Next, Balvin grows to gigantic proportions and handsets float down from the clouds as part of an AR game called “Catch My iPhone.” You can dig his latest single, “Dainties” (with Usher and DJ Khaled), on the soundtrack.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes clip:

Finally, though Balvin doesn’t scale the heights in the Spanish-language ad below, he does change his hair color. Good for him!

All components boast canny ties to pop culture. Bateman and Hayes’ chemistry cooks, as usual. It’s an effective quickie that doesn’t overstay its welcome or get OTT foolish.

Meanwhile, Balvin exudes considerable charm at his normal size, while Jodzilla politely refrains from chewing the scenery—literally—in the AR scenario.

Ogilvy developed the Bateman/Hayes spot. R/GA and The Community worked with Balvin on his tall tale and new do, respectively.

Daniel Barak is R/GA’s first global ECD, working across the network’s entire client portfolio and partnering with global CCO Tiffany Rolfe to push creative boundaries, grow businesses and build a more human future.

In the past, Daniel led successful transformations at Saatchi LA, Deutsch LA and McCann Tel-Aviv, where his campaigns landed the agency on the global creative map. A recently naturalized U.S. citizen, Daniel is also an advocate for creative immigrants and has actively helped dozens of diverse talents get green cards to keep pursuing their creative dreams in America.

We spent two minutes with Daniel to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations, and recent work he’s admired.

Daniel, tell us…

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in central Tel Aviv, and I’ve been living in Los Angeles since 2014.

How you first realized you were creative.

On the surface, I loved drawing and building worlds in video games. Digging deeper into the mind, my grandfather, who I admired, was a gifted chess player who often made more money beating fellow players at the local coffee shop than from his salary. 

Every week since I was 6 years old, we would play chess. There was a moment when I was 10, after flawlessly losing every single game for four years, where I saw an idea and managed to grab one of his rooks. I still lost this game, and every other game with him until he passed in 2017, but that moment unlocked a set of realizations about strategy and inspiration that make up what I consider “creative.”

A person you idolized creatively early on.

My mother, Vered, who works under the moniker Rose Aboulafia. She is a virtuous fashion designer who uses freehand techniques and works exclusively in “slow fashion,” no machines, all by hand. I’ve been trying to match her attention to detail throughout my career.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

Halfway through 12th grade, I pretty much figured out a general path I wanted to take that involved creativity at some capacity. Couldn’t exactly put my finger on what yet, but I was producing parties, designing posters, and even managed to get paid for some of it. One day in Algebra class, I was asked to get out of class for talking, and never really came back to school after that. I was focused on a different set of goals that the current school system wasn’t going to help me to reach.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Too many, but a few that consistently inspire me over the years are Cleon Peterson, Clams Casino, Moebius, Onra, A$AP Rocky, Flowdan, Action Bronson, Modeselektor and James Blake, to name a few.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

1917. Even though it’s been a few years, this film has stuck with me. Above the technical achievement and superb directing, there’s music in its storytelling. And even though it’s a war film, it is so pleasant to watch.

Your favorite fictional character.

Mike Ehrmantraut in Better Call Saul. Played by Jonathan Banks.

Someone or something worth following in social media.

@Shrimpdaddy

How Covid-19 changed your life, personally or professionally.

Two years prior to the pandemic, I was working as a contractor with my own business, so professionally not a lot changed since I was already mostly working from home and going into different offices when needed. Personally it gave me an opportunity to look at my priorities and make some changes. Putting family first and using my time smarter. 

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

@SeeLikeMenna for Toyota and the Paralympics. As the official sponsor of both the Olympics and Paralympics, Toyota wanted to bring equality to the Games. So to elevate the Paralympics, we had to break the stigma around Paralympic athletes. @SeeLikeMenna was the first Instagram experience that let you see the world through the eyes of visually impaired skier and Paralympic gold medalist Menna Fitzpatrick. For a 100 percent visual platform, we created content that accurately reflected Menna’s 3 percent vision to give people a deeper understanding of the magnitude of her achievements. The project was done by an incredible all-female creative team that I was lucky to work alongside both at Deutsch and Saatchi LA.

A recent project you’re proud of.

I’m proud of the Super Bowl work for Verizon out of R/GA. There’s a theme of using the tech innovation and reliability of the network in combination with authentic human insights to give fans across-the-board access to the excitement of the big game and everything in it.

During the 2021 Super Bowl, at the height of the pandemic, when the real Raymond James Stadium was almost empty, we helped build a playable replica in Fortnite and reunited 40 million people, placing this as the largest branded metaverse activation to date. Then, for the 2022 Super Bowl, ticket prices skyrocketed, denying access to hip-hop fans who deserved to experience the legendary halftime show firsthand. We helped 500,000 fans crash the show with a first-of-its-kind mixed reality app that put them on stage with Dr. Dre.

[Verizon Fortnite Stadium was done in partnership with Momentum Worldwide. Pepsi Ultra Pass was done for Pepsi&Verizon in partnership with Triggr & 8th Wall.]

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.

Early on in my career, I transitioned from nightlife to creative direction. As a result, projects that combined music with an interactive experience were top of mind. 

The Sound of Honda was a work of art.

Yung Jake‘s left a stake in the ground around the combination of art and tech innovation at the early stages of html5. Somewhat similar to the Wilderness Downtown in execution but less safe for work.

Another one is Hamburger Helper’s “Watch the Stove” mixtape. A perfect case of understanding social media and mixing mediums to get to success.

