I hate breaking rules like boarding planes with the wrong class. So when I do break them, I go big. Like blacklisted big. Working with people with disabilities has meant taking situations that look impossible and figuring out how to say yes. (While doing it safely.) Which has been excellent training for solving problems in all areas of life.
In 2009, a national muscular dystrophy organization cancelled their summer camps nationwide due to threats of H1N1. Having volunteered with them for 9 years, I understood the emotional toll not having camp would have on the campers. After creating a Facebook group that quickly gained 1700 supporters, I was granted an interview with the CDC. I weighted the risks and took a leap—deciding to create a new camp to fill the void. After finding the one wheelchair accessible facility with availability in WA and rallying the community, we raised the $16,000 needed to put on a weeklong sleepaway camp—all in 6 weeks.
27 campers and 35 volunteers showed up to Camp Promise that first year. A decade later, the program has grown to sites in CT, CO, and WA with hundreds of campers and volunteers each year.
Learn more about Camp Promise.
Being a woman in the ad industry can be isolating. Having never had a female boss, it’s the reality in which every one of my assignments has been completed. But now it’s time for a new reality.
And although it wasn’t on brief, with the support of Google and Ogilvy, we were able to sell through the idea of The Lioness Pride—an AR app that brings to life interviews with dozens of women who work in advertising from around the world.
Click here to download the app.
Long after the TV team went home, a crew of 3, a producer, and I hit the streets of London creating the far less calculated (and less costly) welcome video to be seen by thousands of visitors to the Olympic Games. This run-and-gun style shoot was a mix of improvisation, spontaneous moments, and and crouching on the floor of a cab to get the perfect shots of our hero exploring London.
Breaking the rules is also about what’s possible within a media buy. Instead of using this Facebook Canvas in its traditional form, we took advantage of the show’s gorgeous photography and created the illusion of a single quiz—using 16 different linking canvases.