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2020 Video Music Awards Marketing Campaign

The summer of 2020 was plagued by divisions in public safety, human rights, and politics, and we all truly needed an escape. The VMAs aimed to offer that escape by bringing back live music and unite us through our shared love of it. We were briefed to share this message of unity, celebration, and the escape the VMAs could offer through our marketing campaign.

We latched onto the 1960s because of its parallels in activism and aspirations we were experiencing and needed in 2020. The flowy, surrealistic, and positive tone of the illustrative design hugged viewers' eyeballs and was embellished by an approachable hand element and 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 ’60s love movement seed of an idea with our creative partners at State, and under our senior leadership team, alongside my motion partner, we led and managed all visual aspects, big and small, of this 2020 VMA campaign.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Art: Thomas Berger
SVP, Editorial: Justin Russell
VP Editorial: Anthony Gelsomino
VP Design: Rich Browd
Creative Director Art: 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 Daily Show — Key Art Campaigns

After a year of anticipation and false starts, The Daily Show was returning with Jon Stewart as the host. We couldn’t be happier as a team, and as consumers, but because of fears of leaks, we didn’t find out until a week before airing. We partnered with LA Associates, hustled to find current images of Jon, and whipped out a campaign with a huge buy-in just a few days.

We developed an extremely simple but effective system anchored around Jon, the TDS team, and our intensely saturated signature blue that speaks to the content, stands out in the carousel, and offers visual continuity to consumers.

I was honored to continue leading TDS’s key art and OOH for the next two years. The pace never slowed: Emmy artwork, a new podcast launch, and the 2024 election coverage campaign all hit at once. We brought on Art Streiber, and I directed the shoot and campaign, producing a wide range of OOH and digital placements with Joe and Paulina, including full dominations in Times Square and Grand Central. Centered initially on our locked tagline, ‘The Most Important Election COVERAGE of Our Lifetime Ever,’ the direction shifted along the way—as they often do—but it was a hit for all stakeholders in the end.

Company: Paramount Brand Creative 
SVP: Justin Russell
VP Creative Director (Editorial): Matt Silvestri
Creative Director (Editorial): Michael Gelsomino
Creative Director (Art): Casiel Kaplan
Art Directors: Paulina Niewinska & Joe Cosentino

Key Art Vendor: LA Associates
Photographers: Art Streiber, Victoria Will, & Matt Wilson

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The Challenge International — Marketing Campaigns

MTV kicked off its new global strategy by rolling out five new series within The Challenge franchise. It all started with The Challenge USA, which assembled reality fan favs from the CBS universe, followed by localized editions in Australia, the UK, and Argentina. Their winners advanced to the World Championship on Paramount+, where they united in a single high-stakes finale.

From its inception, The Challenge’s hook has been at the crossroads of celebrity, relationship drama, and sports. Geared towards our rabid fan base, we left the drama to the show, always aiming to shine a spotlight on the action and highlight our most popular talent in our marketing.

I led and managed all things art alongside my motion partner and under our SVP’s leadership. Over the course of a year, I planned and directed 3 photo shoots, promo A/V art direction and design, logo design, multiple key arts, and show packaging and key art toolkits for our international partners. I also supported the set design and doubled as prop designer, making a handful of helmets for the shoots, which are still being used today.

Company: MTV Brand Creative
SVP, Art: Thomas Berger
VP Motion Design: Timothy Livezey
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Motion Designers: Oscar Rivera
Logo Design: Carli Malec

Photographer: James Dimmock, Aaron Smith
Key Art Vendor: Art Machine, Arsonal
Show Packaging: State

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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 direction of Rebbeca Simnowitz.

This was a big deal for MTV at the time, and it was 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 
SVP: Thomas Berger
Creative Director: Rebecca Simnowitz
Art Director: Casiel Kaplan

Illustrator: Yoko Honda

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Teen Wolf — Key Art , Promo Graphics & Logo

Jeff Davis picked up the Teen Wolf story where it left off, five years later, with Teen Wolf: The Movie igniting a fan base with deep emotional investment in the original series. While new audiences were considered, the campaign was unapologetically built for existing fans. We teased Allison’s return from the dead at San Diego Comic-Con, then extended the moment with two additional key art pieces that prioritized returning talent—answering the central question fans were asking: who’s back?

I was the creative lead for all things art, partnering with my motion counterpart and under the leadership of our SVP. I planned, conceptualized, and directed the shoot, and directed key art with our partners at LA Associates.

Company: Paramount Brand Creative
SVP, Design: Thomas Berger
VP Motion Design: Timothy Livezey
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Art Director: Joe Cosentino

Photographer: James Dimmock
Key Art Vendor: LA Associates

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Wild N’ Out s11 — Keyart & Promo Graphics

Nick Cannon’s Wild ’N Out blends hip-hop, comedy, and competition, using improvisation to drive performance and humor. For Season 11, gritty urban textures and sports-inspired design language reinforced the show’s battle format and competitive intensity.

I conceptualized the art direction, executed the design, and managed production under the leadership of Rich Tu and Thomas Berger. 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 its 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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The Real World Homecoming: New York — Marketing Campaign & Show Open

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 very same 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 and with the executional support of our in-house art director, motion designers, and the team at Arsonal. We also designed the logo.

