Rising Voices was born out of a question: “What would happen if we took budget for 1 national TV spot and invested it in 10 BIPOC directors to create short films about work?”

To do this, we partnered with Emmy Award-winning writer/actress Lena Waithe and 271 Films to launch the Rising Voices program. Each director received a $10,000 script payment and $100K+ in funds to create their films, which would go on to premiere all 5 seasons at the Tribeca Film Festival. This is the 5th and final season’s brand identity.

My Role

I sourced our lead designer, Manas Trivedi and worked alongside him as our artist in residence, giving program context and feedback that shaped what the final identity became. I curated it toward this season’s goals, tone and point of view, then carried it off the screen - designing a live activation at Tribeca with the events team, plus designing assets like premiere language, intro slides, artist decks and program design.

The Result

The Rising Voices activation was named Most Visited Activation at Tribeca in 2025. Directors from the program signed with agents, sold their films, and many were hired to direct features and series. The program created more than 2,500 industry jobs, many going to BIPOC creators. The season runs on Hulu. Forbes called it the “Gold Standard for Brand-Funded Entertainment“ with additional media coverage from Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.