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The Challenge: All Stars —- Key Art and Promo Campaign

The Challenge has been a hit for MTV since the millennium and its fan base is incredibly dedicated. At the time of this show’s airing, there were up to 36 seasons not including the spin-offs and many of those fans had been watching from the beginning. To support the launch of Paramount+ a new spin-off was created exclusively for the platform bringing back a truly legendary cast from decades ago. We were tasked with defining this new channel for the franchise, drumming up the mythical status of the cast’s return to the spotlight and the Olympic challenges set in the Andes mountains.

I led and managed the art side of this campaign alongside my motion partner Tim Livezey and under our SVP Thomas Berger’s leadership. With a smaller and smaller in-house team we ended up managing a handful of vendors to develop this campaign. The first elements were developed in partnership with Adolescent who created our show packaging and the 3d treatment for the logo. LA Associates teased out our top talent and developed the key art. And we teased out the full list of cast names with art created by & Company. Carli Malec also designed our logo under my direction.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Design: Thomas Berger
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
VP Motion Design: Timothy Livezey

Vendors:
Key Art & Teaser: LA Associates
Secondary Art: & Company
Show Packaging: Adolescent

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The Real World Homecoming: New York —

The true story of seven strangers picked to live in a loft and have their lives taped got a redo, 30 years later! The original cast returned to the original loft for the first installment of the reunion series. With such an iconic series in our hands, we really aimed to pay tribute to the past with a stylized reboot of the original show open and photography.

As Creative Director I conceptualized and managed the key art, show packaging and promo graphics in partnership with my motion counterpart Tim Livezey and with the executional support of our in-house art director, motion designers, and the team at Arsonal.

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
SVP: Thomas Berger
VP Motion Design: Tim Livezey
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Art Director: Anthony Annandono
Motion Designer: Gary Samson

Key Art Vendor: Arsonal

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The Challenge 36 —- Marketing Campaign & Show Packaging

The Challenge: Double Agents was a high-stakes game of secrets, spies and lies, suited to a world that had seen a rise in misinformation and it’s blurred lines of fact and fiction. In a season full of deception and betrayal, it was every agent for themselves. Players could earn a coveted keycard skull that protected them from elimination and offered a chance for alliance—but who could be trusted?

I led up the art and design of the campaign with my teammate and motion counterpart Tim Livezey. We developed two pieces of key art with two vendors. Arsonal helped us tease out the new skull key card motif from the show, to play with the viewer’s perception of what's real and highlight some action from the show. With Bond’s help, we went whole hog with the equity of our cast and a spy-themed action collage. We also led the development of the show open and it’s packaging in partnership with ColourMovie, and all the promos, after shows and specials with the help of our in-house team. I also directed and was hands-on with the logo design.

The teaser won a silver at Graphis.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Design: Thomas Berger
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
VP Motion Design: Timothy Livezey
Art Director: Anthony Annandono
Motion Designers: Oscar Rivera & Angelo Avlonitis

Teaser Art: Arsonal
Key Art: Bond
Show Packaging: Colour Movie

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2020 Video Music Awards Marketing Campaign

The summer of 2020 was plagued with divisions stemming from public safety, human rights, and politics, and all of us were truly in need of an escape. The VMAs aimed to oblige with the revival of live music and the common ground we all share in our love for music. We were briefed to share our message of unity, celebration, and the escape the VMAs could offer through our marketing campaign.

We latched onto the 1960’s for the parallels of activism and aspirations we were experiencing and in need of in 2020. The flowy surrealism and positive tone of the illustrative design hugged the eyeballs of viewers and were embellished by an easy-going hand element and a rainbow of colors to signify inclusivity, togetherness, and the love aesthetic. It delights in the past, the togetherness of music, and the power of community without shying away from the new strangeness and change of today.

