Cotopaxi SS22 - “An Outside Perspective”

Production Lead, Campaign Concept, Photo and Video Direction

 

Overview

Cotopaxi’s Spring 2022 campaign took on a different style of production from previous seasonal campaigns. Rather than focusing exclusively on capturing products in use, this shoot contained equal parts storytelling and product marketing. I had received multiple requests from upper management to bring Cotopaxi’s impact mission to life in a marketing campaign, and, since Cotopaxi is such a human-focused brand, I also wanted to cast talent that had meaningful stories behind them.

The first story was about an amazing woman named Nicole Ver Kuilen. Through her work with The Range of Motion Project (one of Cotopaxi’s impact partners), Nicole is helping to raise global awareness and provide prosthetic care to amputees without access.

The second story was about Pierre and Malcolm Alcutt, two Bay Area-based climbers who were climbing V10’s outside only 1.5 years after getting into the sport. For the Alcutt’s, climbing is less about climbing the hardest grades possible and more of a form of self expression and building community.

Over the course of 6 days in the Bay Area, our production crew of 5 plus 7 talent captured both of these short stories, a seasonal anthem video, and 400 still images for product marketing. It was a unique production challenge for me to pull together the cast and craft a shoot schedule that allowed us to capture footage for the stories, interviews, and product imagery. I learned A TON.


My Role

  • Campaign conception and strategy

    • Created the concept behind An Outside Perspective. “People who do things differently spark our curiosity, and this season we’re on a journey to chase that spark.”

    • Pitched the idea of letting storytelling lead the campaign while still covering product marketing needs

    • Found subjects with stories that spoke to Cotopaxi’s mission as a brand and the seasonal theme

  • Production lead

    • Casting - finding talent who had a unique story to tell, could “model”, and also fit sample size was a fun puzzle to put together

    • Location selections and permitting

      • 2 locations per day for 6 days in the bay area

      • Activities ranged from hiking, to trail running, gym climbing, outdoor climbing, and urban travel

    • Logistical coordination, scheduling, and bookings for 12 people over the 6 day production

    • Managing the budget, contracts, and invoicing

    • Hiring and directing a few amazingly talented contractors to bring the vision to life

      • Jacob Oster - Video Director

      • Jacob Callaghan - DP, colorist, and musical score

      • Adam Wells - Still Photography

  • Photo and video direction

    • Established look and feel for campaign stills and video

    • Brought on Jacob Oster as video director to bring Nicole and the Alcutt’s stories to life through video and worked closely with him and Jacob Callaghan in pre-pro, on set, and in post to create the final pieces

    • Worked closely with Adam to direct photography in the field and ensure required product image coverage

    • Photo and video selections and editing guidance

 

Final Campaign Creative

Here’s a look at the photo and video assets created for the campaign

Seasonal Anthem

Nicole Ver Kuilen - An Outside Perspective

Malcolm and Pierre Alcutt - An Outside Perspective