Awkwafina Goes Home
Awkwafina and her dad catch up over a tour of her childhood home in Queens, NY, to help launch the Meta Portal Go.
Real dads, real Awkwafinas, real childhood bedrooms, and no script. Shot live across two continents by Academy Award-nominated director Nanette Burstein.
The world is not ready for Wally Lum.
Group Creative Director: Tanner Rogers-Goode
Associate Creative Director: Joshua Eithun
Art Director: Jessica Iglesias
Copywriter: Hannah Kirkeiner
Sunshine in a Glass
Tanqueray was launching Tanqueray Sevilla Orange and needed the right vibes to tell people how to vibe with it. So Joe Jonas became a weatherman, and I learned that there are so many more Jonas brothers than you think (is necessary).
Director of Content and Social Strategy: Ty Stafford
Producer: Catlin Callaway
Director: TK McKamy
#WrapSessions
Meta Portal’s holiday campaign elevates narratives often excluded from “traditional” holiday storytelling.
Shot by acclaimed Academy Award-nominated director Nanette Burstein, the three-episode series celebrates the act of wrapping gifts as a time to connect and catch up with loved ones. Unscripted and cast with real people, each episode follows a different story, all told over Portal devices.
‘Queens of Christmas’ serves RuPaul Drag’s Race winner Violet Chachki and Gottmik, the first trans man to compete on RPDR, discussing the importance of chosen family during the holidays. ‘Holiday Roast’ invites comedians Sean Grant and Carl Johnson to dig into their most cherished holiday pet peeves. ‘Handmade Hanukkah’ features Hebrew school besties Maya and Rachael working toward a more equitable representation of Hanukkah in the crafting world.
Group Creative Director: Tanner Rogers-Goode
Associate Creative Director, Art: Joshua Eithun
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Jared Johnsen
Art Director: Jessica Iglesias
Copywriter: Hannah Kirkeiner
Initial Concept: AJ Rivvers
I led social for Microsoft brands like Edge, Surface, Microsoft 365 and Copilot. Tech isn’t always sexy, but sometimes it can be spiky. Like when Edge needed to make a bigger splash in culture to cement its spot as top browser. So the most logical thing to do was create a tiny mascot. Meet Edgehog.
Having serious meetings to discuss the procurement, wellbeing and brand alignment of a hedgehog felt insane. Good thing it performed like crazy. And started a conspiracy that Microsoft was buying Sega. Whoops.
Co-creative director: Julia Gramaglia
Associate Creative Director, Art: William Riedel
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Ben Reese
Associate Creative Director, Art: Sam Hendricks
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Rachael Modrcin
#EveryoneIsWelcome
Los Angeles is different. When the Trump administration issued the travel ban, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board told the world that everyone is welcome here. In an ideal world, we wouldn't need to evolve and continue the campaign. But over the next year, the number of countries on the travel ban grew, DACA moved toward deportation, and Los Angeles once again stepped forward to lead the fight for diversity, decency and acceptance. Shot across greater Los Angeles, with over 100 real Angelenos, the new #EveryoneIsWelcome campaign champions what makes our city so different and why different will always be welcome here.
Campaign includes broadcast, print, social, OOH, banners, web.
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Art Director: Dan Atwater
Director: Isaac Ravishankara
Mikaila Ulmer, social entrepreneur and CEO of Me & the Bees, had the privilege of introducing President Obama at the inaugural White House United State of Women Summit in Washington, DC. I had the honor of writing her speech. At an event with Oprah, Warren Buffet and Vice President Joe Biden, it was Mikaila who was trending, retweeted by politicians and covered by major outlets.
CX-50 Launch
The CX-50 is Mazda’s first-ever off-road capable CUV. A car that no one expected from a brand like Mazda. So they needed a launch campaign that leaned into that tension with a bit of swagger to sway the skeptics.
Editor: Peter Smith
Where does chargefeel take you? lululemon needed a TikTok campaign to launch their versatile new cross-trainer, chargefeel.
We developed a concept for influencers that lets them stay true to their content, leverage a custom sound, and show off all the different #sweatlife scenarios for chargefeel.
Co-creative director: Julia Gramaglia
Associate creative director, art: Graham Greene
Associate creative director, copy: Jared Johnsen
Copywriter: Hannah Kirkeiner
So, this obviously didn’t get produced (thanks, COVID!), but Meryl Streep’s face on a monster truck holds a special place in my heart.
Netflix needed big ideas for the release of Ryan Murphy’s The Prom, so we went big. Monster.
Inspired by the film’s theme of worlds colliding (and a little scene that finds the Broadway stars at a monster truck rally), we pitched The Dee Dee Allenator, The Glickmaniac, and The Angie Dickinson of a Gun. Behold, you have Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman on monster trucks. And also James Corden.
