Tell us about your organization. How big is your team? Where are you based? What is your organization’s specialty in the film and video space?
FP1 Strategies is a full-service political consulting firm in Arlington, VA. We are a 45-person team that specializes in producing television and digital advertising for Republican candidates at all levels of the ballot.
Why do you do what you do? Was there a transformative moment that solidified your career choice, your org’s success, or your commitment to storytelling?
I caught the bug for politics during my senior year of college during the 1992 presidential race. After graduating from Michigan State, I took an unpaid internship in the office of a Michigan Congressman. I’ve been working in politics ever since. I’m very competitive by nature and love the zero-sum nature of campaigns. I’m honored to serve as the Creative Director at FP1, especially at the dawn of the AI era. This is an exciting time to be a content creator and storyteller.
Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?
“Name That Nancy” was a game show parody ad in the Republican gubernatorial primary in South Carolina. Our client wanted to film a spot with game show set, actors and audience participants. But they didn’t want to pay the $150,000 to shoot it. With AI, we created the spot in a day and a half. In the spot, we had a voice talent play the game show host role and ask a series of questions about which Nancy said X,YZ. Nancy Pelosi or Nancy Mace? The button on the spot was “Name That Nancy” the game where conservatives lose every time. It was a fun and transparent use of AI that made an impact on voters. The candidate we supported with the ad ended up winning the race.
Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?
“Name That Nancy” was FP1’s first client-approved AI ad that received significant media spend behind it. It was a total shot in the dark. Veo 3 was really new at this time and we were experimenting with it to see what was possible. It was great that our first real AI ad turned out well enough to win a Telly Award. It won several other creative awards this year. This process opened my eyes to how to effectively use AI as a satirical or parody tool. I love the doors that AI can open. But I also understand the potential downsides. If a spot is well written and humorous, I think voters see the concept and the message and don’t get fixated on the AI. That’s a balance I learned with “Name That Nancy” and one I am determined to strike as I continue to use AI in my advertising.
What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?
Veo 3 was really new and we were total AI novices at the time of the production. We struggled a little bit with continuity of characters and scenes. But with some prompting inside Gemini we got the answers we needed and turned around an award-winning ad on a quick turn. That’s a testament to my motion graphics editor who is a creative savant. But in our early AI work, we struggled with character continuity before truly learning how to harness the power of Nano Banana to take still frames to video.
What are you most proud of about this piece? What is the most memorable response you got from this work?
I love the script. It’s funny and sticky. I also love that I can take big creative swings with AI that wouldn’t have been available to me given the smaller production budgets I deal with in political campaigns. In addition to winning four Telly Awards for this ad, “Name That Nancy” won three Gold Pollies for Best AI Digital Ad, Best Use of Humor and Best Use of Negative or Contrast in a Digital Ad.
You won a Telly Award for this piece. Why is recognition important for you, your team or your work?
It’s always great to have our work recognized with a Telly Award. We’re a competitive bunch at FP1. We like to win big campaigns and we love getting hardware for our work. I always look forward to entering our ads for Telly Awards. It’s a great competition.
Tell us what you’re up to! If there’s a new project, launch, or milestone you’d like us to celebrate with you, let us know, and we might share it with our community.
This is our 15th Anniversary year at FP1. Our slogan is We Win the Tough Fights. I’m focused on the upcoming midterms. Hopefully, we’ll win our fair share of races and I’ll have some impactful ads to submit later this year. Love being a part of the Telly Community.