Someone else’s work you admired lately.

Heinz’s Hidden Spots from GUT. As a PUBG Mobile player, the insight of having to camp to sneak in a bite or run to the bathroom during a 30-minute match hits very close to home for me, and I was upset for several days when it came out for not being the one to make this project. 

Another project I admired lately was the Minions campaign, if you can even call it a campaign. It was the ultimate storm of planned chaos. The overall creative that focused on brand collabs was great but almost dwarfed by the trend that was led by Yeat’s track. The music portion was paramount to the energy and momentum of that unprecedented movement. I’m sure that with the wrong track, it wouldn’t have taken off as much as it did.

The beauty is to have a vision and let the Internet do its thing. It’s unmeasurable until it is. I wish more clients would take this type of calculated risk.

Your main strength as a creative person.

Thanks to a few great mentors, I’d like to believe that I see what matters and what doesn’t, what are the small things that can take a project from mediocre to great, and more important, the small things that can make a big difference on my partners’ and teams’ lives.

Your biggest weakness.

I take things personally.

One thing that always makes you happy.

Dark chocolate.

One thing that always makes you sad.

Being half a world away from my family.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Consider my love for plants a bit more seriously. 

Bryan Gregg, executive creative director at R/GA, is a writer with a background as a cinematographer and photographer.

His human-first approach has helped build unconventional teams that write the rules as they go and continue to shape culture, creating some of the most memorable creative work of recent years—including Reddit’s “Superb Owl” spot, which was concepted and executed in less than a week, and received over 6.5 billion impressions.

Previous campaigns he has led include Samsung “/make,” a series he directed that created a platform with and for creators, including Issa Rae and Nigel Sylvester; and SoulCycle “At-Home”, the content experience that brought SoulCycle to a new group of riders anytime, anywhere.

We spent two minutes with Bryan to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations, and recent work he’s admired.

Bryan, tell us…

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Durham, New Hampshire, a small college town on the New England seacoast. I currently split my time between NYC and Mill Valley.

How you first realized you were creative.

Under pressure.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

My idols were basketball players. The style and creativity of players like Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Penny Hardaway led me to feel differently about being an artist and an athlete. They played with attitude, impacted culture, and brought so much creativity to that era of basketball. Basketball was such a massive part of my life as a kid, I would travel for AAU, go to camps—it was my gateway into creativity and culture.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

I lost one of my closest friends in the world the summer between my freshman and sophomore year. It was a devastating experience and robbed the world of an incredible writer and one of my first collaborators and creative partners. But I think the loss has fueled a lot of my commitment to creativity.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Rick Rubin.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Angela Duckworth’s Grit.

I’m a student of film, so I was blown away by Robert Eggers’ The Northman and his obsession with detail and dedication to film craft.

I also love people talking about culture, their experience and the process—so shows like The Shop, My Next Guest, and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

Your favorite fictional character.

Lil’ Penny.

Someone or something worth following in social media.

I love @samcannon‘s work, definitely worth following.

How Covid-19 changed your life, personally or professionally.

I can’t remember the last time I watched a movie and didn’t cry.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

For Samsung “/make,” we made 10 short films around the world with incredible creators, artists and actors, including people such as Issa Rae, Nigel Sylvester, Brian and Scott Nicholson and Anthony Prince Leslie, to name a few. I was the ECD on the project and was lucky enough to co-direct nine of the films. We had the same core crew traveling around the world, and I learned an incredible amount from each of the people we were working with. It was also one of the first pieces of work that shifted intent for Samsung from Apple.

A recent project you’re proud of.

Reddit “Superb Owl” took so many smart people working closely together in a short period of time to pull it off, and it was incredible watching the reactions as it took off during the Super Bowl. It also felt like we were such an underdog going into it. To get recognized as one of the best spots in Super Bowl history is incredible.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.

I was a huge fan of the Mars Blackmon work by W+K for Air Jordan with Spike Lee and Michael Jordan. It’s a perfect union of sports, culture, comedy and style and made such an impact on what’s possible with sports marketing.

Someone else’s work you admired lately.

In no particular order, “Icelandverse,” McDonald’s “Famous Orders,” and “The Lost Class.”

Your main strength as a creative person.

My taste.

Your biggest weakness.

Bullies. I’m fiercely protective of my team, friends and family.

One thing that always makes you happy.

Playing basketball.

One thing that always makes you sad.

Senseless violence.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

What are you really into these days?

Sharing deep, philosophical musings that pop into your head as you lather up? There’s a subreddit for that! (r/ShowerThoughts.) Are pudgy cats your jam? Visit r/Chonkers. Adore dressing up as fictional characters? Try r/Cosplay.

Reddit boasts more than 100,000 communities catering to virtually every mainstream hobby, esoteric interest and oddball obsession. So, you’re sure to find folks who share your passions, eager to chat for hours on just about every conceivable topic.

That’s the gist of a playful campaign rolling out this week across TV, digital and OOH in the U.S. and Canada.

R/GA “Find Your People ads convey Reddit’s ability to foster community among like-minded folks and take gentle jabs at significant others who don’t get their partners’ mania for everything from houseplants to sinfully small kittens.

“People come to Reddit to connect in ways they might not be able to elsewhere,” says the company’s head of brand marketing, Dong Chen. “While we were working on the campaign, there were many stories across the team of how we used Reddit to find human connections for interests that our friends or family may not share. Sometimes the people we know the least get us the most.”