The plan was, we’d surprise Monster Jammers with the most over-the-top trucks in history and compete in rallies across the country. But we wouldn’t stop there (except we did, because, again, COVID). The trucks would tear ass through the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and find immortality with their very own Hot Wheels.
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Design GENIUS: David Guzman
A controversial shift in messaging guaranteed to rattle the nation’s most elite brotherhood, the female recruitment campaign was a delicate balancing act of paradoxes, prejudices, pride, and authenticity. Potential female recruits needed to see real proof sources, but we also needed to communicate that there are no female Marines, just Marines.
Campaign includes social and web.
Art Director: Andrea Overstreet
Creative Director: Tom Wilson
Director: Riess/Hill
Louder Than Guns
This is not an ad. This is a wake-up call. The youth of Los Angeles demanded a bold, provocative campaign to break through the noise of gun violence. We became Louder Than Guns.
Every day in the U.S., 100 people are killed by guns. It’s our new normal. It’s a future the young people of L.A. refuse to accept. The first initiative of its kind, Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Youth Council to End Gun Violence is committed to driving action and advocacy on gun violence prevention and intervention. The students that make up the council are our clients, collaborators, and a reminder of what’s at stake.
Through several workshops, we listened to their lived experiences with gun violence, their stories of loss, their concerns, and their ideas for change. To combat the deeply rooted apathy around the issue and urge people to act, students wanted to create a window into our dystopian near-future.
“To get people’s attention, we need fake and preposterous ideas that show how ridiculous our solutions are, to show that there has to be a better way.”
—The Mayor’s Youth Council to End Gun Violence member
On May 22nd, ads for gun violence insurance appeared around Los Angeles.
People were shocked. Confused. Even offended. But the fine print told a different story. Driving to our website and social channels, the ad encouraged Angelenos to take action. Those who called the number for more information were met with statistics around gun violence and an opportunity to leave a voicemail detailing their own personal experiences.
And on June 7, everything changed. On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the insurance ads were replaced with a youth-led call to action.
Ranging from OOH, digital, social, to DIY, all campaign extensions drove Angelenos back to our campaign website to direct people to get involved, in ways big and small.
Throughout the entire process, Omelet worked closely with The Brady Campaign, March For Our Lives, Giffords, Everytown For Gun Safety, and the City Of Los Angeles to craft a campaign that was reflective of the intersectionality of the issue, the inherent trauma of the topic, and the urgent need for real and lasting change.
Art director: Chelsea Oz, Kailey Riggen
Copywriter: Daniel Paredes, Chad Goodnoe
Associate Creative Director: Jimmy Barker
Creative Director: Chelsea Oz, Florian Bodet
Thinking about the future is tough. It feels too far away. High stakes. Too big to tackle on our own. Sometimes we forget there’s someone who’s been in our shoes and come out the other side. Sometimes we just need a little push to get us there. This content series tackles those big life transition moments and makes the decisions around them just a little more accessible.
We found our talent through real people casting. And it wasn’t until we met people like Jennifer and learned of her desire to swim in the ocean again that we found our stories.
Campaign includes digital, social, and banners.
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Creative Directors: Florian Bodet, Chelsea O’Brien
Last Stop Before
In many parts of the country, Walmart is your last chance to load-up on supplies before big events like Coachella, Burning Man, and more. What do small-town Walmart stores look like once the costumed characters descend?
Last Stop Before is the first-ever content series developed for @WalmartWorld, the social ecosystem for the 2.2 million Walmart associates.
A small lemonade company was at a crossroads that makes or breaks brands. On the cusp of major distribution deals with national retailers, a copyright infringement forced the company to walk away from their brand name, logo and everything that identified them on the shelf.
We decided to tell a story.
Unlike most of the competition in the packaged goods category, the lemonade company was a triple threat. A purpose-driven brand. Run by a preteen social entrepreneur. Dedicated to saving our honeybees. Based on their singular position within the market, we developed a 360-degree brand identity that amplified their social good message, anthropomorphized the brand into a storybook tale, and aimed that message at cultural influencers poised to spread the word.
Meet Me & the Bees.
Not only did Me & the Bees cement deals with retailers like Starbucks and Whole Foods, product distribution increased by nearly 300% and sales grew by almost 170% from the previous year. But there’s no way to quantify the cultural impact of the rebranding. Our story proved contagious, garnering attention from Forbes, Fortune, Inc., the White House and more.
NAME & LOGO:
In order to create a brand identity that could transcend the packaged goods category, we created the title of a classic children’s story. Me & the Bees captures the hero, the mission and an inclusive, universal appeal optimized to inspire other “beelievers” to action.
PRODUCT DESIGN:
We developed the packaging as “my lemonade stand in a bottle,” an ambassador for the Me & the Bees “origin story.” The new design needed to share visual DNA with the original, yet we shifted the focus from product to purpose—emphasizing Mikaila as hero and her mission to save the bees.
