David A. Schulman
347/229.5535
For the last twelve years, I’ve lived in New York exploring almost every aspect of art and commerce. Whether working independently as a writer, an “idea generator” and marketer for businesses, developing iPhone apps, working as a Creative Writer/Director/Editor for corporate videos and events, illustrating children’s books, developing my own comic strip and animated series, or getting my car stolen by Tony Soprano, I value collaborating with creative people who bring out the best in each other. Everyone and everything has a story and, as a storyteller, I’m eager to work with a team to find and communicate them.
For a copy of my resume, please email me directly at the link above.
Corporate Taglines, Writing, Design, & Illustration Samples:
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Verbal Messaging for C-in2 website (Click on to zoom in):
Concept Drawings for C-in2 Billboards:
Verbal Messaging for Spot Creative website (Click on to zoom in):
Business Proposal Writing Sample:
The McGraw-Hill Corporate Achievement Awards
Introduction
We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors. - Lyndon B. Johnson
Since its inception, The McGraw-Hill Companies has provided the thresholds through which their customers can fully realize their potential. With innovative products and services, and a commitment to be not just wired but connected, McGraw-Hill has cleared a path for millions of people all over the world to learn, create, develop and achieve. Through McGraw-Hill’s unwavering performance, their customers – ranging from business executives and entrepreneurs to students young and old -- are unfolding toward a more expansive future, approaching new ideas and possibilities with an openness that makes growth possible.
In The McGraw-Hill Companies Annual Report entitled,
OPEN
-- the artwork contained therein is inspired by Norman Rockwell, a man who represents the bedrock of America and the dreams that are built on that; representations, we believe, are in keeping with McGraw Hill’s philosophy of inclusiveness and of opening us to our potential. Rockwell said:
Commonplaces never become tiresome. It is we who become tired when we cease to be curious and appreciative.
Like McGraw-Hill, his work illuminates us to ourselves; to an appreciation of who we are and who we might become. He wove together all the disparate parts of America, and made us a community. His work is timeless and accessible, and communicates to people of all ages. It’s been said that he provides “a commodity we could all rely on,” but more than that, his unique insight opens us to what we are sometimes too close to see.
For The McGraw-Hill Companies Corporate Achievement Awards, SPOT CREATIVE recommends that this year’s videos also share in the spirit of Norman Rockwell, and take it one step further.
Walk-in Video Wallpaper
The walk-in video begins with a slow-moving cloudscape against a blue sky. The 26th Annual Corporate Achievement Awards logo flies on, and once it lands sky center, the “Starman” follows behind, freefalling and heading straight for it. His smaller stars trail behind him – creating a shooting star effect – and once he finds his place in the logo, the entire theme graphic takes on a wave effect, similar to a flag in the wind. After ten seconds on screen, the resolved theme graphic dissipates. A video loop is then formed with the cloudscape.
Graphical Treatment of Theme & Opening Video Treatment:
Before we detail our approach, we’d like to note a significant difference in this year’s production. Instead of hearing from the Award winners in this year’s opening, we would rather hear directly from those who have walked through the doors The McGraw-Hill Companies’ employees have opened -- your customers. These teachers, architects, financial advisors, and business executives will describe how McGraw-Hill provides them the tools to explore their potential and realize their dreams; and that -- with their philosophy of openness -- anything is possible.
The video begins with a first person perspective of flying through a blue sky. We are passing through clouds at a very fast speed. The phrase Bolstering Performance flies by, followed by Extending Our Reach, and then Creating Opportunity. We accelerate through the clouds when suddenly -- in the near distance, there appears to be a tear in the fabric of the sky. It is some kind of rectangle with a word inside it. As we slow to a stop, we see the word minds centered in a rectangular die-cut – similar to the Annual Report – but it’s a hole cut out of the sky. Then the clouds above “minds” begin to form the letters, O - P - E - N. We read, OPEN minds. We then travel straight ahead through the die cut into our “Rockwellian” world.
As the camera scrolls across images of children at blackboards and teachers at work -- images filtered to look as if they’ve been painted by Rockwell -- we hear a sound bite from a teacher (or President of a University) describing how McGraw-Hill’s products have helped bolster student’s performance. After the teacher, we will hear from 3 additional customers commenting on how McGraw-Hill has helped their companies expand their thoughts on business.
The interviews with these customers will also be treated with that same “Rockwell” effect. We will experiment with slowing the video frame rate down. Another possibility is a series of stills rather than full-motion video. Without testing the technique, we don’t know what will look best. Through these tests – and working alongside your Corporate Communications Team -- we will define the visual parameters of these videos.
The last image we see in the sequence, whether customer interview or customer B-Roll, will have a sky in the background. At or near the end of the last sound bite, the sky will begin to move. The camera will then push into the sky to reveal the next die-cut window, revealing the word, access. The clouds once again form the letters, O - P - E - N, forming OPEN access.
After piercing this window we see a world of BusinessWeek readers, customers using the new Aviation Week Intelligence Network, and images of contractors working with The McGraw-Hill Construction Network. In this sequence we hear sound bites from our four customers on how McGraw-Hill has helped them extend their reach, and how that has helped him/her obtain more business opportunities and become more profitable.
We then dissolve into images of financial advisors and business executives studying S&P Pricing Charts, as we hear from a financial advisor of how Standard & Poor’s has offered products that are not only easy to use, but have made the trusted information he/she needs more accessible and transparent.
After zooming into the sky of the last image in this sequence, we will approach a new die-cut, revealing the word, markets. The clouds again form the letters, O - P - E - N, forming OPEN markets. Leaping through this window will land us in China. One of our customers explains how McGraw-Hill products have allowed them to compete in new markets. As we delve further into our Rockwell world, we see students taking advantage of Cisco Systems’ Global Learning Network, McGraw-Hill/Irwin’s PowerWeb To Go. We hear from an educator how students have benefited from these online courses, and how these products have already reached out overseas, selling more copies than in the United States.
We dissolve to landmarks throughout Europe, and hear from industry leaders of how McGraw-Hill is creating opportunity by playing a leading role in developing the euro-denominated bond market.
Breaking through our last image into the sky will bring us back to our animated world of clouds. As we speed through the clouds once again, we again assume a first person perspective. We pass by the following words quickly accelerating: “A mind”, “A market”, “A world”, “A future”; and then we brake on the clouds forming the word, “OPEN” center sky. These cloud letters dissolve under the McGraw-Hill CAA logo as it takes its place.
