In the fall of 2023 North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan made a historic move, resigning from the bench after 30 years to launch a campaign for Governor. Justice Morgan had an incredible life story, as the first Black student to integrate his elementary school who went on to serve as a judge and ultimately win a hotly contested election for the state Supreme Court. Our objective was to craft a narrative that would tell Justice Morgan's story in the epic proportions it deserved. We aimed to frame Justice Morgan as a candidate of historical import and introduce him to North Carolina voters who might not be familiar with him. Our challenge was to capture the essence of Justice Morgan’s story in a short and compelling enough video that could catch fire online.
Our strategy was to combine compelling storytelling with a cinematic flair that could bring out a higher level of artistic quality than most political videos. The first step was a long conversation with Justice Morgan to tease out every aspect of his life story and ensure we could speak genuinely to his values and personality. Then we scripted a video with a unique concept where a double-dolly technique would show the arc of progress by literally pulling Justice Morgan through the hard steps of his life. Operating on a two-week production timeline with just a $60,000 budget, we worked closely with a skeleton campaign team to successfully orchestrate a shoot with a 40-person cast, multiple locations, and even a vintage 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air. Finally, we turned over a final product with a tight editing timeline and budget by assigning sections of the video to two editors to make full use of their unique talents and working closely with them to make the most of our edit time. The result was a video that defied the conventional norms of political campaigns by telling our candidate’s story with an exceptional level of artistry while still sticking within campaign budgets and timelines.
The video's nearly half a million views, without any paid promotion, stand as a testament to the success of our approach. It played a pivotal role in not only introducing Justice Morgan to North Carolina voters but also garnering widespread attention and support. Media outlets, including WRAL, one of the state’s largest, noted the ad's unusual artistic quality for a political campaign. WRAL specifically commented, "[i]t has been praised in North Carolina politics and beyond, and it tells a compelling story of success." Actor Patton Oswalt called the video “"a BEAUTIFUL bit of filmmaking." The video has played an essential role in establishing Justice Morgan in the Governor’s race as he heads into the 2024 primary by dramatically expanding his public profile and fundraising potential.
