With so much talk of “flattening the curve” but seemingly so little understanding of why, or even what that actually meant, I decided to make an explanation video PSA of my own. My mom suffers with athsma so it was/is particularly personal. It was also a welcomed distraction as the world around me shut down and fear ramped up, not to mention very important information for everyone to understand.
creative direction & production, design & motion, illustration
LifeEnergy.guide is dedicated to educating, tracking, and enhancing well-being. The creator, who I had worked for in her role at another company, wanted engaging videos explaining the research on well-being as well as how to use her site. The client wanted a floral, upbeat, and new-age feel. I illustrated icons for the 7 domains of wellbeing, around which the site was based, inspired by a tree illustration provided by the client.
For the videos on the landing page, I focused on giving enough information to intrigue the viewer to learn more about the research as well as offer a glimpse of what the site offered for them personally. With an upbeat and soothing VO, color palette, and illustrations, the simple steps to a happier life the site offers are illuminated.
Motivation & Self-Determination Theory Educational Video
creative direction & production, design & motion
Digital Promise is a non-profit dedicated to accelerating technology in education and using it to further education for all. This project aimed to educate their audience about the latest research on the different motivations for learning as well as give some tips to better engage students.
Employing a semi-narrative story about students learning, we were able to incorporate a lot of information into an entertaining animation. The client wanted a simple style so with a short schedule and a tight budget, I focused largely on visualizing all of the facts and theories in situations both students and educators would recognize while moving the viewer through the information visually.
The client was “very happy” with the final video and it is still currently one of the most viewed videos on their Youtube channel.
Poster for the Startup Phenomenon Women portion of Startup Phenomenon 2013.
creative direction & production, design & motion
Startup Phenomenon 2013 flyer
The Van Heyst Group is a public relations and communications company in Boulder, CO. They hosted a special conference for entrepreneurial women and needed a poster for marketing purposes that embodied female empowerment. Further, they wanted a poster reminiscent of revolution, while still obviously feminine, to distinguish this event from their separate but related co-ed Startup Phenomenon conference happening the following weekend. Turnout exceeded expectation.
The Just Media Fund is an organization using media to support social justice and education. To launch Project Enye, they needed to educate the audience about the project, including defining the word enye for those unfamiliar. They wanted a looping video to feature prominently on the site.
Taking advantage of the circle in their logo I was able to use it as a graphical theme linking the globe, the project, and the idea of interpersonal connection so important to the project.
sculpt & build, creative direction & production (co-management)
Creativity in Los Angeles is all about having the talent- and knowing the right people. I know some of the right people. While at Dreamworks, I had the pleasure of spending my nights in a 80,000 square foot warehouse making random and super cool stuff do even more amazing things when combined.
Originally I was hired to make kabuki dancing puppets of the band members, but it was soon clear how much work needed to be done and we all decided puppets with less than 3 seconds of fly by screen time didn’t need to be dancing.
Damian & Tim Puppets
Dan & Andy puppets
I welded, built, tinkered, co-managed the top floor. I did anything and everything that needed to be done that I could do (and perhaps a couple things I didn’t know I could). The mad genius of the guys and gals at Syynlabs, the palpable creative energy of the band, and the focused yet childlike joy and excitement of everyone involved made any sleep loss well worth it… though I had marble nightmares for weeks afterwards.
Project: Money Clarity logo animation, supplemental animation and design, and video editing.
creative direction & production, design & motion, digital enhancement & compositing
Money Clarity is an online class offered by Dailyworth.com for women, to gain control of their finances and confidence in their financial future.
The logo animation needed to match the Dailyworth.com brand: accessible, hip, somewhat edgy, yet professional and respectable. After all, though done in a casual and personable matter, the goal is to teach women from all backgrounds to take control of their financial lives and in doing so, their futures.
Though the class remained somewhat basic, it did tackle some complex ideas that had to be explained to an audience with a wide variety of educational, financial, and technological backgrounds. In each of the 10 videos, supplemental animation and graphics were added to visually explain what owner and CEO Amanda Steinberg was talking about. The class also came with various supplementals such as checklists, schedules, and handouts.
Project: Dailyworth Logo Animation
CREATIVE DIRECTION & PRODUCTION, DESIGN & MOTION
The client wanted a very quick 3 second animated logo to introduce her video content online. It needed to be hopeful, simple, sleek, and ‘hip.’
The lines exemplify what life is to so many of us who wish we had both a clearer picture and more control of our finances- chaos coming at us from all angles. With Dailyworth’s tools, tricks, and communal support the fear is alleviated and the chaos is tamed.
Music video “Bloody Bells” by Eastern Conference Champions (ECC)
creative direction & production, sculpt & build, digital enhancement & compositing, photography & video
Listening to ECC’s album Speak-aaah, it was obvious to me that they had to be made into puppets. I had never made marionettes before but that was irrelevant. The project was a lot of fun to make and the band loved it. It became the song’s official video.
fun fact: You might recognize the lead singer, Josh Ostrander. He is now MondoCozmo.
Promotional Video for Americas Latino Eco-Festival
creative direction & production, design & motion
Americas for Conservation + the Arts (AFC+A) is a non-profit started by Guggenheim fellow Irene Vilar which “advances a healthy environment through arts, advocacy, education, and engagement of culturally diverse communities.” By 2050, it is projected that 30% of the population of the US will be Latinx. For the inaugural Americas Latino Festival in Colorado in 2013 they needed a video to promote the festival, explain its purpose, and share statistical facts.
Inspired by the sublime beat of the generously donated music of Rodrigo y Gabriela, using striking movement, shapes, and colors, I was able to visually convey the dynamism of the Latino culture while presenting the myriad of information including necessary facts, statistics, and scheduled participants. By having the themes of the festival emanate from the word environment, the update for the second year’s shift of focus to eco concerns is highlighted. Attendance surpassed expectations both years.
