In the world of Insurance Company mascots: The Mahem, the Gecko, the Jake's. What would a law firm spokesperson be...

Once upon a time there was a young woman named Ms. More. No matter what it was, she always wanted more. Until one day she got injured and hired Morgan & Morgan who offered so much more she didn't need to ask for more anymore.

Shout to Paul Trillo and Art Class for bringing their talent and teams to help on this project.

Brand Campaign

Titled "Thoughts", this New York Lottery brand campaign, which uses the tagline ‘What will you think about when you don’t have to think about money’, is rooted in the insight that money takes up a lot of brain space, and once freed from such burdens, it allows you the opportunity to let your mind wander.

Each spot, directed by Lenny Dorfman and print illustrated by Ray Oranges, depicts different lottery winners and their thoughts. 

The campaign also encouraged people to share their own thoughts using the hashtag #nylotterythoughts, it caused quite the reaction on Twitter and Instagram. It even got the attention of SNL, The New York Times and Jeopardy.

Real talk: Lawyers seem scary. Even if I did need one, would I want to endure the fear and confusion of calling one? Probs not.

In this campaign we compare lots of things that are harder than hiring Morgan & Morgan America's Largest Injury Law Firm for your injury case.

*Fun side note*

As one half of self-described "once in a generation scorching hot new director duo" – THE DYNAMIC JEWO – I recently wrote & directed a package of almost a dozen comedic TV spots together with childhood friend & co-conspirator, Aron Fried. Fun doesn't even begin to describe the experience of working in the creative flow state that is directing. Let's just say much laugh-punching was exchanged in those there director chairs.

Get the vape off your back.

The Evelyn Lilly Lutz foundation was looking to combat the vaping epidemic that is spreading across junior high and high schools across the country. With the help of famed director Bjorn Ruhmann, Smuggler and Gattie & Lopez we were able to create some fun little films that really stay with you.

The personal injury industry’s methods of advertising haven’t really changed in over 30 years. It still relies on the “Injured?” billboards, talking lawyers and catchy 1-800 numbers as its bread and butter. But could a campaign that connects with consumers through humor change how law firms advertise? Think what Geico did to car insurance.

All that being said, I am pretty damn proud of this campaign. No lawyers, no giant settlement checks and no 800 numbers. Just a few funny spots highlighting the advantage of size.

Pretty simple but possibly revolutionary for the space.

And guess what? It’s working.

Case intakes are up and we are setting new records.

True Name

For many trans and nonbinary people, using their credit card is risky. They have been denied service and endured verbal and physical harassment when using a card with a name that represents someone they are not. To make matters worse, changing their legal name to one that matches their true identity is a long and difficult process. With True Name, people can now proudly display their chosen names on the front of their Mastercards. So far, the campaign has inspired Citibank, BMO Harris Bank, and Superbia to implement True Name. Even competitors like Visa have adopted the practice of allowing people to use their preferred name.

Acceptance St.

The intersection of Christopher and Gay Streets in NYC is an iconic corner down the block from the Stonewall Inn, where the riots and the eventual the revolution began for the LGBTQIA+ rights movement. Partnering with the NYC Commission of Human Rights, we took this symbol of the community and made it a bit prouder for World Pride 2019.

“You are where you eat”

Catch is a trendy new sushi, seafood and steak restaurant concept that has been stealing the scene in LA, NYC, Playa Del Carmen and now Las Vegas. The typical clientele are the who’s who of fashion, Hollywood and social influencers. We created a colorful campaign to match their vibrant tone, mixing fashion and food for an overall unforgettable visual. The tag line says it all.

As a company that believes in entertainment for all and that also happens to be headquartered in the wedding capital of the world (Las Vegas), MGM Resorts thought it was time for some wedding love songs that included everyone.

So we created an album of classics that spoke to the LGBTQ community, with the help of Bob Dylan, Kesha, St. Vincent and others.

The album was picked up by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, Vice, and was the #9 most downloaded album on the day of release. (Sorry Beyoncé.)

We even had Kesha officiate a same sex wedding for her single and Ben Gibbard do his live on Conan.

