When the SEC was considering a new rule about the fiduciary standard, AARP needed a video that explained why the rule was a bad idea. Looking for a way to make dry financial material a bit more palatable, I turned to ice cream, naturally.

When AARP Advocacy asked me to make a video that explained the “age rating” provision of the Republican health care bill, they imagined a whiteboard explainer video. But I knew nobody would watch that. So I pitched a much less conventional approach, featuring a lumberjack who learned about health care policy from a talking stuffed squirrel.

The video was a hit, earning headlines like “This squirrel could save the US healthcare system” and comparisons to classic political ads like “Harry and Louise.” And it inspired an entire campaign for AARP, with activists showing up on Capitol Hill in squirrel costumes. It was even brought up in the White House briefing room!

After the success of the "Axe the Age Tax" video for AARP, we brought Charlie the Squirrel back for a follow-up video when Republicans were refusing to show anybody the text of their bill. Again it motivated huge activations among AARP members.

In the middle of the pandemic, I was asked to make a video explaining why the TRUST Act was a bad idea that people should oppose. Since safety was my top priority, I kept the cast and crew tiny. We built a set meant to invoke the classic vaudeville-style stage and wrote an Abbott and Costello-style script. It proved to be a hit, earning 4x the average engagement for the organization’s social channel.

This video kicked off a campaign series of profiles of people across the country who are detrimentally affected by the high cost of their prescription medications. It was deliberately made on a small budget with a small crew so it would be authentically intimate. And true enough, Larry's story really resonated with people. Three years later, I revisted him to see how he was doing and found out that things had gotten even worse for him. We made a second video, and this time it really caught the attention of Congress. Larry was invited to speak at the Capitol. Congress passed a bill allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs for people like Larry, and when the President signed it into law, Larry was invited to the White House.

This simple video shows how storytelling can have a powerful impact!

Three years before this video, Larry starred in a piece I made for AARP that kicked off a series of profiles of people across the country who are detrimentally affected by the high cost of their prescription medications. It was deliberately made on a small budget with a small crew so it would be authentically intimate. And true enough, Larry's story really resonated with people. Three years later, I revisted him to see how he was doing and found out that things had gotten even worse for him.

We made a second video, seen here, and this time it really caught the attention of Congress. Larry was invited to speak at the Capitol. Congress finally passed a bill allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs for people like Larry, and when the President signed it into law, Larry was invited to the White House.

This simple video shows how storytelling can have a powerful impact!

For a get-out-the-vote campaign, I made this video about the importance of voting for candidates who are strong on issues like Medicare and Social Security.