actions to best represent people of color in all aspects of our team and creative output. This starts with taking a hard look at ourselves internally and where we can improve in terms of recruitment, staff development and other practices. We recently joined 600 & Rising, and believe that a more diverse staff and culture makes the work better.

Our team has also been moved by the call for social justice, and were inspired to create work that can positively affect culture. Recently our employee-led DEI platform, Open Waters, executed an 11-city out-of-home campaign in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We’ll continue to look for ways to utilize our skills and resources to support issues we care deeply about.

3) We have a wide-range of clients from different sectors, including sports, tourism and technology – and they have all been very thoughtful in their marketing approach. These days brands must behave as they believe. So it’s been encouraging to see many of our clients and other U.S. brands shifting from a pure features & benefits communications to take a stance, including donating significant funds and promoting organizations that help make a positive difference.

4) It’s recently struck me that the most important content right now is news – much more so than ads or entertainment or sports. News is the new water cooler show during this highly unusual and challenging year where we are all looking for truth, guidance and inspiration.

I really appreciate journalists and other influential public figures who really commit to uncovering the truth. In my opinion, John Oliver is doing a great job of tackling important issues, while Bill Maher continues to push boundaries and speak honestly about the state of the country – both showing a strong commitment for real, truthful commentary.

5) The greatest lesson for me has been recognizing that we should never assume that clients will want to go a conventional or familiar route. Our USGA clients made a fantastic and bold move earlier this year by partnering with Don Cheadle to represent their brand and the U.S. Open in their new brand platform, ‘From Many One.’ It was a great move for them to buck industry norms that have been inherent to this largely white male sport and highlight an inspiring Black man, who serves as a U.S. Open Ambassador working to increase the value of public golf to golfers, courses and communities throughout the country. This is exactly the type of thinking and commitment we love from our brand partners and we’re proud of the work that we created together.

This time of pandemic has also shown that when times get tough, people coming together to lend a hand can make a big impact. Earlier in March, we launched an in-store effort where we placed reassuring messaging in support of CDC guidelines to help eliminate false remedies, like clearing out toilet paper supply, and instead arm people with accurate information that could potentially save lives. We then partnered with OOH vendor Project X, who provided free billboard units to help amplify our COVID safety message in California. It’s been very inspiring to see how companies are putting financials aside in order to come together and put something meaningful out into the world in order to save lives.

6) I predict we’ll likely see a continuation of the noise and intensity in our culture for the remainder of the year – especially given the upcoming election. However, there is some good that will come out of all of this, particularly surrounding greater awareness and ownership of racial inequalities. Additionally, this COVID-era has forced us to find new ways to create and has unlocked more efficiencies and less waste in our work. This newfound creativity will be particularly impactful as brands look for new ways to stand out during the election season.

7) Our agency has always made a point to include talented minority and female directors in our searches, and are proud partners of Free the Bid.

We also believe that mentorship is vital for retaining top talent and shaping our culture and work. Our leadership team believes that great ideas come from every level, which is why we have a presence at various ad schools where we have the ability to uncover new talent and career opportunities for students. We are also very involved with The Marcus Graham Project, which aims to provide exposure and experience for diverse, up-and-coming talent in our industry.

1) We are definitely moving faster. Getting to the ideas quickly and getting them in front of the clients as soon as possible. Smaller, dedicated teams seem to be working better with the remote situation we’re in. Staying close with clients to crack the right tone within the work. As well as navigating the logistics of production at that specific moment.

4) P&G’s “The Choice” really struck me. I admire a giant brand like P&G making it clear where they stand on an issue. And imploring white people to recognize the role they play in racial inequality. One film said so much. Most white people don’t understand what White Privilege is and what they can do with it. I wish it was on air every hour, forever. I hope people listen, learn and act. It was executed perfectly and had me at second :01.

6) The rest of 2020 is going to continue to be messy. Better, but still filled with uncertainty. We’ve adjusted well on the conceptual side of working remotely but production is still a moving target with lockdowns and a learning curve with the technology. But I’m of the belief that great ideas and impeccable craft will always win out. And both of those are generally in our control.