“Find Your People” is designed to reach new and existing users, building on existing momentum that saw the brand grow about 40 percent across North America in the past year. As part of the push in Canada, Reddit will partner with Live Nation and agency Salt XC for a Budweiser Stage summer concert experience.

Teased last week at Cannes Lions, the campaign marks Reddit’s first consumer outreach since its lauded 5-second regional Super Bowl hack in 2021, and includes the brand’s first national TV buy. The effort also features billboards that rock a pleasingly minimalist aesthetic:

As for the commercial shoot, “many of the lines we ended up using were actually improvised takes versus the takes we scripted,” Chen says.

And the cosplay guy didn’t wear his own costume. We think.

CREDITS

CLIENT: Reddit
CAMPAIGN NAME: Find your people
AGENCY: R/GA California

VP, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Gregg
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kevin Koller
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, COPY: Scott Steele
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VISUAL DESIGN: Hera Yeung
COPYWRITER: Aishika Sen
JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR: Jameson Thornock
MOTION DESIGN DIRECTOR: Felipe Mahalem

VP, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CREATIVE & INNOVATION PRODUCTION: Hana Newman
EXECUTIVE CONTENT PRODUCER: Dustin Freeman
SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCER: Alec Carrier
CONTENT PRODUCER: Laura Allin
ASSOCIATE CONTENT PRODUCER: Jon Hill
DIRECTOR, CONTENT PRODUCTION: Erica Jensen
SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCER: Patrick Gosse
SENIOR MECHANICAL ARTIST: Minjie Gao
SENIOR MANAGER, BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Natalie Roback
ASSOCIATE MANAGER, BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Daniella Cunningham

SVP, MANAGING DIRECTOR: Cara Watson
SVP, GLOBAL HEAD OF INSIGHTS: Christian Kugel
VP, EXECUTIVE STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Yael Cersarkas
GROUP STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Kaitlyn Frysztak
STRATEGIST: Erica Carin
DIRECTOR, MARKETING SCIENCES: Ricky Weina

GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Parry Rominger
MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR: Paige Poulsen
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Katie Cahill
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Keaton Wilson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS: Chris Forsythe
PRODUCER: Flor Merino
SVP, GLOBAL HEAD OF MEDIA & CONNECTIONS: Ellie Bamford
GROUP DIRECTOR, MEDIA & CONNECTIONS: Faviana Campbell
MEDIA SUPERVISOR: Jazmin Temores
SENIOR MEDIA STRATEGIST: Alice Wang
ASSOCIATE MEDIA STRATEGIST: Ezequiel Iglesias
ASSOCIATE MEDIA STRATEGIST: Josefina Raposo

DIRECTOR: Pete Marquis
DP: Julia Swain
EP: Victoria Guenier
LINE PRODUCER: Joseph Soutullo
EDITORIAL: Union Editorial
EDITOR: Karen Kourtessis
STYLIST: Arielle Antoine
CASTING: Elevator Casting
MUSIC: Found Objects

REDDIT
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Roxy Young
HEAD OF BRAND MARKETING: Dong Chen
BRAND MARKETING SPECIALIST: Katie Ambrose
HEAD OF BRAND CREATIVE: Tavish MacLellan
SENIOR CREATIVE LEAD: Chris Potts
CANADA MARKET DIRECTOR: RJ Pauloski
CONTENT PRODUCER: Lisa Pertl

Partner Agencies

CAIRNS ONEIL (CANADA MEDIA STRATEGY & BUYING)
PRESIDENT: Devon MacDonald
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Trish Irwin
DIGITAL DIRECTOR: Robert Nolan
DIGITAL SUPERVISOR: Lily Keung

JAW ADVERTISING (CANADA CREATIVE ADAPTATION)
PARTNER: Doug Walker
PARTNER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Jones
SENIOR DESIGNER/SENIOR MOTION DESIGNER: Andy Kelly
SENIOR DESIGNER: Holly Truax

SALT XC (CANADA EXPERIENTIAL)
VP CREATIVE: Allan Regan
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Lindsay Stransman
ART DIRECTOR: Benjamin Gehlen
DESIGNERS: Sarah Ellis, Iman Ghader, Natasha Hertle

“Some days I just didn’t want to do nothing. I didn’t want to get out of bed. But it was important to turn that pain into purpose because I had no other outlet.”

That’s how Bridgett Floyd describes her decision to join with family members to form the George Floyd Memorial Foundation in the weeks following her older brother’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020.

“Serving the community was number one,” Floyd says in “Love Lives On,” a racial justice initiative launched last Thursday by the Ad Council and R/GA. Created under the team’s “Love Has No Labels” banner, the new work profiles three women whose responses to hatred and violence serve as beacons of hope and transformation.

“Showing up and being heard and speaking out on things—we gave out money, for scholarships, brought food … but it’s going to take more than just us,” Floyd says in this 90-second PSA:

Actors portray Bridgett and George in “Gentle Giant,” a seven-minute film that explores their relationship:

Andre Muir directed the long-form video, while Justin Polk helmed the shorter segments, including the two clips below.