These VMA campaigns are extremely massive undertakings with literally thousands of deliverables including linear, OOH, social, digital, OTG, merch, and event materials. With our in-house team whittled to its barest of bones, we partnered with State design to help in developing the look and execute our most pressing linear needs and a swat team of freelancers to execute the breadth of the campaign. As creative director, I planted the 60’s love movement seed of an idea with our creative partners at State and under our senior leadership team and alongside my motion partner, we led and managed all visual aspects big and small of this 2020 VMA campaign.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Design: Thomas Berger
SVP, Editorial: Justin Russell
VP Editorial: Anthony Gelsomino
VP Design: Rich Browd
Creative Director Design: Casiel Kaplan
Sr. Motion Director: Timothy.Livezey
Art Directors: Anthony Annandono, Joe Cosentino & Kevin Burke
Motion Designers: Mike Erla, Oscar Rivera, Meika Jewett & Mike Yoo
Designers: Christi Catalpa, Carli Malec & Michael Gonzales

In partnership with State Design, their creative director Cecilia Fletcher and their team of artists and animators.

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The Challenge 35 —- Marketing Campaign & Show Packaging

The Challenge was all-out war for its 35th season and it’s final installment of the War of the Worlds trilogy. The production really pushed the cast to their limits on this one both physically and mentally. They performed some epic challenges riding on top of tanks, speeding trucks, and helicopters and had to face claustrophobia and each other while living in the tight quarters of an underground bunker without windows or doors.

I led and managed the art side of this campaign with the vision of my SVP Thomas Berger. Our press team’s strategy was to sell the action while our marketing team aimed to dial up the tension and sell our talent. We made art to satisfy both needs. We partnered with BLT for our press image using a mixture of unit photography and stock and Timothy Saccenti to shoot a set of character portraits gone mad for our advertising. I directed both still and motion portraits on our shoot day and was grateful for the support of Clayton Jones who ran point on the stills side. We had a nice-sized buy on this one and rolled out a new character portrait for every new tune-in beat we delivered. I executed the key art pieces, the logo, and boards for the motion team and even made the prop Helmets for the shoot. I also directed all aspects of the heavy digital media buy not shown here. This showcases the big beats, some social stuff and outtakes.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Design: Thomas Berger
Sr Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Sr. Motion Director: Timothy Livezey
Art Director: Clayton Jones
Motion Designer: Mike Erla

Photographer: Timothy Saccenti
Retoucher: Portus
Press Key Art Vendor: BLT

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Floribama Shore Season 3 Logo, Keyart & Promo GFX

After three and half seasons Floribama shore needed a refresh. We aimed to highlight the cast and their personalities within the backdrop of a postcard to make “Floribama” the made-up word about a real place, understandable to a bigger audience. We partnered with Gary Ciccarelli, an old-school 80's illustrator to portray the personalities of the cast with a touch of WTF party gator humor to grab your attention.

This was a fun one to work on that really benefitted from collaboration. I presented the Party Gator idea, Clayton chimed in with the buddy comedy vintage postcard framing device and our SVP Thomas said something along the lines of “Cool! Can you make the cast riding him?” I directed the art side of this campaign kicking it off with Andrew Eccles to shoot the cast on a big tilted pommel horse. Clayton pieced it together and we kicked it over to Gary who brought us back to the ’80s and all its buddy comedy glory. I designed all the typography and we commissioned illustrator Cody Weiler to make a bar neon of the party gator as well. I tackled all the typography including the logo for it’s original premiere season. I also directed all aspects of the healthy media buy as well, this is just showcasing the big beats and a few small fun ones.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP: Thomas Berger
Sr. Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Art Director: Clayton Jones
Sr. Motion Director: Tim Livezey
ACD Writer/Producer: Anna McDonald
Writer/Producer: Justin Freidus

Photographer: Andrew Eccles
Illustrators: Gary Ciccarelli & Cody Weiler

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2019 Video Music Awards Marketing Campaign

With the help of our vendor Kamp Grizzly, my motion counterpart Tim Livezey, and the vision of SVP Thomas Berger I was responsible for and managed anything and everything art-related for the whole of the 2019 VMAs marketing campaign.

It was a massive undertaking, with a huge buy with unique deliverables well into the hundreds and literally thousands of ad units, including but not limited to: a domination of Newark Penn Station of 350 pieces, OOH all over the country, a huge collection of promos, OTG, merch, a massive digital and social presence and even the decor and signage at the actual event and surrounding area.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Design: Thomas Berger
SVP, Editorial: Justin Russell
VP Editorial: Anthony Gelsomino
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Sr. Motion Director: Timothy.Livezey
Art Directors: August Foreman, Olufemi,
Motion Designers: Mike Erla, Oscar Rivera
Designers: Alison Geoffrey, PJ

Motion Campaign developed in partnership with Kamp Grizzly.

