Video Storytelling
At age 14 I wrote, directed, edited, and then submitted an anti-smoking PSA to MuchMusic and experienced the thrill of seeing it air on television. Yes, it had original music. I can still sing it.
At Hudson’s Bay, I worked with the teams at Google (YouTube) and Facebook to ensure the content I create follows best practices no matter the platform or device. I excel at fitting a story into six seconds and I know the tricks for getting a viewer to stop scrolling, to ignore the “Skip” button, and to engage.
Communicating a Brand or Product
I’ve launched, relaunched and rebranded 100s of brands and products. Video plays a huge role in awareness whether it’s a well-known name or a newly-formed private label.
With CORE LIFE, a new Hudson’s Bay private label, you’ll see how we ensured the brand name was always closely linked to the store name, especially with the 15-second edit that was skippable. We ended with the brand ethos to reinforce what the viewer had just visually observed. For the 6-second bumpers we drilled down into products and price so that we’d build on the brand awareness created by the 15-second edit with associated value.
Platform-Specific
For this video we brainstormed with our partners at YouTube on how to make the most of the Masthead our media team had secured. In response I concepted and wrote a 30-second spot that would play on YouTube trends at that time (October 2018). In its single day on the Masthead it far outperformed other Masthead videos with over 400K views, and by the end of the two weeks (some days promoted, some not) it had 2.5 million views. It resulted in Bay Days growth Hudson’s Bay had not seen in years.
Storytelling With Graphics
While graphics-only videos are often chosen because of a lack of resources, I find them a pleasure to concept and write. I love working through the puzzle of priority and timing.
Stills + Supers
Similar to graphics-only, sometimes you need to get creative with the assets you have. It helps when they’re beautiful stills. And I love to create engaging stories though supers.
Instructional Scripts
I’ve been lucky enough to bring the knowledge and viewpoints of many experts to life through the scripts I’ve written. I am an expert at taking their unique voice, covering off the strategic goals of the client, and ensuring the script is engaging and informative for the viewer.
Worldbuilding
Back to School is a cluttered market. In 2018 boybands like BTS were making the idea of super groups cool again, the Spice Girls were reuniting and the ’90s were everywhere in fashion. To attract Gen Z, I created a fictional Bay High (à la Saved by the Bell’s Bayside) with a Battle of the Bands (thanks for the idea Riverdale) and two competing groups: The Back 2 School Boys and The Stripes Girls. Their rivalry played out across social media and we spotlighted each member’s individual style in 6 second spots to show the diversity of Hudson’s Bay’s fashion offering.
Contributors
Hudson’s Bay Creative Marketing, Atlantica Content, A+ Creative, Ante Kovac, The Young Astronauts, and many more.