City Hall Years
Serving in government was an honor and a huge responsibility. In helping to form the first Creative Communications department I was responsible for building a world-class team of video producers, editors, and strategists to communicate the message of City Hall. Our primary goal was creating content that was informative and worth watching— earning the audience’s time while we grew followers exponentially. I spent time in policy meetings, firehouses, pre-k’s, motorcades, helicopters, and water tunnels— always looking to find compelling stories of NYC’s government serving people.
Policy
Every new policy from New York City Hall affects millions of lives. The goals, tactics, and impact need to be explained on a human scale. The video strategy at the heart of City Hall’s digital presence gave viewers a mix of behind-the-scenes content, humor, and emotionally driven videos that could create support for the Mayor’s vision for New York City.
Campaign
Early in the 2013 mayoral campaign Acres developed a unique look and feel for Bill de Blasio’s tale of two cities. For New Yorkers to be seen in the day-to-day triumphs and struggles was a key aspect of this new tone. We produced this video, Our City, as the final TV and digital ad of the campaign. It does not feature de Blasio himself— a bold shift from politics as normal.
Directed by Shal Ngo.
Rapid Response
Working in government is often a sprint. From fires to snowstorms, the City is always presenting new challenges. Creative Communications was tasked with covering all of it. Included here are some of the most joyful rapid response videos I produced in city government.