The first presents Barbara Poma, owner of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, site of a 2016 mass shooting that left 49 people dead and more than 50 wounded. Poma created the onePULSE Foundation, a nonprofit supporting the survivors and all those impacted by massacre:

Finally, we meet Maddy Park. Alarmed by the rise of hate crimes against Asians and other underrepresented groups in America, she formed CafeMaddyCab, which provides free taxi rides for AAPI women, LGBTQ+ people and elderly folks in need:

“Our goal is for people of all backgrounds to see these stories, recognize our shared humanity and realize how they can continue taking meaningful actions of their own,” Heidi Arthur, chief campaign development officer at the Ad Council, tells Muse. “Many don’t know where to start or what to do that will make a meaningful difference. Our films demonstrate how actions by individuals can make others feel supported, safer and included. Even small acts can have a profound impact.”

Arthur believes “Love Has No Labels” is having an impact, noting a new survey that shows 70 percent of adults believe they can create a more inclusive environment, a 10 percent gain since the campaign debuted seven years ago.

Along with various versions of the videos, “Love Lives On” features audio developed by iHeartMedia, plus digital, print and out-of-home elements. All invite audiences to lovehasnolabels.com for information on how they can help organizations working to creative a more equitable society.
 
In addition, Twitter will host a Spaces event in July to discuss how folks can support the cause, and the social platform’s ArtHouse initiative will engage creators and activists to develop and distribute artworks based on the “Love Shines On” platform.

Other partners donating media and providing support include Amazon, Cox Communications, Google, Hulu, Lightbox, LinkedIn, Meta, Pinterest, Publicis, Reddit, SXM and YouTube.

CREDITS

Love Has No Labels
‘Love Lives On’ Campaign
June 2022

LIST OF SPOTS
The Gentle Giant
Barbara Poma, onePULSE Docushort
Maddy Park, Maddy Cab Cafe Docushort
Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd Memorial Docushort

VIDEO CREDIT LIST
Campaign Title: ‘Love Lives On’
Length: Extended / :60 / :30 / :15 
Location: Broadcast / Streaming /Digital
Agency: R/GA
Client: Ad Council

CREDITS LIST
CLIENT: The Ad Council
Chief Campaign Development Officer: Heidi Arthur
VP, Group Campaign Director: Sheri Klein
VP, Campaign Director: Jenn Walters
Campaign Manager: Ariana Lee
Assistant Campaign Manager: Rachel Eppler

AGENCY: R/GA
Global Chief Creative Officer: Tiffany Rolfe
SVP Executive Creative Director: Shannon Washington
Executive Creative Director: Fernando Hernandez
Creative Director: JJ Lim
Design Director: Pawel Rokicki
Associate Creative Director: Rowan Mansfield
Associate Creative Director: Corey Thorn
Associate Creative Director: Julian Soto
Associate Creative Director: Artiana Wynder
Art Director: Vitor Lessa
Editorial Research and Interviewer: Anslem Samuel Roque

Executive Director, Content Production: Chris Detoy
Director, Content Studio: Erica Jensen
Senior Content Producer: Lauren Powzyk
Senior Content Producer, Art: Yassmina Fandi

Executive Production Director: Jeff Skutnik
Executive Producer : Pete Jones
Senior Producer: Vitor Rossellini

VP, Managing Director: Kelli MacDonald
Group Account Director: Carmen Cramer

Executive Director, Business Affairs: Lynda Blaney-Smith
Associate Director, Business Affairs: Marissa Burnett

SVP, Global Head of Insights: Christian Kugel
VP, Executive Strategy Director: Lucien Etori
Senior Strategist: Brandon Heard
Senior Connections Strategist: Aaron Francois

SVP, Executive Creative Director: Erin Lynch
Creative Director, Experience Design : Jess Vande Werken
Associate Creative Director, Experience: Aaron Kelly
Associate Engineering Director: David Holm

PRODUCTION COMPANY (Anthem Film): Smuggler
Director: Andre Muir
Executive Producers: Patrick Milling-Smith / Brian Carmody / Jaclyn Larson
Head of Production: Alex Hughes 
Producer: Manny Caston
Production Supervisor: Svetlana Dekic
1st AD: Adam Hein
Director of Photography: Oliver Millar
Production Designer: Maren Jensen
Casting Director: Jodi Sonnenberg
Wardrobe Stylist: Elise Velasco

PRODUCTION COMPANY (Documentary Shorts): Invisible Collective
DIRECTOR:: Justin Polk
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Tracie Norfleet
LINE PRODUCER: Adam Leeman
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Eric Tran
1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Michael Rubman
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Congyu E
STYLIST: Brittany Thomas
SOUND: Evan Millard

EDITORIAL: Cabin Edit
Managing Director: Maggie Meade
Editor (Anthem/GF Film): Nathan Rodgers
Editor (Docu Shorts): Talia Pasqua
Assistant Editor (Anthem/GF Film): Dominique Machain
Assistant Editor (Docu Shorts): Rachel Hamburger 
Post Producer: Andrea Cantor 
Executive Producer: Adam Becht
 
VFX/FINISHING: Shape + Light
Executive Producer: Cara Lehr
Lead Flame Artist: Austin Lewis
Flame Artist: Pat Hunsberger
Flame Artist: Aaron Neitz
VFX Producers: Joe Abou Sakher
Creative Director: Rob Trent

COLOR: Blacksmith
Colorist: Mikey Pehanich 
Color Assistant: Sam Howells
Color Producer: Ashley Goodwin
Executive Producer: Charlotte Arnold

PHOTOGRAPHY: BÜRO
Photographer: Myesha Evon Gardner

MUSIC: Barking Owl
Creative Director: Kelly Bayett 
Executive Producer: Ashley Benton
Assistant Producer : Lily McCann
Composer: Jacob Plasse

SOUND DESIGN/MIX: One Thousand Birds
Sound Design/Mix: Hayley Livingston, Myra Al-Rahim
Additional Sound Design: Jackie! Zhou
Producer: Alex Berner-Coe
Associate Producer: Maya Kotomori

LICENSING & ART PARTNERS
Jelani Rice 
Ron Kurokawa
Nijalon Du’Boi
Getty Images 
XYZ Graphics

Clean Slate New York is fighting for the Clean Slate Act to be passed into law. The bill would automatically clear a New Yorker’s conviction record once they’re eligible. This would remove major barriers to basic necessities like employment, housing and education.

