AIRBNB
PROJECT 1
HEROIC SUPERHOSTS
I DIDN’T WAIT FOR A BRIEF. I KNEW THE ENTIRE CREATIVE DEPARTMENT WAS FOCUSED ON THE HOSTS AND SHOWING HOW AMAZING THEY ARE, SO WHEN INSPIRATION HIT I JUST FOLLOWED IT ON MY OWN.
FIRST I WROTE AND DREW AN 8-PAGE COMIC AFTER HOURS FOR A WEEK. THEN I WROTE A PRESENTATION AROUND IT, EXPLAINING HOW IT HIGHLIGHTED SUPERHOSTS BY TAKING THE WAYS THEY GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AND TURNING THEM INTO SUPERPOWERS. I TOOK THIS AROUND TO DIFFERENT CREATIVE DIRECTORS AND PRODUCERS AND FELLOW CREATIVES TO SEE IF IT WAS EVEN REMOTELY INTERESTING. I GOT SUPPORT AND ADVICE THAT I USED TO SHARPEN THE WORK AND THE PRESENTATION. THEN, I WENT TO THE CREATIVE DIRECTORS. THEY GAVE ME FEEDBACK, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THEY CREATED A PATHWAY FOR IT TO ACTUALLY COME TO LIFE.
EACH YEAR AIRBNB HELD A CELEBRATION OF SUPERHOSTS WHERE THE TOP SUPERHOSTS WERE INVITED TO THE SAN FRANCISCO HEADQUARTERS FOR TREATS, ENTERTAINMENT AND JUST A BIG, COLLECTIVE ‘THANK YOU’ AND THE CREATIVE DIRECTORS I SPOKE TO AGREED THAT THIS IDEA COULD BE USED TO AMP UP THAT CELEBRATION.
AT FIRST THE PLAN WAS TO CREATE A FEW CREATIVE ASSETS TO SHARE ON SOCIAL, BUT THEN IT WAS DECIDED THAT MY IDEA WOULD BECOME THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK HOLDING THE ENTIRE SUPERHOST CELEBRATION TOGETHER. WE THEN CREATED THE COMIC WITH A REAL ILLUSTRATOR, A :60 FILM WITH THE WHOLE BAND OF SUPERHEROIC HOSTS, A SUITE OF ANIMATED STORIES FEATURING THREE MORE AMAZING SUPERHOSTS AND AN ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM OF ASSETS RANGING FROM A FULL LINEUP OF SUPERHERO CHARACTERS THAT WE DESIGNED TO BE ESPECIALLY DIVERSE TO ARROWS DIRECTING GUESTS WITH A VISUAL AESTHETIC AND TONE REMINISCENT OF COMIC BOOKS.
^ A PAGE FROM MY INITIAL SKETCH
PROJECT 2
HOST STORIES
DURING MY TIME AT AIRBNB THE FOCUS WAS ON THE HOSTS AND SHOWING THE WORLD HOW UNIQUE AND SPECIAL THEY ARE. THIS MEANT A LOT OF MY TIME WAS SPENT FINDING AND UNEARTHING AMAZING HOSTS FROM THE VAST WORLD OF AIRBNB.COM AND DOING THINGS LIKE WRITING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND TURNING THEIR WORDS INTO NARRATIVES THAT BEST CAPTURE THEIR UNIQUE SPIRIT.
IN “PATRICIA AND THE SNAKE HOUSE” WE FOUND A POETICALLY-SPIRITED WOMAN WHO LIVED IN THE BELLY OF A GIGANTIC MEXICAN SNAKE GOD. IT WAS A FORM OF ARCHITECTURE WITH NO STRAIGHT LINES KNOWN AS ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE PRACTICED BY JAVIER SENOSIAIN. I DID NOT DISCOVER THE STORY ON THIS ONE, BUT I DID EVERYTHING ELSE FROM WRITING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO WRITING SOCIAL VIDEOS TO TAKING OVER FOR THE CREATIVE WHEN HE HAD TO DEPART AT THE BEGINNING OF THE POST-PRODUCTION PROCESS. I WAS ALSO THEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ART DIRECT THE AMAZING RAUL URIAS IN THE DESIGN OF THE TITLE CARD.
IN “THE ETHIOPIAN CIRCUS” I DISCOVERED THE STORY AND HELPED SHOOT/WRITE/DEVELOP THE FILM FOR THIS WONDERFUL PLACE AND THIS EVEN MORE WONDERFUL MAN AND HIS EVEN MORE WONDERFUL TROUPE OF CIRCUS PERFORMERS. HIS AIRBNB ALLOWS YOU TO LIVE IN THE PLACE WHERE THE PERFORMERS PRACTICE, PERFORM AND LIVE.
PROJECT 3
OLYMPIC REFUGEE TEAM PARTNERSHIP
AIRBNB CHOSE TO WORK WITH A GREAT NUMBER OF AMAZING OLYMPIANS AND PARALYMPIANS TO CREATE A LIMITED SERIES OF ONLINE EXPERIENCES WITH THEM. I WAS INSANELY BLESSED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH MEMBERS OF THE OLYMPIC REFUGEE TEAM TO HELP THEM CREATE, REFINE AND CARRY OUT THEIR OWN UNIQUE ONLINE EXPERIENCES.