BRAND FILMS
Self Made: Inside the New Creator Economy | Presented by Samsung
Role: Director / Executive Producer / Creative Director
Summary: An exciting new generation of creatives – like photographer Marilyn Hue, filmmaker Drex Lee and VFX artist Caleb Natale – are reinventing entire industries and artforms, and Samsung Galaxy is their paintbrush. Sponsored by @SamsungUS. I made treatments, shotlists, storyboards, directed talent on set from Virginia to San Francisco to LA, provided design direction, and worked closely with an editor and animator to bring the project all the way through to delivery all while managing budget, vendors, client communication, and other logistics.
The ask: Samsung bought sponsorship of the Bloomberg Originals series The Optimist’s Guide to the Planet hosted by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau with organic integration of Samsung Galaxy devices. We were asked to create a custom content component that would run in the show’s commercial time.
The challenge: Target younger creatives without focusing heavily on sustainability and using only Samsung Team Galaxy influencers while promoting Samsung Galaxy devices.
The ambition: Turn a very consumer story about young TikTokers and Instagrammers into a standout narrative that is valuable to Bloomberg audiences.
Social Cutdowns
Drex :30
Sizzle :15
Marilyn :15
Background
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The creator economy is now estimated to be worth more than $20 billion, and growing rapidly each year. Technology has ushered in a new class of creators who are self-taught and empowered to achieve success on their own terms.
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We take inspiration from Bloomberg Originals’ The Optimist’s Guide to the Planet, which celebrates creative problem-solving with the tools at hand.
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Self-Made delivers an inside view of the influencer economy through the lens of Samsung’s Team Galaxy creators, exploring how powerful—yet accessible—tools like the S23 Ultra and Tab S9 Ultra are upending traditional media career paths.
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We explore the spark that set the creators on their current paths, their innovative content capture techniques, and their unique business strategies.
Storytelling Strategy
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With the constraints of a 2 minute film as our guide, I wanted to tell the story of creativity in a way that was equally as innovative and creative as the Team Galaxy creators we were showcasing. We also faced the challenge of covering three different stories in one video.
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My immediate instinct was to divert from the traditional storytelling method at Bloomberg and turn this into a more creative, fast paced film that leans into the phone technology themes, similar to Facebook's Good Ideas Deserve to be Found video.
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I also knew that the stories needed to flow effortlessly from one to the next and therefore needed to feel like one cohesive story of the modern day creator, but told through the perspective of a photographer, a filmmaker, and a VFX artist living in three different cities across the US.
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From a visual perspective, I wanted to play with as many creative devices as I could fit in 1. to serve as visual transitions that make the stories feel more interconnected 2. To lean into the creative themes and personalities of our three protagonists.
Story Development
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I wanted to mold a story that hit 3 key beats: 1. Introduce the characters in a place that brings them inspiration. 2. Touch on their backstories - why did they choose to become creators and what disadvantages were they up against? 3. How has technology (both through social media and Samsung devices) allowed them to overcome these obstacles and grow their businesses?. 4. What's next for them and how do they plan to support the next generation of aspiring creators?
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To achieve this, the pre-interview process was extremely important as we mined our talent for these nuggets of commonalities, as well as beautiful differences that bring their stories to life and inform our shooting locations (i.e. doing a photoshoot in Chinatown, a place that reminds Marilyn of her heritage, doing an epic one shot at the cafe where Drex likes to edit his videos, showing Caleb watching his old Vines with his kids, who want to follow in his footsteps one day)
Sample Interview Questions
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When did you first discover your passion?
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What are some places you go to that bring you inspiration?
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We loved x video. Can you re-create the behind-the-scenes? If not, do you have any shoots coming up that we can film?
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How do you integrate Samsung devices into your process?
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What are some of the most rewarding DMs or comments you’ve received?
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Can describe any setback on your path to success? What helped you overcome them?
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I used a storyboard as my guide, where I strategically put in potential sound bites from each of the characters and visual descriptions (everything from the title card coming into focus through the lens of Android camera UI to the ending sequence where we zoom out to see a sea of content in the digital creator ecosystem). I then enlisted the support of the designer to mock up the potential visuals, as well as the writer to make tweaks based on accuracy to the pre-interview responses and brand messaging.
Spearheading Production
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I vetted and oversaw a production company that staffed up crew and locked in locations, as well as a cinematographer to build upon the vision of creative visuals. Together we build a shot list which included 3D photography, whip pans, green screen phone transitions, old family photo projections, and a rig to track the movements of the Android phones.
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At the same time, I was coordinating with the talent to gather archival photos and other assets, building a timeline that accounted for an expedited launch, as well as deciding what we would be filming (which ended up being a combination of the influencers creating net new content and staging behind the scenes moments from their previous projects).