R/GA New York teamed up with Zaki Smith to create a bold mural in a high-trafficked area in Brooklyn to “Mark the Days.” Smith marks the time he spent in prison next to the time he’s been out of a job. The stats are staggering, and the time he’s been without a job far outweighs the time he served in prison. The mural was created in less than two weeks to illustrate the unfair balance awaiting folks as they re-enter society.

Muse spoke with Brian Caruso, creative director of R/GA New York, about the mural, its location and the status of the Clean Slate Act.

Muse: How did the partnership with the Clean Slate NY come about?

Brian Caruso: Our global CMO, Ashish Prashar, was formerly incarcerated and has advocated for those impacted by our criminal legal system throughout his career. Clean Slate offered the best opportunity for people to transform their lives and end perpetual punishment.

Why the fast turnaround?

The New York vote was slated to take place in the first week of April. It was our intention to not only raise awareness about the impending decision, but to also raise public positive support of the issue. One in three Americans have a criminal record, restricting their ability to find housing, get an education and gain employment. That’s 70 million people across the United States with a conviction, and 2.3 million of those impacted are in New York alone.

How did you meet Zaki Smith?

All formerly incarcerated people share a bond. Zaki Smith is a Clean Slate coalition leader who was released from prison 18 years ago, yet still faces the collateral consequences of having a conviction record. He is denied access to education, housing, and as the mural clearly illustrates, employment.

What is the status of the bill?

Despite tremendous support, the bill fell out of the state budget talks, but will continue to be pressed for approval in New York. To date, five states have approved the Clean Slate Act—Pennsylvania, Utah, Michigan, Connecticut and Delaware—with more states considering the legislation themselves, such as Texas, Oregon, Louisiana and North Carolina.

Was the Brooklyn location for the mural selected for a reason?

With the vote happening just days after launch, we wanted it to be in the heart of a neighborhood with loud voices. “Mark the Days” highlighted the hidden life sentences that incarcerated people face long after they’ve been released from prison. To do this, we purposefully leveraged a medium typically used by people in prison: hash marks on a wall.

By recontextualizing these marks to illustrate the lifetime of injustice and imbalance he has suffered due to his conviction record, Zaki brought the spirit of prison wall inscriptions to the outside world, proving that life on the outside is often even more punishing than life on the inside.

CREDITS

Agency: R/GA NY
Brian Caruso, Creative Director
Marthon Pucci, Creative Director, Visual Design
James Greening, Associate Creative Director 
Leana Carvin, Designer, Visual Design
Melissa Tito, Junior Art Director
Rowan Mansfield, Associate Creative Director, Copywriting
Nathalie Tigua, Junior Copywriter
Minjie Gao, Senior Mechanical Artist
Eli Mavros, Creative Director, Post Production
Michael McLenighan, Senior Art Director
TJ Boegle, Content Creator
Justin Sirizzotti, Senior Video Editor
Pete Karam, Senior Sound Designer
Danielle Small, Content Producer
Jen Arcese, Executive Content Producer
Erica Jensen, Director, Content Studio
Jeff Skutnik, Executive Production Director
Gabby Weintraub, Producer
Justine Sarfan, Strategy Director
Meghan Lorito, Associate Director, Connections Media
Ricky Weina, Group Director, Marketing Sciences 
Yuliana Safari, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications
Lynda Blaney-Smith, Executive Director, Business Affairs
Katie Baxter, Senior Counsel, Business Operations
Daniella Cunningham, Associate Manager, Business Affairs

Roku stages a goofy gallop through history that puts the streaming platform on par with paper clips, windshield wipers and the wheel in terms of innovation and ease of use.

Created with agency R/GA and director Keith Schofield, an anthem film delivers the brand proposition with comic flair through eye-catching, cinematic visuals and a Monty Python vibe.

“The best ideas are often the simplest—like streaming made easy,” we’re told at the end. These uncluttered out-of-home ads are simpler still:

It’s cute stuff, touted as Roku’s biggest brand campaign yet. Company research shows one-third of consumers plan “big-ticket” holiday buys of over $500 this year, with two in three shoppers eyeing consumer electronics. Roku hopes to put its hardware in the gifting mix.

“The idea was born from the insight that when technology works, it’s almost taken for granted,” Roku director of marketing Colleen McGee tells Muse. “But when it doesn’t work, people notice and get frustrated. A very human truth.”

She continues: “O and K are two simple letters that signal the idea of ease, competency and confidence. It was magically delightful that O and K are also in the name Roku—and on the remote.”

As for the film’s centuries-spanning storyline, “we were all inspired by the idea that this is a milestone moment in history—that we are all witnessing firsthand the decade of streaming, a time of transformation,” McGee says. “We were inspired by the past moments of innovation and the realization that simple solutions have shaped our everyday. The idea was to celebrate simplicity and those moments of realization when something just works.”