Zooey Deschanel’s band She & Him was inspired by the project and decided to release their first single in 5 years in both heterosexual and same sex versions.

All to affirm what most of us know to be true: that all love is equal.

** 4 time “Editors Pick” by Adage

www.universal-love.com

91st Call for Entries & 91st ADC Annual

Keep Fighting The Good Fight.

No matter your creative discipline, we all have a common enemy: the process. No one understands this better than the ADC. In an effort to empathize with creatives and rally them to do the best work of their careers, we've developed a campaign that calls out many of these obstacles and absurdities in a satirical fashion. 

The campaign, illustrated by Rami Niemi. was so wildly popular we were asked to brand the last ever printed ADC Annual. It has recently been nominated for "Design of the Year" by Creative Review.

Was super proud of being able to see something as subtle and conceptual as this. If you get it you get it.

Yeah, that kind of rich.

We had the opportunity to pitch the Nespresso account and produce the brands first ever stateside push, solidifying their partnership with their international spokesperson George Clooney. Since then we’ve had the pleasure of creating their iconic spots.

One of our spots even got its own SNL spoof, not bad for a European brand's first attempt at getting noticed in the US.

The good part of mornings. 

Tropicana is all about making mornings better. We were tasked with establishing Tropicana as New York’s orange juice. We wanted to do something that really talked to NY'ers and the mornings they endure on a daily basis.

We used Grand Central and Penn Station takeovers to spread our message.

Tropicana's sales rose 44%. After seeing the work, illustrated by Rami Niemi, and the results, Tropicana asked us to do the same thing for an additional 4 cities. 

#worstmorningever

For year two, we set out to find the consumer that had the ‘Worst Morning Ever’. We asked consumers to share their morning frustrations through Twitter and Facebook. And then turned those frustrations into the actual campaign.

Accidents happen but if you are a Money for Life winner your loved ones want to make sure you are around for a long, long time.

Had the pleasure of working with my favorites. The Perlorian Bros.

Multiply Your Money

This print, billboard and out of home campaign for the NY Lottery was a visual metaphor that went viral in the city.

Go out with a bang.

DDB asked my partner Aron Fried and I to come up with a stunt for the Cannes Ad Festival. The stunt (below) was written up extensively, took us to Cannes for 12 whole days and got us into every party in town. Oh and we had unlimited beer. I'd say mission accomplished.

Bucking the ugly trend of hip-hop moguls and celebrity hair stylists starting their own spirits brands, with the help of Mark Denton, we introduced a beer that came from the unlikeliest of people ­– someone the public could fully get behind.

Introducing Ethel’s Brew. 

Ethel Goldschmidt is an 88-year old woman from Brooklyn, New York, whose husband of more than 50 years has just passed away. Now, she’s single and ready to go out with a bang, and her first order of business is launching the beer she and her husband always dreamed of brewing. Well, that, and experiencing other lovers. This faux brand had everyone in Brooklyn at the Cannes festival fooled, rumors of Ethel went viral.

Running Jose Cuervo's social was an amazing lesson in the changing ways of content creation. Quick timelines and small budgets made this a truly fulfilling part of my career. Here are a few of the best moments.

#writeyourcinco

Cinco de Mayo is a damn good time. Most of us probably couldn’t tell you why we’re celebrating, but hey, as long as you’re partying with Cuervo, we're cool with it.

Mission Margarita

In celebration of National Margarita Day, Cuervo wanted to remind people that we invented the Margarita so in that spirit we decided to make the first ever Margarita to be launched and subsequently frozen by the sub-zero temperatures of space. Obviously mixed while tumbling back down to earth. 

Side note: We drank the space-arita and spent the next week with debilitating paranoia of radiation poisoning. Fun stuff!

Working on the New York Lottery Scratch Games for over 6 years was insane. I don't think I've ever had more fun at work. It was an incredible experience to work with some of the best creative collaborators in the business like David Shane, Hank Perlman, and Eric Wareheim.

Here are some of my favorites from those years.

Disinfecting Wipes

No tag line. No logo. Just a great visual solution. So rare these days. Proud of this one.