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The cinematographer, the writer, and myself travelled to San Jose, Los Angeles, and Lynchburg, VA all in one week and worked with local crews in each location. I directed, contributed to the sit down interview questions, and conducted back up interviews while we captured broll.
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With less than a month in post production, the designer, writer, and myself continued to use my storyboards as our guide, which allowed us to be creatively aligned and decisive. I supported the writer with swapping out different lines from the transcript during live edit sessions and gave direction to the editor, designer, and animator through three rounds of client reviews, finishing, and final delivery.
Distribution across IG, FB, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and OTT
Results
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47.59M Video Views
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88.9% VCR
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66.8M Impressions
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93% Favorability
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91% Consideration
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83% Advocacy
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The custom content was part of Samsung's partnership with Bloomberg Originals' most ambitious initiative to-date - An Optimist's Guide to the Planet, hosted by Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
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Amplified Samsung’s brand visibility on Bloomberg through data-driven, innovation-focused content that engaged key audiences and showcased the brand’s commitment to advancing the next generation of tech innovators.
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The project motivated the creative studio to rethink old workflows (including not having storyboards in pre production) and tasked me with developing a workshop for short form documentary storytelling best practices to present to global creative teams in Singapore, Dubai, London, and New York.
Drex Lee swung by Bloomberg—now a friend after the project!
Samsung Case Study Video
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The final video was displayed at the top of the Bloomberg Media Studios site and has been called one of the best videos the studio has ever produced.
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It was used as a hiring tool and shown to candidates for the creative team as a prime example of the quality standard for innovative, humanity-driven storytelling at the studio.
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Drex and Marilyn both reposted content from the videos onto their social media channels, increasing exposure for Bloomberg Media Studios.
AY Young's Road Trip with General Motors
GM - AY Young - Battery Tour
Role: Director / Producer
Summary: Join musician and sustainability advocate AY Young on an epic road trip powered by renewable energy and fueled by a passion for sustainability. In partnership with General Motors, AY is hitting the road in a Chevy Bolt EV, showcasing the power and potential of electric vehicles and sustainable transportation. This road trip is about more than just raising awareness. AY and General Motors are also partnering to promote sustainability through a series of events and initiatives, such as performances, and community outreach programs. Together, they're working to inspire and empower people to take action on climate change and make sustainable choices in their own lives.
The ask: Showcase the Chevy Bolt and the GM's sustainability efforts by doing a cross country road trip from Detroit to NYC, hosted by AY Young. Since GM was pivoting marketing dollars away from the BOLT, we were asked to focus more on the Auto Show, what an all-electric future looks like, real world conversations, the concert in Times Square. charging, and messaging of affordability and accessibility.
The strategy: We wanted to build a story that would help viewers understand who AY is and where he comes from, what motivates him, and his impact both on a grassroots and higher level. We wanted to document AY using his music and the Bolt as "vehicles for change" through persuading "non-believers" in rural parts of the country, and garnering support from global change makers.
Cutdown
Who is AY Young?
AY is one of the first artists to power his concerts with 100% renewable energy. He believes that if every person can find their passion within the sustainability movement, we can create a thriving planet for all people. He is one of 17 UN Youth Leaders selected to help spread the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
AY founded the Battery Tour -- a concert that is powered by 100% renewable energy -- one of the first artists to do this in the world. Born in Kansas City, MO, AY now partners with some of the brightest and most talented climate leaders and artists to build a larger sustainability movement and help other people feel empowered to take action. After opening for artists including T-Pain, Flo-Rida and Wiz Kalifa, AY decided to take his music and performance skills to another level.
To date, AY has performed over 800 concerts powered by renewable energy across the globe. He’s entertained audiences in developing nations like Honduras & Haiti -- each place providing clean energy for communities without electricity and learning about people from other cultures along the way. AY is living proof that touring sustainably as an artist is possible.
Pre-Production
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Production
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We shot this over the span of a week on the road from Detroit to NYC with an amazing skeleton crew and the General Motors and National Wildlife Federation marketing teams. Molding the story in real time, we were able to capture moving and organic interactions thanks to flexible and trusting clients.
Post-Production
Because I was spearheading the production solo without a writing or design counterpart, I made sure to compile a detailed deck for the freelance editor following the shoot that included a story outline, description and stills from the footage from each day of filming, a storyboard suggesting how to compile the 12 hours of footage into a 3 minute story, and a timeline which I built.
After walking the editor through my ideas and receiving a first edit round, I spent several weeks in live edit sessions to mold the story into what it ultimately became, balancing client objectives with humanity-driven storytelling that honored AY and his message. I even worked with AY to integrate stems from his songs and compiled over a dozen iterations of music edits to receive final sign off from Bloomberg leadership.
The key was to give the film an elegant, premium, yet authentic and doc-style feel without coming off as too commercial.