CREDITS

CLIENT: Roku
CAMPAIGN NAME: Ok, Roku does that.
AGENCY: R/GA California

ROKU

VP ACCOUNT GROWTH MARKETING: Matthias Schaefer
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Colleen McGee
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jeff Loibl
MARKETING MANAGER: Katie Mandell
CREATIVE PROJECT MANAGER: Kristin Reynolds

R/GA CALIFORNIA
VP, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Gregg
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kevin Koller
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGN: Benjamin Parisot
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGN: Mike Wilgus
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, COPY: Yuriy Mikhalevskiy
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, COPY: Scott Steele
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VISUAL DESIGN: Jenn Ma
ASSOCIATE VISUAL DESIGNER: Roberta Nicastro
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Gabe Valente

MOTION DESIGN DIRECTOR: Felipe Mahalem
ACD, MOTION GRAPHICS: Akira Thompson
MOTION DESIGNER: Natalia MoinFanner
JUNIOR ANIMATOR: G Pelczar
SENIOR SOUND DESIGNER: Pete Karam
GROUP DIRECTOR, CONTENT PRODUCTION: Hana Newman
DIRECTOR, CONTENT PRODUCTION: Erica Jensen
EXECUTIVE CONTENT PRODUCER: Dustin Freeman
SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCER: Diana Devries
SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCER: Patrick Gosse
ASSOCIATE CONTENT PRODUCER: Jon Hill
SENIOR MANAGER, BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Marissa Burnett
ASSOCIATE MANAGER, BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Candace Mooty

SVP, MANAGING DIRECTOR: David Corns
VP, EXECUTIVE STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Yael Cersarkas
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Kaitlyn Frysztak
SENIOR STRATEGIST: Sunny Lee
DIRECTOR, MARKETING SCIENCES: Ricky Weina
VP, MANAGING DIRECTOR: Cara Watson
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLIENT SERVICES: Chad Wilson
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Parry Rominger
MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR: Paige Poulsen
VP, EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Julie Andrews
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Chris Stoddard
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Christine Lopez
PRODUCER: Sue Villegas
VP, MEDIA AND CONNECTIONS: Ellie Bamford
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEDIA OPERATIONS: Liz Hart
DIRECTOR, MEDIA & CONNECTIONS: Faviana Campbell
DIRECTOR, MEDIA & CONNECTIONS: Laura Ries
SENIOR MEDIA STRATEGIST: Erica Schwartz
MEDIA SUPERVISOR: Jazmin Temores
MEDIA STRATEGIST, PLATFORM: Yrving Aponte
ASSISTANT MEDIA STRATEGIST, PLATFORM: Josefina Raposo

Partner Agencies

CAVIAR
DIRECTOR: Keith Schofield
DP: Matías Andrés, Damien Acevedo
EP: Michael Sagol
LINE PRODUCER: Connor Hollman, Kirsta Teague
PRODUCTION DESIGNERS: Henry Roraros, Ben Gerlis

EXILE (Editorial)
EDITOR: Grant Surmi
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Erin Offenshauser
SENIOR CUTTING ASSISTANT: Jennifer Chung
PRODUCER: Kristina Thoegersen
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Michael Miller
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jennifer Locke
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CL Kumpata

MPC (Color & Finishing)
VFX
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tom McCullough
SR. EXEC. PRODUCER: Camilia De Biaggi
2D LEAD: Joseph Vitale
ROTO/PREP LEADS: Sugumar S, Manmohan Singh, Moumita Ganesh Pratihas
2D TEAM:
Alex Postelnicu, Asaf Yeger, Esther Song, Mazyar Sharifian, Jhinku Lal Gupta, Anilkumar Madhavan, Prashant Mohite, Sangram Londhe, Pratik Naiknavare, Umesh Shivade, Vishal Devkar, Shashi Sundarraj, Vikas Vikram
PRODUCERS: Chris Preston Barnes, Salil Thapa
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Rushikesh Shelar

COLOR
COLORIS: Mark Gethin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Meghan Lang Bice
PRODUCER: Caitlin Forrest

Lime (Sound Design & Mix)
SOUND DESIGN, MIX: Sam Casas
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susie Boyajan

Caya (Music)
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ben Einziger
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Kiki Einziger

Megan Trinidad started her career writing coaster jokes for liquor brands and has since tried to apply the same logic to everything she creates—make it memorable and make it useful. 

She’s built a career leading teams that combine storytelling and systematic thinking into compelling and effective brand experiences. Along the way, she’s created award-winning work for brands such as Instagram, Google, Michaels, Mailchimp and CoverGirl cosmetics. 

After 18 years in New York, Megan headed south to Texas in early 2020 to lead the R/GA Austin team as executive creative director. Originally from Long Island, New York, she does not have an accent unless tequila is involved.

We spent two minutes with Megan to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations, and recent work she’s admired.

Megan, tell us…

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up on Long Island in a coastal town called Sayville. It’s actually a “ferry town” to a Fire Island beach, which made for some great summer memories. Now I live in Austin, Texas. I moved here last February and just bought a house! 

What you wanted to be when you grew up.

As a kid, I wanted to be an animator for Disney with every fiber of my being. I have hundreds of sketches of Mickey Mouse to prove it. 

How you discovered you were creative.

