Courageous Brand Studio

Brand Narrative, Identity, Growth of WarnerMedia’s Brand Studio

Courageous Identity and Growth Film

Courageous Sizzle

Courageous is the state-of-the-art brand studio of WarnerBros. Discovery. Drafting off the journalistic heritage of CNN and the bold vision of founder Ted Turner, Courageous specializes in captivating audiences through authentic, culturally-relevant creative and documentary-style premium storytelling. Our team of award-winning directors, producers, editors, developers, designers, animators and strategists creates authentic, emotionally-resonant and, often, purpose-driven stories on behalf of brands.

As we grew, so did our partnerships and capabilities. Through repeated successes and the evolution of Turner to WarnerMedia, what began with a focus on News and Sports (CNN, Great Big Story, Bleacher Report, Turner Sports), evolved to portfolio wide integrations including TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, as well as HBO, WarnerBros. and DC Comics.

Capabilities

Short-Form Documentaries, Long-Form Documentaries, Live Video & Streaming, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality & 360° Video, On-the-Ground Events, Experiential Stunts, Scripted Video, Animation, Digital & Video Interactives, Multimedia Web Experiences, Podcasts, Articles, Photography, Polling & Data Capture, Quizzes, Sweepstakes & Contests, Data Visualization, Environmental Space Design, Gaming, Native Ads, High-Impact Ads

I was recruited to build Special Projects — an agile, cross-functional team responsible for defining Courageous’ voice in the marketplace, developing and managing relationships with partner agencies, and executing complex high-profile projects at speed. Madison Avenue creative capabilities, client management, and top-tier production value for the branded content and modern media company universe.

As a senior leader, I hired and mentored Writers, Directors, Editors, Producers, and Artists, supervised vendors and budgets, and was privileged to help Courageous grow from a start-up to a full-time staff of over seventy with over $100 million in annual revenue contributions.

Special Projects also supported the Ad Sales and Content Partnerships teams in Ad Product innovation, marketplace image, and pre-sale creative solutions and pitch.

Additionally, Special Projects led Courageous Events and Live Activations, and participated in the development of annual Upfronts presentations.

Awards: 140+ Industry Awards since 2016 // Cannes Lions // One Show // D&AD // Digiday Content Marketing // ProMax // AdWeek ARC // OMMA’s // Digiday Video // EventEx // MediaPost Creative Media // Webby’s // SABRE Innovation Awards // MMA Smarties // Muse Awards 2022 // Edward R. Murrow Award for Execellence and Innovation In Journalism // GLAAD

Link: http://www.courageousstudios.com
http://www.warnermediaforbrands.com

Role: Creative Director, Director of Special Projects, Courageous Studio / WarnerMedia