Political Messaging
It’s not about me…
…or you, probably. We’re already persuaded. Persuading others requires a level of empathy we’re not always called on to show in the comedy world. Whether writing a single spot or creative directing a campaign, I try to stay disciplined enough to realize when a spot works for me vs. when it it just works.
Feels so good
2024
As the right gets more extreme, progressives have been winning by turning to the language of freedom. This spot makes defeating authoritarianism feel inevitable, joyful, even fun.
SPOT: “We Were There” :30
COMPANY: Gutsy Media / Amplify Freedom
ROLE: Writer
To be vs. to do
2020
Nobody wants to be ordered to go vote. Luckily, the client’s research unearthed a key insight: everybody wants to be a voter. That phrase sent writer Karl Gajdusek on the path to composing this clever ode to family, love, and righteous anger.
SPOT: “Be a Voter” :30
COMPANY: Gutsy Media / Amplify Freedom
ROLE: Creative Director
The good kind of shameless
2024
Sex ed is a vulnerable target of right-wing activists. Even supporters break out in hives discussing it. Since jokes about it would only reinforce the negative, we cast the fight purely as one of knowledge versus ignorance.
SPOT: “Know Means Know” :30
COMPANY: Gutsy Media / Educate US
ROLE: Writer + Creative Director
How are voting rights like a monster truck?
2022
The goal was to rally white moderates against GOP-led voting restrictions. The challenge was not to get too partisan. The solution: appeal to their sense of personal liberty.
SPOT: “Hell, yeah!” :17
COMPANY: FrameShift Politics
ROLE: Writer + Creative Director
Earning it
2020
Getting people to share your ad organically is a win for everyone except your opponent. This one borrowed the informercial framework to attack Donald Trump on a tricky angle: his habit of blaming a certain other country for his problems. The result was funny enough to spread across the Internet for free.
SPOT: “Blame Doll” :39
COMPANY: FrameShift Politics
ROLE: Writer