If you ask my parents, I’ve been doing everything with flair since the day I was born. My two favorite activities as a kid were dressing up in elaborate outfits and coloring.

A person you idolized creatively growing up.

Tying into my “animator for Disney” ambitions, I got a book out of the library on Disney Animation and became obsessed with the nine old men—the illustrators and animators who created some of the studio’s most iconic work. 

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

I was kind of a late bloomer when it came to taking “art” more seriously, but when I was a senior in high school, I entered a regional art competition and won! That was a turning point for me and my own confidence in what I was creating. 

The first concert you saw, and your favorite band or musician today.

NKOTB, baby! No, for real—New Kids on the Block was my first concert. My favorite musician today is Kacey Musgraves. I’ve followed her career for years and love her talent and ability to evolve her music while staying true to her personality.

Your favorite visual artist.

I love the work of Liz Payne. She’s an Australian fiber artist who creates gorgeous abstract embroidered textiles.

Your favorite fictional character.

Kermit the Frog. Eternal optimist, beloved leader, impressive banjo player.

The best book you’ve read lately.

The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea. I was completely captivated by this book, which is part truth, part magical realism. Urrea took his expertise as a historical researcher to research a member of his own family—his great aunt Terrasita. She possessed healing powers and was eventually acclaimed as a saint. Using historical accounts and family records, the book follows her challenging yet magical life in 1800s Mexico. I couldn’t put it down. 

Your favorite movie.

The Cutting Edge.

Your favorite Instagram follow.

I’m going to use this moment to hype the side gigs of my incredibly talented team in Austin. Follow @Apt.c.kitchen for all the snacks and illustrator @jakecoutino to see the Technicolor Saga come to life.

How the Covid-19 crisis has changed your life, personally or professionally.

I moved to Austin from Brooklyn the last week in February 2020—basically the week before the nation went into lockdown. On the upside, I suddenly had a house with a yard instead of a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. On the downside, learning the ropes of a new gig, and getting to know a whole team while working from home has had some major challenges. 

I came into the role fired up and eager to make changes, only to quickly realize the big “change” of 2020 was going to be just figuring out how to do our jobs from home. It was a good exercise in being patient with yourself and others.

Your favorite creative project you’ve ever worked on.

My favorite project was partnering with Mailchimp to relaunch its brand. From rebuilding the entire web presence to launching new marketing into the world, it was a two-year-long project that never stopped being interesting. What really set it apart, though, was the people—we had phenomenal client partners who were just as passionate as we were about launching something with integrity. We also had an internal team that remains thick as thieves to this day. I strive every day to recreate that magic on every team I work with.

Your favorite creative project from the past year.

The work we’re doing for Michaels is so exciting. It’s driven by the insight that, without makers, Michaels is just a bunch of supplies. It’s the makers who turn yarn into mittens, paint into art. In order to build lasting relationships with customers, Michaels needed to be there for makers and exist through their work. Taking Michaels from a coupon-driven retailer to a people-first brand is a brand transformation story at its core and I couldn’t be prouder of the team and the work.

Someone else’s creative project that you admired lately.

Last year, a group of R/GA creatives launched Merch Aid—a nonprofit platform that enlisted leading artists to create merch for local establishments, with 100 percent of the profits going back to the businesses owners. Often selling out within hours, this merch platform was featured by the likes of Vogue and NBC. We launched a follow-up capsule in Austin to great success; and following the death of George Floyd, we collaborated with leading Black designers to create merch for Black-led nonprofits, raising $60,000+ in 24 hours, cementing Merch Aid as a game-changing model with the power to support communities in need.

Your main strength as a creative person.

Most of my strengths come from the skills that surround my creative skills—I’m super organized and great at seeing problems before they become problems. Those two skills have built the backbone of my leadership style, which is all about building teams and ways of working that help everyone create their best work. 

Your biggest weakness.

I have definitely fallen prey to imposter syndrome at various times in my career. The downside to “seeing problems before they are problems” is overthinking everything! It’s taken a lot of ongoing personal growth to be confident in my own contributions and not shoulda-coulda-woulda everything. 

One thing that always makes you happy.

I bought a ukulele at a yard sale years ago and, during a fit of quarantine boredom, I started teaching myself how to play. It started as a silly thing but now I’m really into it! The whole process has made me realize that playing music is not about being the best, it’s about spending time creating and learning. I find it very meditative, which I certainly never did when I was in high school band. 

One thing that always makes you sad.

It seems like every week (day?) of this past year brings a new reason to be sad. Between the ongoing global pandemic and the division in our country, it’s been a hard year with very few rays of light peeking through. Whenever I try to “un-sad” about this challenging time, I find myself focusing on the fact that hard times are often the breaking point for significant, lasting change. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

I’d be an interior designer. I love transforming spaces and making things feel like home. Helping others feel that feeling, and getting to buy things without other people’s money, would be so fun!

As the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racism continue to rage, employees across five leading agencies have joined together for a grassroots effort to combat the Black-white wealth gap, which stands at $300 billion and rising.

During February, which is Black History Month, hundreds of staffers at Huge, Mother, R/GA, 72andSunny and Wieden + Kennedy have pledged to “buy Black” for their personal needs whenever possible.

“We see the effect of a lack of equity in our communities, our families, and every other aspect of our lives,” Mother strategist Aneka Myles tells Muse. The “Black Owned Businesses Challenge” represents “a way for us to not only contribute to the growth of that equity, but also a way for us to challenge our coworkers to take the conversation and action beyond our walls,” she says.

