Going outside comfort zones

As Creative Director at the Minnesota Orchestra, I feel it's my obligation to push the norm. The orchestral community knows it needs to draw a younger audience if it's going to survive. For the 2009-10 season, I presented the idea of using bold and striking b&w photography from the musician photoshoot I had just directed. But, the extra twist was using the shots that captured moments. The ones where the musicians were playful and natural and being themselves vs. who they thought an audience wanted them to be. The campaign shown here pushed the comfort zone of the musicians and the marketing team, because the norm in classical music was color and a very serious presentation of the musicians and music. I am happy to say that this did pay off though, as the campaign was well received and ticket sales increased that season.