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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Sixteen and in the System — Key Art, Show Open & Logo

16 & IN THE SYSTEM is a 6-episode documentary series that chronicles the life-changing journeys of a group of Philadelphia youth who have been given a second chance at freedom after committing a criminal offense. Instead of being placed in juvenile detention, they are offered restorative justice and assigned to the Institute for the Development of African American Youth (IDAAY), a nonprofit organization based in the heart of North Philly.

Careful consideration was given to amplifying their truth while maintaining an unassuming portrait of the group and a restrained sense of optimism around their journey.

I led and managed the key art, directed the logo design, and collaborated with my motion partner on packaging under our SVP's leadership. Photographer Rachel Wisniewski went on assignment to IDAAY and several of the youths' neighborhoods to capture a day in the life approach to the main titles and key art.

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
SVP: Thomas Berger
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Motion Director: Tim Livezey
Art Director: Scott Massey

Photographer: Rachel Wisniewski

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Buckhead Shore — Marketing Campaign, Show Open & Logo

Building on the legacy of Jersey Shore and Floribama, Buckhead Shore took the franchise to Atlanta's Buckhead suburb, also known as the ‘Beverly Hills of the South,’ following a group of friends and offering viewers a window into their exclusive lifestyle, relationships, and inevitable drama.

This campaign was designed to amplify the fun party energy and visual equity of the franchise and pave a fresh and contemporary path for this next generation of the franchise.

I conceptualized and led the art and design of the campaign under my SVP’s leadership. We brought Kareem Black in for the shoot, and Kevin, whom I had been training, killed it as AD on his first solo shoot. We partnered with Art Machine for Press and Key Art, and I collaborated with my motion counterpart on all art things A/V, doing the promo graphics internally and partnering with Block & Tackle for the show open and packaging. I also directed the logo design.

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
SVP: Thomas Berger
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Motion Director: Tim Livezey
Art Director: Kevin Burke
Designer: Carli Malec
Designer: Victoria Deblasi

Key Art Vendor: Art Machine
Show Package: Block & Tackle

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The Challenge: All Stars — Marketing Campaign

The Challenge has been a cornerstone of MTV for decades, supported by a deeply loyal fan base that has followed the franchise across more than 30 seasons and multiple spin-offs. To support the launch of Paramount+, a new installment was developed exclusively for the platform—bringing back a legendary cast whose return carried decades of competitive history and fan mythology.

Our task was to define a new visual lane for the franchise—amplifying the cast’s mythic stature and translating the season’s ancient Olympic theme and Andean setting into a visual system that felt both elevated and epic.

I led and managed the art side of this campaign alongside my motion partner and under our SVP’s leadership. With an increasingly small 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 complete 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

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Floribama Shore Season 3 — Logo, Keyart & Promo GFX

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

This was a fun one to work on, and it really benefited 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 its original premiere season. I also directed all aspects of the healthy media buy as well.

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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Teen Mom Family Reunion — Campaigns and Show Open

Teen Mom: Family Reunion was designed squarely for longtime fans, bringing together cast members from across the franchise for the first time. Across two seasons, our goal was to spotlight the women at the center of the show while giving audiences a clear sense of place and occasion.

I served as creative lead across all art and design, partnering closely with my motion counterpart under the direction of our SVP. My role spanned planning and directing both photo shoots, leading key art design, and developing style frames for show opens and promos, as well as overseeing all paid marketing assets—ensuring consistency and quality across all placements.

Company: MTV Brand Creative 
SVP: Thomas Berger
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan
Motion Director: Tim Livezey

Photographers: Peter Yang, Elisabeth Caren
Key Art Vendors: Arsonal, Art Machine

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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 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.

We aimed to translate that intensity into the campaign—making audiences feel both the scale of the action and the psychological pressure of bunker life, where confinement, paranoia, and competition pushed the cast to a breaking point.

I led and managed the art side of this campaign with the vision of my SVP. 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.

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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Teen Mom Show Open, Packaging, Promo Graphics & Logo

To differentiate the sister series, we transformed the Teen Mom franchise’s established stickers and iconography into a looser, doodle-based visual language—maintaining brand continuity while building new equity.

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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2019 Video Music Awards Marketing Campaign

In an era where MTV’s connection to music has shifted, the VMAs function as a deliberate counterpoint—one night built to give artists total creative latitude, ignite cultural conversation, and reassert the show’s role as a catalyst for pop culture moments. For its 35th anniversary, we leveraged the show’s most iconic moments from the past to reframe the VMAs not as a retrospective, but as a promise of what could happen next. This campaign also marked the reintroduction of MTV’s classic color palette, signaling a renewed connection to the brand’s visual legacy.

I led all art and design for this campaign, working closely with my internal motion counterpart and Kamp Grizzly, under the creative vision of our SVPs, including a photo shoot with Sebastian Maniscalco and Moon People both big and small.

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 Rosa

Motion Campaign developed in partnership with Kamp Grizzly.

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More Keyart

In 2023, a company-wide restructuring into cross-functional “Pods” shifted my role to Comedy Central, narrowing my focus primarily to key art while occasionally supporting other brands. During this period, I led the development of multiple campaigns—most involving photo shoots I planned, directed, and executed, with a few big ones inherited midstream. I would typically kick off a key art vendor with a handful of ideas to start and a brief targeting a few more. For animated content, I directed sketch artists through the pitch phase and partnered directly with animation studios for the final execution. All campaigns supported paid media at varying scales, which I shepherded through delivery.

Company: Paramount Brand Creative 
Creative Director: Casiel Kaplan

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