Seattle Bookmarked – Reading Into Seattle, Together

About This Project

Seattle is one of the most literate cities in the U.S., so we leaned into that identity with Seattle Bookmarked: excerpts from books set in Seattle come alive through cinematic footage of the city that inspired the words, narrated by some of Seattle’s brightest luminaries. One episode pairs The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein with a reading by Walking Dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Another features The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, voiced by former Seahawk linebacker Bobby Wagner. We included I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day (read by Seattle superstar Chef Kristi Brown), The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh (read by actor Erika Christensen), and I’m in Seattle, Where Are You? by Mortada Gzar (read by the incomparable Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Dancer Jonathan Batista).

As Visit Seattle’s creative lead, I helped pick the books and excerpts, cast the readers, then delivered on-site creative direction—from framing and tone to mood and pacing. We shot the footage in locations that matched the story, then layered in the voiceover in post with intent and care.

We extended the experience at The Atlantic Festival in Washington, D.C., deploying pop-up “BookNooks” across the city and sponsoring a live poetry reading by four Seattle poets. It was the first destination-branded event co-hosted with The Atlantic—and their most-attended breakout session to date.

Results: Over 8.5 million views, 4,750+ days of viewing time (76× Netflix’s new‑subscriber benchmark), and +190% audience engagement over The Atlantic’s digital benchmarks. The poetry event drew record attendance and has since been viewed 162K+ times online. The campaign earned recognition as a Webby finalist and a Shorty Award Bronze for Video Series in Integrated Campaigns.