BRAND IDENTITY SYSTEM:
Iconic, playful and sophisticated, the Me & the Bees glyphs express the heart of the brand: Love, Honey, Bees.
BRAND BOOK:
A brand book was essential to codify the new look, feel and voice of the brand. But a clinical approach felt wrong. We instead developed a brand storybook, a narrative that proved engaging to our 12-year old client while remaining an effective tool for media and vendors.
Winner of the 2016 Jay Chiat Award for Strategic Excellence
Designer: Braden Wise
Design Director: Tim Meraz
Strategy Directors: Mark Miller & Adrian Barrow
Cheers to Ten Years
The premier culinary event of Los Angeles needed a ground-up approach to help celebrate their tenth anniversary and continued influence in the country's most exciting food city. We collaborated with LA's top chefs to create an interview series, 10-page spread in Los Angeles magazine, and social content. Beyond the 10th anniversary, our campaign also signaled the most successful Dine LA event to date.
Art Director: Dan Atwater
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Beyond brand marketing, we took the editorial content of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board into an entirely new direction, focusing on the real people of the real L.A.
Nocando's Hip Hop Guide to L.A. is an eight-part series hosted by rapper Nocando--hitting the locations and experiences integral to the hip hop scene of Los Angeles.
Art Director: Dan Atwater
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Director: Matthew Cullen
FEMA needed a light touch to nudge homeowners toward flood insurance.
We wrote a children's story. It made people at the National Tropical Weather Conference cry.
The national public service campaign proved so successful that FEMA asked us to convert it into a paid campaign. The original PSA campaign won a Silver Addy and has been featured in Lürzer's Archive, Motionographer, Adweek, AdForum, and more.
Campaign includes broadcast, web, print, OOH.
Art Director: Deb DeWitt
Creative Director: Lando Ettrick
Director: Headless
Score: Beacon Street Studios
Bespoke art from Rob Bailey for print, social, OOH, web, banners.
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Creative Director: Florian Bodet
Art Producer: Miranda Kendrick
Artist: Rob Bailey
The Lexus LC was the car that shouldn't exist, and Lexus needed a completely new global brand voice that didn't yet exist. No more fluff. No more hyperbole. Lexus had to be direct and confident to compete with an entirely new class of high performance cars. We developed a new global brand voice and tone that I dubbed "product swagger."
Art Director: Quoc Lu
Designer: Braden Wise
Creative Director: Tyler Doupe´
Design Director: Tim Meraz
Creature Comforts Brewing Co. was doing pretty good. People were hiding in the bushes outside liquor stores to spot new deliveries. But they still wanted to crack that deceptively difficult brewer’s dream. The perfect drinking lager. To distinguish from the uber craftiness of their parent brand of beers, they created Classic City Lager.
If Creature Comforts listens to Thundercat, Classic City Lager only listens to Bruce.
The new brand needed a strategy that differentiated them from CCBC while retaining existing brand equity. And something that could strike the balance between an accessible sipping beer and uncompromising craft quality.
We delivered the brand strategy and identity, tagline, packaging, signage, and merchandise. Cheers.
Art directors: Dan Atwater, Brianna Lohr
To expand the style & scope of branded content for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, we worked with artist Dav Yendler & composer Bradley Butterworth to create an animated guide to Charles Bukowski’s Los Angeles.
Art Director: Dan Atwater
Associate Creative Director, Art: Brianna Lohr
Illustration: Dav Yendler
Music: Bradley Butterworth
The Line is an annual collection of product-driven Lexus brand and lifestyle stories, from origami cats to the power of levitation to morpho butterfly wings.
Art Directors: Ritzelle Cayabyab, Jennifer Choy
Creative Director: Tyler Doupe´
Design Director: Tim Meraz
Lexus needed a new brand voice to woo younger, cooler, small-batch-whiskey-drinking buyers over to the 2016 models of the RX and LX, their most successful vehicle and their flagship SUV.
Art Directors: Kevin Mitchell, Quoc Lu
Creative Director: Tyler Doupe´
Design Director: Tim Meraz
"We If" is the University of Oregon's first-ever advertising campaign. Executions span digital, print, OOH, playing cards, and modes of transportation.
Art Directors: Harilaos Skourtis, Matt Fouty
Creative Director: David Levy
Creature Comforts Brewing Co was new in town and needed a brand identity that would embody their creative, restless spirit and stand out in a crowded competitive landscape.
The "Crave Curiosity" brand platform provided the company with the foundation for their visual identity, marketing, company culture, charitable outreach, and the potential for growth into new ventures. Creature Comforts Brewing Co. is now one of the top craft breweries in the Southeast.
Logo Design: Alvin Diec
Site Design: Young Athenians