Today is the first-ever World VFX Day, and in honor of the occasion, I am wishing all my creative pals around the globe a very happy one.
Leviathan
Visual Timeline and PR Case Study: Leviathan
In-depth PR case study materials follow. Last Updated 7 October 2021
Promo video primer: 30 first-class examples
Back in 2014, a story from Chris Trimble appeared in the Guardian proclaiming video as the future of content marketing, with this dire warning: “small businesses who ignore it do so at their peril.” Since then, video usage has continued to climb, and more and more people and businesses are trying to engage, entertain and educate us with their on-screen storytelling. Bearing this in mind, I’m very happy to share some of the videos I’ve collected working alongside some phenomenal storytellers.
For your reference and enlightenment, I have chosen 10 examples apiece for three well-established niches of corporate communications. While most of these videos were designed for business audiences, each is artistic enough to appeal to just about everyone.
Case Study: Leviathan
Leviathan’s Reputation Soars Worldwide as Specialized Creative Agency Reinventing Design, Digital Media, and Interaction
Close Cooperation Between Management, Reps and DWA Maximized Stellar Opportunities, Positioned Company as Legitimate Rockstar
See also: Visual Timeline & PR Case Study
A key component of cross-discipline design and innovation consultancy Envoy Group, 
Leviathan is a specialized creative agency working at the nexus of design, digital media, and interaction. By bringing phenomenal narrative content and emerging technologies into physical environments, Leviathan transforms ideas into exceptional experiences for brands and creative collaborators worldwide. Established in 2010, Leviathan’s innovation has been recognized by top-tier publications including Communication Arts, The Creators Project, Fast Company, Forbes, The Verge, Vox and Wired, among many others.
Integrated Marketing in Action: ISAM
This case study appears in Roger Darnell’s new book on communications consulting, coming in 2021.
Back in 2011, my clients at specialized creative agency Leviathan joined together with some very talented colleagues to help the pioneering electronic musician and producer Amon Tobin and his record label, Ninja Tune, promote what would become one of the decade’s biggest musical tour stories. Immediately after its premiere in Montreal, Adrian Covert of Gizmodo called it “the concert of the future, today.” In retrospect, to me, there were a few key aspects that made ISAM Live so phenomenal. First, Mr. Tobin had a 15-year history of pushing the creative boundaries in sound recording, sound design and music production as part of Ninja Tune, a London-based indie record label known for visionary innovation. With that ground situation, the expectations of anyone on the outside looking in were already very high.
150 Media Stream Experiential Installation Debuts in Chicago, Calls for Future Artistic Submissions
Featured artist: Kurt Kaminski. Photo credit: Nick Ulivieri, http://nuphoto.com
CHICAGO – Having opened its doors in Chicago on Feb. 13, the 150 North Riverside Plaza has unveiled the 150 Media Stream, a digital art installation unlike anything in the United States.
The lobby of Riverside Investment & Development (Riverside)’s stunning, 53-story office tower designed by architect Goettsch Partners will serve as 150 Media Stream’s permanent home. A transit-oriented development located alongside the Chicago River in the West Loop, the award-winning project’s flagship tenants include the global headquarters of renowned investment bank William Blair and Company, iconic hotelier Hyatt Corporation, Navigant Consulting, as well as the Chicago office of Kansas City-based law firm Polsinelli. The project also includes a dynamic restaurant concept by Four Corners Tavern Group and restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff.
Commissioned by Riverside and curated by Creative Director Yuge Zhou, 150 Media Stream’s display concept and physical structure were designed by McCann Systems in cooperation with media firm Digital Kitchen. McCann Systems then led the design-build process, with specialized creative agency Leviathan engaged to produce the initial artistic content.
Interested in being a guest speaker? Start early!
If you have the goal of becoming a successful guest speaker in the business world, I have some tips to share about getting started. These are based on my experiences working with some very talented people who are currently on-the-rise as star presenters, including Erin Sarofsky – and Chad Hutson and Jason White, the principals of Leviathan. Here are the preliminary tips (two more follow below):
- Start early
- Focus on these efforts as a key business activity
- Set your sights strategically to target the right opportunities
- Have a very specific vision for your proposed presentation and communicate it with the correct person before the deadline while also providing a well-organized summary of your speaking history
Leviathan experiments, inspires and engages
Last month, the principals of creative studio Leviathan decided to unveil their experimental proof-of-concept project entitled “Ghost Box,” which they designed to demonstrate how almost any product of any size can be brought to life by projection with you as the director. Distributed to leading creative industry media outlets worldwide as a video with a short description, the hope was to ignite enthusiasm and excitement around the project and Leviathan’s vision, artistry and craftsmanship. As shown in the demo video, Leviathan’s first application for Ghost Box was an interactive art installation involving music from Waveplant, but they also revised it into a custom car configurator. The video concludes, “Such technologies could be used for anything from a storefront window to a large-scale event,” and asks: “Now that we know it’s possible, what do you want to build?” Here are some responses.
Great to know: Leviathan’s Jason White
Jason White, the executive creative director of design-focused production studio Leviathan, recently returned from a very successful trip to Australia, where he participated in events with Autodesk in Sydney as well as the Pause Digital Festival in Melbourne. At Pause, Jason presented “Moving Masses: The Art of Transformative Visual Experiences” as part of the PauseStage premiere conference event, and he hosted the world premiere of the dramatic short “Lilith,” Leviathan’s first original narrative film. The film was very well received, and so were Jason’s presentations. Here is some of the feedback.
ISAM Lives On for Leviathan
As you can see above, Chicago-based design-focused production studio Leviathan is very proud to have been put in the spotlight recently by 3D design, engineering and entertainment software leader Autodesk, Inc. This is the latest of many honors rolling in for studio partners Chad Hutson, Jason White and Matt Daly: Over the past months, the … Read moreISAM Lives On for Leviathan