The Background
VCUarts approached The Newviews Agency with an opportunity to tell a student story in a way that felt cinematic, emotional, and deeply aligned with the school’s creative identity. The result was The Making of an Artist, a story following VCUarts fashion student Makai Gillis on her journey through artistry, identity, discipline, and growth leading into her time studying in Italy. Rather than creating a traditional institutional feature, our team built a campaign that placed the student at the center and allowed the audience to experience the emotional process behind becoming an artist.
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From the beginning, our goal was to create something that could live beyond a single post. We wanted the project to feel like a film, perform like a campaign, and serve as a long-term brand asset for VCUarts. Our team led the full creative process, including concept development, production, interviews, editing, campaign strategy, organic rollout, paid media support, and distribution.
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The final project gave VCUarts a powerful example of what happens when higher education storytelling is treated with the same care, strategy, and cinematic intention as a major brand campaign.
Project Type
Campaign Ideation
Creative Direction
Copywriting
Interview Development
Video Production and Content Creation
Photography
Organic Social Media Campaign
Paid Media Campaign
Digital Distribution Strategy
The Goals:
Tell a Deeper Story.
Drive Engagement.
Inspire.
Our Process
From the beginning, our team approached this as a full campaign rather than a one-off video. We developed the concept, shaped the narrative arc, planned production around Makai’s story, and built a rollout strategy designed to give the project life beyond a single upload. Once production was complete, we led post-production, copywriting, asset packaging, and platform-specific rollout. That included the organic campaign, paid media support, and a distribution approach designed to maximize visibility, retention, and engagement across channels. Because every part of the process was connected, the campaign felt cohesive from first impression to final result.
Every piece of the campaign was designed to move the audience from awareness to emotional connection
The Story
The film follows Makai Gillis as she reflects on her creative journey, her identity as an artist, and the experiences that shaped her path. Her upcoming time in Italy became a natural storytelling anchor, allowing the piece to explore not only where she was going, but who she was becoming. This approach allowed VCUarts to communicate its value through story rather than explanation. The campaign showed prospective students what it feels like to belong to a creative community that challenges, supports, and expands them.
Our creative direction was built around intimacy, movement, and intention. We wanted the film to feel reflective without losing momentum, capturing Makai’s artistry as something actively being shaped. The visuals were designed to feel textured and personal while still carrying the polish expected of a flagship institutional campaign. By focusing on real moments, deliberate composition, and a clean editorial rhythm, we created a piece that felt both cinematic and accessible. The result was a story that invited viewers into the artist’s world while subtly reinforcing the creative excellence of VCUarts.
Campaign Reach
This project did not end at delivery. Our team handled the concepting, content execution, organic campaign, and paid media support needed to give the story real momentum. We built a rollout that allowed the campaign to travel across platforms, meet audiences where they already were, and continue generating attention beyond the initial post.
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That end-to-end ownership mattered. Because the creative, copy, publishing strategy, and media support were all working together, the campaign was able to sustain interest, deepen engagement, and perform like a true brand asset rather than a one-time content drop.
No. 8 most viewed video across all VCU accounts
75,000+ views across platforms
150+ comments on Instagram
48,000+ views
on YouTube
Most viewed video in VCUarts YouTube history
Cinematography
Behind The Scenes
From location scouting to motion graphics, this project was a collaborative effort in capturing Makai's transformation. Explore how our team brought vision to life—one frame at a time.
It's just what we do
At The Newviews Agency we don’t just build campaigns—we build beautiful results that can stand the test of time. Our work with VCUarts is a clear testament to the level of creative and efficient work we provide.