In 2019, Huge’s Black affinity group, RBG—named for red, black and green, the colors of the Pan-African flag—launched an agency-wide competition that resulted in more than $35,000 spent with Black-owned establishments. Last year, Huge’s inclusion execs connected with their counterparts at W+K about expanding the project, and the idea for a broader “Black-Owned Business Challenge” among various shops was born.

“Our goal is simple: get folks, especially non-Black folks, to see if there was a Black-owned business that could service their needs,” explains Apryl Gordy, senior quality assurance analyst at Huge. “The challenge was to get folks thinking about everything from food and apparel to contractors, swimming instructors, lodging, dry cleaning, wedding planning and more.”

Visual elements leverage the Pan-African colors. Red stands for passion, culture, love and family; black represents education, knowledge, power and discovery; and green signifies money and generational wealth.

“The reality is that Black communities are disproportionately affected by competing pandemics in this country: anti-Black racism and Covid,” says Huge director of diversity, equity and inclusion Darien LaBeach. “Everyone should be making it their personal mission to help. And what’s more personal than our money? When you throw money at a problem that is exacerbated because of a lack of money, that is in fact one way to push the needle of progress forward.”

In a broader sense, “highlighting Black-owned businesses makes way for us to tell little Black children that entrepreneurship is an option,” Gordy says. “Ownership is something to be proud of and deserves support. It allows Black children to make mistakes without feeling like they let their entire race and community down. It allows Black children to learn in a space where they are valued as brilliant, instead of a diversity number. The very presence of Black-owned businesses is encouragement to Black youth.”

The challenge ranks as “a direct byproduct of Black employees having their own space,” adds W+K producer Brenton Roberson. “Without feelings of empowerment and relevance, I doubt an idea of this scale would’ve come to life. We now know that Black producers, strategists, project managers, etc., are on the same team, regardless of work address. Now, we must continue to push the envelope.”

Notable efforts in a similar vein, all consumer-facing, include this stirring Square film series spotlighting Black entrepreneurs; the #BlackOwnedFriday campaign with Wyclef Jean from Google and the U.S. Black Chambers; and Hennessy’s program to help minority businesses pummeled by Covid-19.

If Rocket Mortgage’s two national 60-second spots epitomized the big-budget, broad-comedy apex of Sunday’s Super Bowl advertising (earning the top two slots on the USA Today Ad Meter in the process), Reddit’s effort was the refreshing polar opposite—a 5-second regional spot with underdog verve, anchored by long copy you’d never be able to read in that brief window of time.

Reddit’s agency of record, R/GA, created the spot. You can see it below. It aired during the second quarter in nine of the top 10 U.S. metro markets—including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C.

The spot was delightful on many levels. It was timely—honoring the GameStop short squeezers on Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets group. It was refreshingly different—visually arresting, but also impossible to immediately digest, creating intrigue and buzz. It was perfectly on brand—with the final three sentences in particular articulating the advertiser’s DNA perfectly. And it was surely more inspiring for the underdogs of the world than any national spot that aired Sunday, offering the possibility of community for dreamers in a time of social isolation.

And it was done in ultimate Reddit DIY style, at a fraction of the cost of anything else on the game.

“In a sea of beautiful, expensive, celebrity-laced ads, dropping in janky slide for 5 seconds when you have something to say can be all it takes to get people’s attention,” Bryan Gregg, R/GA California’s executive creative director, tells Muse. “We shared an idea with the team at Reddit a few days before the big game. They loved it, we love them, together we made it.”

“We knew we had to break the mold and disrupt the current ad model. It wouldn’t be very ‘Reddit’ if we didn’t,” adds Ellie Bamford, R/GA’s head of media connections. “The standalone 5-second spot in the big game not only piqued curiosity in real time, it continues to inspire people to build powerful communities around their passions. That’s a big impact in 5 seconds.”

For more on R/GA’s Reddit antics, check out their work with Ally Bank late last year.

CREDITS

Client: Reddit
Campaign Name: “Superb Owl” 
Agency: R/GA California
R/GA
VP, Executive Creative Director: Bryan Gregg
Executive Creative Director, Studios: Chapin Clark
Creative Director: Kevin Koller 
Associate Creative Director, Studios: Kirstie Bones
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Jocelyn McCanles
Senior Copywriter: Scott Steele 
Art Director: Ben Muckensturm
Group Production Director, Studios: Hana Newman
Motion Design Director: Felipe Mahalem
Content Producer: Janie Penney 
SVP, Managing Director: David Corns
VP, Head of Media: Ellie Bamford
Group Director, Media Operations: Liz Hart
Media Director: Faviana Campbell
Media Planner/Buyer: Devon Bremer
VP, Executive Strategy Director: Yael Cersarkas 
Strategy Director: Kaitlyn Frysztak
VP, MD, Client Services: Cara Watson
Account Director: Parry Rominger
VP, Executive Production Director: Julie Andrews
Group Director, Production: Catherine Hughes
Senior Producer: Katie Cahill
Director, Business Affairs: Lynda Blaney-Smith
Senior Manager, Business Affairs: Natalie Roback 

Reddit
Chief Marketing Officer: Roxy Young
Senior Marketing Lead: Dong Chen
Marketing Specialist: Katie Ambrose
Head of Brand Creative: Tavish Maclellan
Creative Lead: Chris Potts