SPEAK: Fast Machine & Lord Danger Harness The Power of Poetry For Get Lit Creative agency Fast Machine partnered with nonprofits GetLit.org and Into-Action.us on a campaign highlighting social injustice through the power of spoken word. Fast Machine’s concept aims to create awareness, inspire action, and celebrate community. This pro-bono project was brought to life in creative partnership with production company and longtime friends at Lord Danger. In honor of National Poetry Month, “SPEAK,” calls attention to the upcoming Get Lit annual event #ClassicSlam – the largest classic youth poetry festival in the world -- held on April 28th, 2018 at the Ace Theater in Los Angeles. Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/264348056
As noted by Fast Machine’s CCO Ido Gondelman, the campaign also speaks to the larger conversation of today’s climate, social activism, and arts education. “Our goal was to create something authentic, honest and powerful. Cause Marketing is important to everyone at Fast Machine, and we support programs like Get Lit and this initiative. When the opportunity presented itself we were all in and reached out to our partners like Lord Danger to get involved.”
“We are painfully aware of the challenges facing artistic funding in public schools, and are simultaneously inspired by the groundswell of artistic efforts aimed squarely at making change,” agrees Lord Danger Founder/EP Josh Shadid. “Helping Fast Machine shine a light on an organization that supports the artistic community is an honor.”
Central to the piece was enlisting Get Lit alum Jazmine Williams to write an original poem that speaks to today’s social inequalities. Fast Machine’s CCO Ido Gondelman and Lord Danger’s Directors Mike Harris and Aaron Grasso collaborated with Jazmine to ensure the spirit of her poem was realized on film, with performers Juliana Judge, Walter Finnie Jr. , and Alexander Luu sourced in an organic process working off Get Lit’s YouTube page and from live poetry slams.
“SPEAK,” was then shot inside the INTO ACTION event space, with performers surrounded by the event’s profound and evocative artwork. On screen, select words are interwoven with B-Roll & Drone footage, which was provided by MPC Creative (who also designed the INTO ACTION logo). Continuing the collaborative process, Fast Machine brought in longtime creative partners Cosmo Street and Editor Zack Winick, Apache Color’s Steve Rodriguez, Flavor design’s Creative Jason Cook and Barking Owl Mixer Mike Franklin.
"We are so grateful Fast Machine's team and their partners for this incredible video,” notes Get Lit - Words Unite CEO/Executive Director Diane Luby Lane, “It celebrates the power of youthful voices, intent on disrupting the status quo, to create space for all humans to live their most authentic lives.”
About Fast Machine: Fast Machine is a Los Angeles-based creative agency. Our mission is to help brands answer that difficult question “Where do we go from here?” Together, our team will identify your brand’s long-term vision and mission to reach new goals. We are the sum of all parts combining, strategy, creative, advertising, entertainment, innovative technology and disruptive cause marking. We believe in transparency, collaboration, storytelling and efficient solutions for our partners. We are the Future of Collaboration. We Are Fast Machine. www.fastmachine.co / [email protected]
About Lord Danger: Winner of AdAge's 2018 A-List & Creativity Awards "Company To Watch,” Lord Danger is a creative production studio specializing in bold, innovative commercials, branded content and music videos. We build bespoke creative teams around every agency or brand's specific needs, maximizing both efficiency and effectiveness. Whether creative, production, or in-house post services Lord Danger is poised to conquer projects of any scale. http://www.lorddanger.com/
“SPEAK” credits:
1 X Teaser :06 second
1 X Hero Video 2:30
Original Poem by: Jazmine Williams
Featuring:
Jazmine Williams
Juliana Judge
Walter Finnie Jr.
Alexander Luu
Client: Get Lit - Words Unite
CEO/Executive Director: Diane Luby Lane
Agency: Fast Machine
Founder/CCO: Ido Gondelman
Director of Creative Strategy: Molly McBride
Production Company: Lord Danger
Co-Director: Mike Harris
Co-Director: Aaron Grasso
Founder/Executive Producer: Josh Shadid
Producer: Shyam S. Sengupta
Cinematographer: Aaron Grasso
Editorial: Cosmo Street
Editor: Zachary Winick
Producer: Gigi May
Executive Producer: Yvette Cobarrubias-Sears
Post Production & Graphics: Flavor
Creative Director: Jason Cook
Executive Producer: Darren Jaffe
Flame Artist: Blake Huber
Color: Apache Digital
Colorist: Steve Rodriguez
Producer: Caitlin Forrest
Executive Producer: LaRue Anderson
Mix & Sound Design: Barking Owl
Creative Director/ EP: Kelly Bayett
Mixer: Mike Franklin
Assistant Sound Designer: Eolyne Arnold
B-Roll & Drone Footage: MPC Creative LA
Executive Producer: Matt Winkel