Award-winning photographer Jim Hughes was brought on to a pro bono PSA campaign launch by COO Will McGuinness of Venables Bell + Partners working with AdTech Cares and the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination to develop an inspirational message to get vaccinated.
Meet Jim
- Jim Hughes: A life-long Californian, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and now call San Francisco home for family and profession. Jim is an experienced advertising people lifestyle photographer and director that has traveled the globe with his technically skilled team, for clients such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, United Airlines, AT&T, GE Healthcare, Wells Fargo, and global pharmaceutical companies. He consistently creates powerful and award-winning images that aim to connect us to the human experience and allow us to see more of ourselves in each other.
- Motto: I strive to push the boundaries of visual storytelling. I live to discover the unexpected in the ordinary so that we may see that our commonality is more prominent than our division. One of my major keys to life is celebrating our diversity.
Case Study Breakdown
Client :: AdTech Cares, Venables Bell + Partners and Veterans Coalition for Vaccination (VCV)
Creative :: To develop an integrated Pro Bono PSA campaign by looking to the past with iconic images as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ for an inspirational message to all Americans to work together and end the Covid-19 virus with vaccination.
Job Description :: Create simple optimistic messaging to all generations and ethnicities by way of multi-integrated platforms – posters, digital, billboards, outdoor venues (Time Square screens).
The Project :: A “Call to Arms” campaign enlists help from all Americans to get vaccinated. To create the largest mobilization effort in recent history using most trusted resource and voices – our U.S. Veterans.
Behind the Scenes
Challenges ::
- A tough combo: Urgency and COVID. It was extremely important to get this work produced and out into the world as quickly as possible. Also, the posters were labor-intensive pieces of artwork that required a lot of hand painting as well as organizing and pulling off a last minute safe photoshoot. It took a lot of late nights and problem-solving with our partners at Alice Blue
- Fast turnaround with a creative call on a Tuesday and shooting with 13 real people and models at Venable Bell + Partners San Francisco office on Thursday 7:00 AM.
- The team followed all Covid-19 protocols with PPE, testing of all crew and talent before the shoot, masking and distancing on set.
- A 12-hour shoot day with a super scaled down crew.
“We wanted to create a unifying message that brought people together to do their part. Because this message came from the Veterans Coalition, we looked back to a time when the World War II homefront effort appealed to a common cause. We were inspired by the hand-painted artwork and positive messaging of posters like Rosie the Riveter but wanted to give them a modern twist to reflect our current reality. It was truly an honor to participate in one of the most important efforts of our time.”
Final Deliverables
Solutions ::
- Coordinated seamless workflow of updated photography portraiture with a modern twist – people in masks. Showcased diverse subjects, young and old.
- Alice Blue Studio was brought in by Jim to enhance his photogaphy with illustrative painterly poster-art style, warm vintage poster design, typography and hand painting.
- Jim’s photography focused on strength of character, strong postures, poses, pride, passion and soul that can be seen in the eyes, even as subjects wear masks.
Credits ::
CCO: Will McGinness
CD/AD/CW Tyler Hampton, Matt Miller & Matt Keats
Copywriter: Cameron Hamlet, Tino Barreiro
Art Director: Will McLeod, Dwight Williams
Senior Studio Artist: Jennifer Trull
Presentation Artist: Kevin Camacho
Photographer: Jim Hughes
Retoucher: Alice Blue Production Studio
Type Design David Waraksa and Illustration Lena Pigareva
Production: Lumberyard Productions
Producer: Veronica Seder, Michelle Wells
Project Manager: Julia Dedona
Brand Supervisor: Rachel Waniga
Strategy: Tim Polder
Images courtesy of Jim Hughes Photography