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How High 2 Promo graphics

The graphics for this stoner movie marathon to promote the launch of How High 2 was lots of fun to work on. I conceived the visual concept and executed it’s design under the leadership of Design Director Rich Tu and in collaboration with the motion team who added an awesome layer of depth to the design of this package.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP Design: Thomas Berger
Design Director: Rich Tu
Sr. Motion Director: Timothy Livezey
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Motion Designer: EunSung Do
Writer/Producer: Justin Friedus

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Wild N’ Out s11 Keyart & Promo

Nick Cannon’s Wild N’ Out is an improv rap battle and comedy show. There is lots of room to push and have fun with the graphics on this one so we were stoked to get assigned to its 11th season.

I conceptualized the art direction, executed the design, and managed the production under Rich Tu and Thomas Berger’s leadership. We made a ton of textural variations to keep the cards and spots looking fresh and eventually adapted the look into a 1-hour block campaign that included Safeword as well.

Tim Livezey brought the campaign to life with it’s motion design and in the end, the team won a Gold Telly Award.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP: Thomas Berger & Justin Russell
VP Design: Rich Tu
Motion Design Director: Timothy Livezey 
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Designer: Joe Cosentino

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Teen Mom Show Open, Packaging and Promo Graphics

We spun the stickers and iconography synonymous with the rest of the Teen Mom franchise into doodles to support the communications, bring more life into them, and carve out a new space for this sister show to have its own equity within the franchise.

I worked as a one-man band on the art side directing and executing the creative, design, and illustration, and partnered closely with our motion team who helped bring this to life.

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
SVP: Thomas Berger
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Motion Director: Tim Livezey
Motion Designer: EunSung Do
Writer/Producers: Anna McDonald & Kristin Evanoka

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Floribama Shore Season 1 & 2 Logo, Keyart & Promo GFX

With Jersey Shore in the rearview mirror, MTV created Floribama Shore to fill the party needs of reality junkies’ with a fresh take that literally straddled the culture line of Florida’s party lifestyle and Alabama’s southern values for a new generation of “Shore” shows.

I directed the shoot under Rebecca Simnowitz’s leadership. We had an incredible day and captured assets that would hold us over for 3 campaigns with the potential for a 4th that the cast just aged out of. I went on to Art Direct, execute and manage everything art related for season 1-3 (with a 2A and 2B) each with a decent amount of print and dozens of digital units.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Writer/Producer: Justin Freidus
ACD Writer/Producer: Anna McDonald
CD: Rebecca Simnowitz
SVP: Thomas Berger & Justin Russell  

Photographer: Kareem Black

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Jersey Shore: Family Vacation OOH Campaign

After a six year hiatus MTV reunited the original GTL cast to kick off the new series Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. I led the execution of season one’s campaign under the creative and art direction of Rebbeca Simnowitz.

This was a big deal for MTV at the time and under some of the tightest deadlines. Rebecca directed the shoot and flipped me images on a Friday evening. I pieced together the art that same night and we were through all our approvals and into retouching by Monday. I went on to design the rest of our media buy which included at least a dozen outdoor placements across NYC and LA, a Times Square domination and a host of digital ads.

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Writer/Producers (promo): Hannah Vanderpoel & Justin Freidus
Creative Director: Rebecca Simnowitz
SVP: Thomas Berger & Justin Russell
Illustrator: Yoko Honda

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Amazingness & Friday Block Keyart, Promo, Digital and Set graphics

Company: MTV Brand Creative
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan  
Writer/Producer: Anna McDonald  
VP Design Director: Rich Tu
SVP: Thomas Berger

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Founding Fathers Keyart & Promo Graphics

Company: MTV Brand Creative
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan  
Animator: Oscar Rivera

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Various Keyart

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan
Creative Director: Rebecca Simnowitz & Jim DeBarros
SVP: Thomas Berger

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