Backyard director Kim Nguyen jumps inside the heads of some of the music industry’s finest in a star-studded campaign for the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. The spots feature poignant black and white close-ups of some of the 2014 show’s performing lineup, glimpsing into their headspaces as they anticipate the final moments before the show. From YouTube sensation newcomers 5 Seconds of Summer to former VMA-naysayer and Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine; to VMA vets Usher, Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj, Nguyen captures the jitters, frenzy and swagger that arise the moments before stepping on stage. The campaign reboots the 1980s “I Want My MTV” tag made famous by the Dire Straits/Sting song, with the artists taking their own unique approaches to demanding their MTV.
Client: MTV
Agency: MTV
Creative Directors, MTV: Amy Campbell, Richard Turley, Lu Chekowsky, Andy Ferguson
Art Director, MTV: Emily Keegin
Executive Producer, MTV: Kris Walter
Line Producer, MTV: Matt Sears
Production Company: Backyard
Director: Kim Nguyen
Executive Producer: Kris Mathur
Line Producer: Janie Brown Kelly
Director of Photography: Mihai Malaimare Jr
Editorial Company: MTV In House
Editors: Erik Carter, Padraic Dowd
Audio Design: The Lodge: Kevin Dawkins, Colin Thibadeau
The Undeniable Voice of Art
Creative Growth, the first organization dedicated to supporting artists with developmental disabilities, has teamed up with creative marketing company, John McNeil Studio to unveil its new brand. Representing 50 years of elevating the work of artists with disabilities within the arts community, Creative Growthโs new brand campaign includes a new identity and logo, new positioning, brand film and a redefined strategy centering on the โundeniable voice of art.โ Creative Growthโs evolved brand is at the forefront of a shift towards art that stands for the inherent reveal โ the power of artistic expression to bring understanding and connection to us all. The brandโs new expression includes unobtrusive color and design choices that purposely donโt compete with the voice of the artist and instead, serve as a container for the art to have a voice of its own. Executive Creative Director, Gerald Lewis of John McNeil Studio explains โWe needed to create a powerful, distinctive voice for the brand. But, it couldnโt compete with the voice of the artists because in the end, the art has to speak. It had to be simple, honest and genuine, in line with the mission of Creative Growth. Artists will spend 30 years making work, honing their craft and following their voice inside this space. We wanted to celebrate that. So, while the mark, the brand, is simple and honest, itโs also expansive and energetic.โ Kicking off the new brand campaign is a short film capturing the voice of artist William Scott as he walks through downtown Oakland and enters... Read More