Hunger Solutions New York.
Creative strategy that helped drive 23% growth in NYS WIC enrollment.
Creative Direction | Design | Video
Hunger Solutions New York is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting hunger and improving access to nutrition across the state, in partnership with the New York State Department of Health. With my oversight, the creative team worked closely with them on multiple multichannel campaigns over the years, all focused on one critical goal: increasing awareness and enrollment in the WIC program. From concept to production, we developed impactful creative that not only drove measurable campaign results but also ensured more New Yorkers got the support they need to thrive.
WIC Modernization of Services Commercial
With WIC evolving significantly in recent years, our creative team set out to shift a lingering misconception: that WIC hasn’t kept up with the times. From streamlined technology to mobile access and eWIC cards, the program has modernized in meaningful ways but public perception hadn’t caught up. That’s where my creative leadership for this campaign came in.
After collaborative discussions with the client, we aligned on a clear creative goal: the video needed to feel fresh, forward-thinking, and visually distinct from typical public service messaging. I conducted in-depth research on style trends and identified a storytelling opportunity through continuous-line illustration. This offered a modern, artful approach that visually reinforces the concept of seamless progress. I developed a concept that followed a single, unbroken line as it transitioned through scenes, symbolizing WIC’s journey of modernization while delivering a visually compelling narrative.
The client loved the vision, and from there, I partnered closely with our illustrator/animator/video producer to bring it to life. Through animation, music, and messaging, it developed into a cohesive piece that felt both human and current. This video was also produced in Spanish and was versioned in square and vertical formats for use on social media. The client was thrilled with how original the approach felt and how perfectly it matched the campaign’s purpose. It struck the right tone: modern, approachable, and authentic allowing it to resonate with the intended audience in a way that felt fresh and intentional.
WIC Supports Us - Storytelling Videos
For this project, I set out to create a concept that put real families at the center of the story. The idea was simple but powerful. We wanted people across New York to understand WIC through the voices of participants themselves. To achieve this, we produced two cinematic testimonial videos, one in English and one in Spanish, featuring real WIC families who could speak authentically about how the program supported them.
The process began with a casting initiative that we built from the ground up. Our team created a dedicated landing page that served as a casting call, inviting WIC participants to apply for a chance to share their story on camera. To drive qualified traffic, we sent strategic text messages to more than eight thousand WIC participants in Onondaga County using copy that I developed specifically for this effort. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Hundreds of families shared their backgrounds, challenges and hopes. We reviewed every submission and selected the individuals who not only had a compelling and emotional story, but who would also feel comfortable in front of the camera.
From there, we moved into production and handled all the details that bring real stories to life. We rented modest homes that matched the tone and authenticity we wanted to convey, and our team fully set decorated each space to reflect the lived-in, everyday environments of the families we were featuring. The shoots were intimate, respectful and centered on the participants’ experiences.
The final videos delivered exactly what we had envisioned. They captured raw emotion, heartfelt gratitude and the real impact WIC has had on these families. Each story highlighted how the program provided support during critical moments in their lives, and each video also addressed common misconceptions so viewers could see the true value of WIC without judgment or stigma.
This project remains one of the clearest examples of how thoughtful creative direction, strategic planning and genuine human storytelling can come together to move people and inspire understanding.
Building an Authentic Content Library for Long-Term Use
As we continued working with Hunger Solutions New York on statewide WIC marketing, we identified a recurring creative challenge: we simply did not have enough authentic photography and video to accurately represent the families the program was trying to reach.
Stock photography was not the answer. The content needed to feel genuine, relatable and reflective of the everyday environments and experiences of actual WIC participants.
I led the strategy to solve that challenge by creating a participant recruitment campaign specifically for the production. I developed a landing page inviting WIC families to apply for an upcoming photo and video shoot, then worked with a local WIC office to distribute the opportunity by text message to more than 5,000 participants. The response gave us the ability to thoughtfully select families who could authentically represent the audience.
From there, I led our production team through a multi-day photo and video shoot featuring several real WIC families. We rented homes that reflected the modest, everyday settings we wanted to portray and carefully styled each environment so it felt natural, lived-in and believable. Every detail was considered with the goal of creating content that felt authentic rather than staged.
The production resulted in hundreds of original photographs and approximately 100 short-form video clips, all organized into a comprehensive asset library that Hunger Solutions New York could draw from across future campaigns, platforms and creative needs.
The value of the project was immediate as well as long term. Shortly after the shoot, our team used the new footage to develop a series of short social video ads for a statewide WIC campaign, allowing the organization to begin putting its new library to work right away.
For me, this project was a great example of thinking beyond the immediate campaign. Rather than continuing to work around a creative limitation, we built a sustainable resource that gave the client more authentic storytelling opportunities and a much stronger foundation for future marketing.
Results
Our partnership with this client lasted more than four years and produced some of the most ambitious and purpose-driven creative our team has ever developed. Together, we built campaigns that inspired pride within our team and with the client while also driving measurable impact for New York families.
Through close collaboration across illustration, animation, video and design, we crafted messaging that felt current and compassionate. The work helped reshape perceptions of WIC and encouraged participation among eligible individuals throughout New York State.
The results were significant. NYS WIC enrollment increased 23 percent compared to a national average of 9 percent. This growth reflects the dedication, creativity and shared belief that meaningful work can lead to real change.
For me, this project represents a clear example of creativity with purpose and the difference it can make.
