Case 01 / Public film and campaign

Two films for Miami Beach: why the city needed the money, and what it pays for

In 2018 the City of Miami Beach hired me to direct and produce a film explaining its proposed bond program to residents and local business owners. I co-wrote the script with the city's marketing manager and led a seven-person team. The film was shown to residents in the weeks before the vote, and it led directly to the next project: the Rising Above campaign, about seven to eight months later.

Client: City of Miami Beach, hired directly
Format: Animated explainer film, made in about two and a half months
My role: Director, producer, co-writer. Led a seven-person production team.
Outcome: Voters approved the $439M bond program with about 70% support

01 / Context

A city asking residents to pay for its future.

In 2018 Miami Beach was preparing a general obligation bond program to pay for infrastructure, including stormwater and flooding work, along with parks and public safety. Over the year the city narrowed a $1.1 billion project wish list to a proposed $700 million, and then to a final program of 57 projects totaling $439 million, which went to voters on November 6.

Flooding, storm mitigation, and sea level rise all had to be addressed, and none of it would be cheap. The film's job was to explain to residents and local business owners what the bond was for, and why the city needed it.

Program history: G.O. Miami Beach, About the 2018 Bond Referendum

02 / What I did

Direction, script, and a team of specialists.

We kicked off in August 2018 and delivered the final film in October, about two and a half months later.

Script
Co-written with the city's marketing manager
Direction
Director and producer
Design
Led the designers
3D
Led the 3D artists
Edit
Led the editors / Delivered October 2018

Frame reading $700 million, with icons of an advisory panel and a wish list — Where the program started: a $700 million proposal

Frame reading $439 million, 95% consistent with advisory panel recommendations — The final $439 million program

Grid of eight Miami Beach parks, each with a numbered title and its proposed budget — Project by project: each park with its proposed budget

03 / Decisions

Two calls that shaped both films.

Illustrate it instead of filming it.

Illustration and 3D showed the city's needs more clearly than live footage of flooding or machinery could. Animation could walk through mechanical systems and environmental upgrades step by step, and show the systems that work underground, where no camera can go.

Write for every resident, not for engineers.

The audience was every resident and local business owner. The script, animation, and graphics used one consistent language and told the story without extra complexity, so anyone could follow what they were seeing. The city's reviewers were very satisfied with how easy the explanations were to follow.

Illustrated map of Miami Beach divided into North Beach, Mid Beach, and South Beach, each with a group-of-people icon — Every neighborhood, on one map

Frame reading Annual Rent To Fund $16 million, with icons for stormwater projects, traffic reduction measures, and education — One number, three icons, no jargon

04 / Outcome

The vote, and a national audience.

On November 6, 2018, Miami Beach voters approved the $439 million bond program, passing all three ballot questions with about 70% support.

A couple of months later, the film was shown at the US Conference of Mayors as an example of resilience planning for cities.

05 / The follow-up

Then showing residents what the money pays for.

The bond film led directly to the next project. About seven to eight months later, the city hired me again for its Rising Above campaign. The first film explained why the city needed the money. Rising Above described specifically what the money was being spent on.

My role and the production team were the same as on the bond film. The campaign's main piece was a 12-minute film, and we also cut a 30-second version of it that ran as a TV commercial.