FOR OVER 30 YEARS, THE CARTER CENTER HAS RESOLVED CONFLICTS, ADVANCED DEMOCRACY, AND FOUGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN 2020, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, IT WAS OUR ELECTION THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR.

Fake news consumed our country and false claims of a rigged election plagued our presidential race, making history in the worst way. But a free and fair election is the cornerstone of our democracy. So, the Carter Center stepped up.

Together, we created an award-winning campaign to help clear up misinformation, soothe fears, and encourage all Americans to vote.

But getting Americans on both sides to listen isn’t easy. We needed an idea that wouldn’t insult or demean those feeling real fear. We needed to be a voice of reason that would help rebuild their trust.

In the end, our videos, social posts, and Instagram GIF stickers were a rousing success. Our easily shareable content started conversations and spread across social, reaching Americans on the right and the left. Even garnering shares from celebrities and journalists like John Cusack, Nicholas Kristof, Prentice Penny, and more.

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: LARISSA MCCARTNEY // DESIGN & ANIMATION: GIEDRE DOMZAITE // CD: PHILLIP ALLEN & JESSICA SELANDER // MUSIC: ANTFOOD

PLANNED PARENTHOOD IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING QUALITY CARE TO UTAH’S COMMUNITIES. NO MATTER WHAT.

But in the face of a governor ban on crucial funding and a country that would rather choose sides than protect fundamental rights, Planned Parenthood needed a way to combat misinformation while highlighting the good they do for those who need it most.   

Together, we created an integrated campaign that removed the labels that separate us and showed even the most conservative audience that Planned Parenthood’s patients aren’t irresponsible strangers. They are our neighbors, our friends, and our community members. 

We Are Pro flipped the two-sided talking point to show Planned Parenthood for what they truly are. Pro-care. Pro-ensuring everyone has access to the information they need. Pro-giving low-income families options when they feel like they have none. 

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: BERGENDI HATCH // CD: JEFF PARIS

IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WE DON’T PLAY ABOUT OUR ORCA.

So, when the Center for a Humane Economy asked if we could help launch a consumer choice campaign and inspire people of the PNW to apply economic pressure to save the orca—we were so in.

For decades, man-made threats have endangered Southern Resident Orca. Legislation and advocacy efforts continue to fight shipping noise, overfishing, pollution, and climate change impacts. That left us to figure out how families could take the fight into their own hands…and plates…and fridges…by not buying, eating, or ordering the orca’s rapidly declining primary food source, King Salmon.

Our message was simple—through the power of consumerism, we can all make an impact and leave more fish for the orca by swearing off King Salmon. And our campaign was a pledge for every Pacific Northwestern to make King Salmon a bad word for a good cause.

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: MICAELA TODD // CD: STEPHANIE SULLIVAN

“THE GATEWAY IS IN BAD SHAPE. HONESTLY, I KIND OF CAN’T EVEN STAND GOING THERE ANYMORE.”

That was the general mood plaguing Salt Lake City’s only outdoor mall, The Gateway, when new investors came in with $100M for renovations. And while changes were quickly made to up their street cred, one critical area was left untouched—their social presence.

As the first Social Media Director under new management, I developed a social media strategy that redefined their audience, messaging, goals, and social brand. I also created monthly content calendars, maintained their social pages, and concepted social campaigns to promote their new events.

ART & COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ

CALIFORNIA’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19.

California is no stranger to crisis. Recessions. Wildfires. Earthquakes. But it never faced a moment like this. A global pandemic that swept across our nation before we even understood it or knew how to protect ourselves and each other.

In that moment, California’s workers and families turned to their state leadership for answers. And it was behind that leadership, for the people of California, that we stood.

Racing against an invisible clock that could literally mean life or death, we created over 1,500 pieces of life-saving content in a matter of months. We disseminated news and information that changed every single day. We helped people physically stay safe through responsible behavior while helping them mentally and emotionally deal with their fear and the uncertainty of the future. We reminded them that, even though we have to face this apart, we were in this together.

And we did it all while learning to work in this “new normal,” without the regular processes most projects afford us. Because there is no creative brief when information changes by the hour. And no timeline—except right now—when lives are being lost.

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: LARISSA MCCARTNEY & PHILLIP ALLEN & ALEX GONZALEZ & STEPHEN HENDERSON // CD: JESSICA SELANDER & PHILLIP ALLEN

FOR 100 YEARS, THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS HAS SET THE STANDARD FOR ANIMAL CARE AND CONSERVATION IN THE WORLD’S BEST ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS.

To celebrate their centennial, AZA set out to launch an awareness campaign that cemented their standing as the top accrediting body and a key player in the larger conservation movement.

 We needed federal policymakers, regulators, and the conservation community to see that support for AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums isn’t just family fun—it’s an act of conservation.

So, we created a campaign around a simple idea: Protecting wildlife and wild places isn’t just something they do. It’s who they are.  

The experts who work at AZA-accredited institutions spend decades researching and restoring. Countless hours advocating and educating. They dedicate their lives to ensuring the wellbeing of the animals in their care and animals everywhere. Because, as experts in wildlife and wild places, there’s no limit to their dedication for conservation. It’s simply in their nature.

 COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: STEPHANIE FLORES // FOOTAGE: AZA MEMBERS // CD: DON CORRIGAN

BEING A TEENAGER TODAY IS HARD. AND STRESS-INDUCING. AND HONESTLY, KINDA DEPRESSING.

 You Can, a marijuana prevention campaign, was created to help teens find healthy ways to deal with their emotions and inspire them to follow their dreams. For years, we focused on changing the marijuana conversation in Washington state. Talking with teens, not at them, about the things they could achieve, not the mistakes they may be making. Then, the pandemic happened.

While it’s been hard on all of us (just ask any of the 300 million ads made about it) teens took the life-changing year that was 2020 particularly hard. Yet, the world didn’t seem to notice. Their lives were supposed to be all about change. Making new friends. Learning new things. Enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But COVID-19 took all of that away. Everything they knew stopped. And while the rest of the world focused on the adults and workers, they missed out on prom. Friends. Graduation. First kisses. Starting college. 

In a sea of COVID ads, we wanted to talk to teens. To tell them that they weren’t overreacting or being dramatic—but that their feelings were valid. This is hard. It took things away from them that they will never get back. But they can get through it. And if they need it, there’s help. 

Since the pandemic, we’ve gotten back to helping teens navigate their more normal, but still stressful, lives.

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: LARISSA MCCARTNEY // SOCIAL CONTENT & COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ & CHELSEA HAWKINS // SOCIAL ART: STEPHEN HENDERSON // CD: JESSICA SELANDER & PHILLIP ALLEN // ANIMATIONS: GIEDRE DOMZAITE

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID HAS NEVER BEEN A HIGHLIGHT OF THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE. BUT AFTER LATE UPDATES LED TO TECHNICAL ISSUES AND PROCESS DELAYS, FAFSA SUBMISSIONS AND COMPLETIONS HIT A NEW LOW.

So, when the National College Attainment Network prepared to launch a campaign announcing the shorter, simpler FAFSA (for real this time), we knew it had to earn families’ trust.

Even with the current rocky relationship, we saw the value in keeping the established Do the FAFSA campaign. But we knew its evolution had to feel fresh, relatable, and confident. We needed an encouraging voice that could speak to the opportunities financial aid can bring to a student’s future, and bold look that said, “This isn’t the FAFSA you knew.”

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: ALEX GONZALEZ // CD: STEPHANIE SULLIVAN

FOR SOME OF US, THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE CAN BE SCARY.

We face the possibility of losing access to quality health care. Are forced to fight a rising threat to our fundamental rights. And wonder, what will I do? Where will I go?

For the tens of thousands of patients at the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, a life without affordable reproductive care could become a reality. After a successful awareness campaign that focused on the positives of PPAU’s care, we set out to again create compelling creative—but this time, we were ready to fight back.

With a constant threat of defunding on the horizon, we took on the challenge of telling a very conservative state that life without Planned Parenthood would be more than just putting out +46,000 patients—it would be going back 100 years of progress. Because we don’t have to wonder what life without that care looks like. We’ve been there. And we won’t go back.

* This concept was chosen by Planned Parenthood just before I left MRM//McCann. Unfortunately, I was unable to be part of its creation, so I included our conceptual ads and the finish product to better represent my role in bringing this campaign to life. Credits below are based on concepting stages only.

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: DAN HARKER // CD: JEFF PARIS

INTEL EDUCATION’S STORY BEGINS AND ENDS WITH EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO OWN THEIR EDUCATION—AND PUTTING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY IN THE HANDS OF THE TEACHERS WHO CAN HELP.

When Intel Education reached out for help with launching their EdTech Guide, we jumped at the challenge. We set out to give educators the tools they’d need to personalize learning and prepare students for the future.

One web experience, two videos, six infographics, and a lot of social later, we took their copy-intensive whitepaper and created a compelling narrative across engaging content that inspired teachers to enhance the experience of every student.

COPY: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: BERGENDI HATCH // CD: JEREMY OVIATT

WELCOME TO THE GRAVEYARD OF MY DEAD IDEAS.

And there’s plenty more where that came from. Just imagine all the ideas we could create that your clients can kill…

TURNING A DINGY, OUTDATED WHITEBOARD VIDEO INTO A SLEEK, WELL-ILLUSTRATED BLACKBOARD SERIES.

As a tech trailblazer and industry thought leader, Intel had a clear vision for advancing the Internet of Things. But when it came to sharing that vision with their audience, the execution was a whiteboard mess.

So, they turned to us for help with translating complex ideas around infrastructure, connectivity, and autonomous capabilities into digestible content that made people want to learn and listen. The Evolution of IoT video series brought a fresh look, creative illustrations, and a touch of humor to technical content for a perfect balance of information and engagement.

COPY & ILLUSTRATION CONCEPTS: LACEY GONZALEZ // ART: JON GUEST & 50 FILMS // CD: JEFF PARIS