National Ad Campaign
2011 To 2012
8 Ads and Billboards
Working in collaboration with Hammerquist Studios, I was a core participant in concepting the Sponsored By Campaign. Drawing on athlete interviews, I also crafted all copy for the signature ads that ran for three seasons in major outdoor industry pubs and on the OR windows. The ads emphasized the differentiating grassroots identity of the OR brand through athletes who worked professional day jobs to support their serious fun.
Link to Ad Campaign
At OR we know it takes hard work to have serious fun. So does Zack Giffin, a Colorado carpenter who stacks summer paychecks so he can spend winter charging burly back country lines. Based at Washington’s Mt. Baker, Zack’s big-line pursuit has also taken him on dream trips from Japan to Argentina, launched him on heli epics in BC, and landed him in the pages of every major ski publication, including the cover of Powder. But it’s not all glory and face-shots, and without his off-season work ethic, he might still be living in his van. Check out Zack’s footage, including a film of his super-deep Japan trip, at outdoorresearch.com.
At OR we know it takes hard work to have serious fun. So does Molly Baker, a freelance writer and competitive freeskier who picked a powder gypsy lifestyle rather than stable post baccalaureate employment. Her alternative path led to an emerging career as an online journalist for Skiing, Ski Journal and ESPN.com — a natural fit for a girl with the steep-skiing skills to tick off the first female descent of Mt. Shuksan’s Hanging Glacier last winter. Read Molly’s stories about Shuksan, Patagonia and New Zealand at outdoorresearch.com.
At OR we know finding perfect balance takes hard work. So does Bryan Smith, a kayaker and filmmaker who splits his time between documenting National Geographic expeditions and pursuing his creative visions for projects such as the web series “The Season.” But the work isn’t all waterfalls and jet setting: It’s all-nighters in the editing bay, lugging heavy gear into the field and 2am packing marathons that have led to trips of a lifetime, such as a helicopter insertion into Kamchatka’s Karnosky Reserve to run the Semelyichik and Karimsky rivers. A dream job? Perhaps. But it’s the immersion in remote, pristine wilderness that keeps his creative inspiration flowing.
At OR we know finding perfect balance takes hard work. So does Madaleine Sorkin, a Lyons, Colorado grad student with an impressive free climbing tick list to her credit, including a free ascent of Freerider (5.12d) on El Cap, the third female free of the West Face of Yosemite’s Leaning Tower and an all-female first free charge up Women-At-Work (5.12 R) in the Cirque of the Unclimbables. For Madaleine, an even bigger objective has been navigating night classes, group projects and finals stress, all while staying on her three-year track for a master’s degree in Environmental Land Use Planning. Integration is the post-graduation goal, but for now, carving out big windows of time for big walls is what provides her with an escape from serious scholarship. Learn more at outdoorresearch.com.
At OR we know it takes hard work to have serious fun. So does Richard Davis, a craftsman who set up his Saltwood Paddles shop in striking distance from powerful stretches of Pacific coastline. For him, proximity means time to explore tidal zones such as Cascade Head, Point of the Arches and the Okisollo Rapids. Mixing work with play is an ebb and flow, but Richard’s navigation is one we wholeheartedly support. Check out paddling stories and photos from Richard’s rough water trip to Cape Flattery, WA at outdoorresearch.com/verticulture
At OR we know it takes hard work to have serious fun. So does Kyle Dempster, a coffee shop owner who bought his favorite community hangout after surviving a desperate, 24-day, solo climb in Pakistan. In the work world, a solid partner allows him big windows for remote ascents in Pakistan and China, where a 2009 ascent of Xeulian West won his party the Piolet d’Or. It takes determination, but lets just say we envy the postcards in Kyle’s shop. Find out more about Kyle’s recent expeditions at outdoorresearch.com/verticulture.
At OR we know it takes hard work to have serious fun. So does Becca Cahall, a bird biologist who works long stints in the field so she can carve out time for extended mountain walkabouts. Her last escape was a six-week Sierra trip with husband Fitz that mixed trail miles and route finding with climbing and sunbathing reflection. A good sabbatical isn’t a science, but, if we could, we’d grant Becca a master’s in seasonal migration. Check out the Sierra story in their upcoming Love Letter project at outdoorresearch.com.