Post Life
Results
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Takeaways
This project challenged me in more ways than one - from being the key creative voice as a director and producer from pre-production through delivery, working in the edit to turn 12 hours of footage into a unified 3 minute film, weaving stems of AY's actual tracks throughout to add a personal touch to the film, finding filming locations on the road while chasing daylight, and striking the perfect balance of both honoring AY's story while aligning with GM's marketing goals. I'm grateful for the dream team that made it all possible (and if I had the opportunity to make a feature film out of all the footage of the hilarious and heartfelt human interactions that landed on the cutting room floor, I would do it in a heartbeat).
Role: Executive Producer / Creative Director
Dell wanted to position themselves as pioneers in the AI space through connecting with Bloomberg's audience of business decision makers.
AI Meets World is a custom video series hosted by bestselling author and AI expert, Jon Krohn, that brings you into the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA to show how it's supporting AI integrations across industries in innovative and surprising ways, from retail to healthcare. It was part of a larger campaign that included an immersive page, articles, radio, and a sponsorship of the Bloomberg Originals series, Posthuman.
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Wrote the initial treatment and collaborated with a designer to develop mocks for the pitch, which was sold through for 2.1M.
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Spearheaded the production budget and workflow strategy, vetting and overseeing producers and VFX experts from three different production companies
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Built upon the creative direction from the initial pitch by ideating ways to take advantage of the white void setting as a way to represent the limitless possibilities of AI, from a Rube Goldberg machine to represent data flowing throw a complex system, to zooming out from a shopping center to reveal that the story all takes place on an NVIDIA CPU chip. I then leaned into the talents of internal writers and designers as well as VFX vendors and a director to expand upon the visual development process, through mocks and storyboards.
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Was a final decision maker on both creative and logistics from pre-sale through final delivery, including providing direction on set in three different cities and in the edit suite on everything from design language to performance, animation, music, and edit pacing.
Results
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1.8M renewal
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43.58M+ total impressions
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13.4M+ total video views
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93.8% VCR
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John Roese, of the guests, started his own spin off show for Dell after the success of the series.
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Dell became a sponsor for Jon Krohn's podcast after being so pleased with him as a host.
Role: Executive Producer / Creative Lead
Connected technologies like VR and telehealth are poised to revolutionize the healthcare industry — but only if healthcare companies are positioned to take advantage of these technological advances. “The Network Effect” shows how healthcare innovation is only possible with reliable connectivity.
We used Unreal Engine technology to transport our subjects from Death Valley to an airplane factory to ancient Rome.
Role: Director / Executive Producer
I produced and directed the Wells Fargo campaign for the 6th and 7th consecutive years. Part of Wells Fargo's sponsorship of The David Rubenstein Show “Peer-to-Peer Conversations”, “Forging What’s Next,” featured nine innovative clients, and highlighting how Wells Fargo is helping them achieve their financial goals. I brought a huge degree of humanity-driven storytelling to the campaign, tackling topics such as affordable housing, the legacy of hip hop with Run DMC, the construction of One Vanderbilt in NYC, immigration, coffee farmers in Rwanda, and clean energy solutions.
Role: Director / Executive Producer
For the eighth consecutive year, Wells Fargo partnered with Bloomberg to sponsor “The David Rubenstein Show” and created a complementary custom content program to highlight Wells Fargo’s CIB clients.
Role: Director / Executive Producer
Role: Executive Producer / Creative Lead
For this project, we sculpted a narrative out of SME interviews, using visual metaphors to represent the benefits of active ETFs. Our portfolio manager protagonist becomes a racer driver, astronaut, and detective to represent qualities like teamwork, agility, and discovery. Our distinct color palette of blues, grey, and orange tied the live-action footage into the animated world.
Role: Director / Executive Producer
Hotel rooms, beaches -- even the grocery store parking lot. Finance professionals have to work everywhere. The new Google Pixel Fold enables users to get real work done, even opening apps side-by-side on one screen, no matter where work takes them. Lots of finance professionals carry two phones to keep their personal data separate from their work data for compliance. But Android operating systems allow the two kinds of data to stay entirely separate using just one smartphone.
Role: Producer
Series host Alexis Gay welcomes guests to conversations inside the AWS Cloud Cafe, where reinventing hybrid cloud is always on the menu. They share innovations that allow AWS to deliver on the promise of bringing the cloud to wherever customers need it.
Role: Producer
What does the future hold for digital assets? Bullish – which is one of the fastest-growing crypto exchanges – and Bloomberg Media Studios brought together some of the sharpest minds in the digital assets ecosystem to predict what’s next. From the future of DeFi – where machines and code, rather than financial institutions, control the flow of funds – to whether the dollar is about to be replaced as the world’s reserve asset, they explore how digital assets are remaking world finance. And they provide a peak into their own crypto holdings and when they think Bitcoin will hit $100,000.
