Dear Seattle – A Branded Film Series with Heart and Reach
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Branded Video, Branding, Creative DirectionAbout This Project
In 2018, Visit Seattle partnered with SundanceTV to create Dear Seattle, a series of short films where five directors with deep connections to Seattle shared their personal love letters to the city. I served as Creative Director, shaping the look and feel of the campaign and playing a key role in selecting the filmmakers—all of whom came with real, personal connections to Seattle. Outside of the Seattle Story Award recipient, the directors were all notable Seattleites with deep roots in the city’s creative scene.
The lineup included Dave Grohl, Megan Griffiths, Josh Taft, Jon Jon Augustavo, and Matty Brown—a rising filmmaker I helped champion for the Seattle Story Award, a $25K grant we created with Film Independent. Matty used the award to create Dreamcatcher, which went on to win that same honor at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, where it was broadcast nationally on IFC to an audience of more than 75 million viewers.
We launched the series at the Sundance Film Festival with a full-on takeover of the SundanceTV space in Park City. Robert DeLong performed, Dave Grohl and other filmmakers showed up, and the space was fully Seattle’d out—neon signs, neighborhood-themed cocktails, custom swag, and a crowd full of press, creatives, and festivalgoers. It wasn’t just a premiere—it was a moment.
The campaign made real waves. Grohl’s film alone pulled in over 619K views, and the full series streamed across VisitSeattle.tv, SundanceTV.com, and IFC. It earned solid media coverage and drove serious engagement—doubling average watch times and return visits on Visit Seattle’s platform.
