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“We The People” Directing Reel

“We The People” teaches civics via music videos with songs written & performed by Janelle Monae, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Brandi Carlile and more.

As Supervising Director, I provided day-to-day creative leadership on behalf of creator & EP Chris Nee and partner EPs Barack & Michelle Obama and Kenya Barris.

The mandate was clear- be entertaining, informative and visually diverse.

I recruited and led an All-Star team of animation directors including Peter Ramsey, Jorge Gutierrez and Everett Downing, enabling each director to work in their own style by building bespoke pipelines to support them via our vendor studios Buck & Titmouse.

Along with overall creative direction,

I contributed as needed from pitch to final mix while keeping the priorities of our partner EPs front and center.

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Federal Vs State - Director (We The People)

The piece I directed myself personifies Fed & State as feuding pop stars in this informative and joyous celebration of movement, color, and the federal system as we know it today.

I designed the characters, boarded the short, did half the background layout, all character layout and markup, and a majority of the animation.

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Taxes - Supervising Director (We The People)

Identifying talent is a central skillset for me and perhaps none of the directors exemplify that more than Victoria Vincent who was a college student when we brought her on to WTP.

I was able to help Victoria punch up the humor and clarify visual staging as I shaped her delightful boards into a ready-for-production animatic. My experience was critical to help a creator accustomed to going it alone find her way as a team leader.

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Stronger - Supervising Director (We The People)

With director Everett Downing providing the initial spark, I wrote first pass pitch and script, providing foundational narrative solutions like splitting the lead between a trio with unique motivations all driven to different forms of public service and lighting the fuse with a Katrina-like weather event which devastates their community.

Thanks to an airtight script and smart, minimalist design, we were able to produce this short on a warp-speed ten week timeline.

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The Miracle of Morning - Supervising Director (We The People)

I helped director Kendra Ryan find the right tone for this hopeful reflection on our collective endurance through COVID-19, bringing some particular kick in the form of a lyrical opening shot - a fleeting winged presence plays against the waking eyes of narrator Amanda Gorman.

With an ultra-fast ten week production schedule putting a priority on efficiency, I was able to tidy up the animatic, building a coherent narrative on top of Amanda’s fast moving poetic abstraction.

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Immigration - Supervising Director (We The People)

Marrying director Jorge Gutierrez’s singular design with a joyful sense of movement was critical for this rollicking role call of American immigration. I led the animation team, taking on several shots myself and providing layouts and tweaks where necessary.

The need to balance political and cultural sensitivities while representing more than 50 national identities tested my abilities as a behind the scenes communicator and team leader.

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Speak Your Mind - Supervising Director (We The People)

I clarified the basic story structure and brought solidity and polish at the board phase to this satisfyingly complete narrative from first-time director Mabel Ye. New to the role, Mabel truly found her voice and I was able to help bring out that out.

As the piece neared completion, my eye for detail was helpful in tying down animation and final look.

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Three Branches of Government - Supervising Director (We The People)

Building on director Benjy Brooke’s TRON-inspired treatment, I resolved the third act and introduced the Congressional Bill & Constitution as magical objects and central plot devices.I also played a key role in simplifying character design, managing personnel and visually clarifying story.

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Bill of Rights - Supervising Director (We The People)

I sat shotgun through a dynamic creative process on this constantly evolving and always exciting visual experiment, helping director Trisha Gum find the right balance of information, humor and visual play.

The analogue design fed right into our animation process as exciting and unexpected movement was prioritized over “perfection”.’

This was also one of our more info-dense pieces and getting the ideas across in an entertaining and clear way was an engaging challenge.

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The Courts - Supervising Director (We The People)

To tell the story of a young girl living in a world shaped by our judicial system, I helped director Daron Nefcy dig deep into the historical record. Finding the right twenty court cases and spinning them into a coherent story was a special challenge as I took first pass at the script.

When things went awry, I was also required to board this complex and tangled film in five days and perform extensive quality control with the animation.

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ACTIVE CITIZEN - Supervising Director (We The People)

Along with influencing story, shot selection, character & background design, I played a critical role in a late stage course correction to bring the color more in line with director Peter Ramsey’s larger narrative structure.

Before production began, I also delivered the closing pitch to bring Peter aboard by appealing to his enthusiasm for political engagement and convincing him his involvement was critical to the success of the project.

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