DEADLY CLASS
Based on the acclaimed graphic novel series by Rick Remender, Deadly Class was a premium series on SYFY that brought the comic book to life. Executive produced by the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), and set against the punk backdrop of 1980s San Francisco, the show was about an underground school for assassins that perfectly blended dark teenage drama with intense action. I was the lead creative director on the campaign, welcoming fans to their freshmen year at Kings Dominion with over 100 pieces of video content.
Campaign Collaborators: Ricky Barlis, Black Spot, Bond Agency, Liza Bruno Buddha Jones,York Capistrano, Peter Gatto, Kittens Cathy Lee, Ken Liew, Robyn Matters, Tom Neff, Whitney Shin, Jiva Smith, We Are Royale, William Wang
TEASER TRAILERS & TRAILERS
There were a variety of different audience profiles that were targeted for this show and each had different themes that we wanted to create content around. For each phase of the campaign rollout, we would launch a teaser trailer and main trailer that complimented each other to read the widest possible demographic of potential viewers possible. Music was a very important part of the campaign, in order to capture the spirit of the show, licensed music was integral.
TRAILER #1: FIGHTING CHANCE
The first trailer focused on premise settings, educating the audience about the world of Deadly Class while setting the punk rock tone for the rest of the campaign.
TEASER TRAILER: JUST SAY NO
This teaser trailer was all about the rebellious attitude of the latchkey kids in the 1980s. A little more conceptual than the main trailer, we wanted this piece to be a rush of adrenaline.
TRAILER #2: SURVIVE
Our second main trailer wanted to introduce much larger personal stakes for our protagonist as well as focus on the teen drama audience, while keeping the action at the forefront.
TEASER TRAILER: RULES
With the second full length trailer going a bit more personal with younger audiences in mind, we wanted this teaser trailer to do more world building and have a bit more of an attitude, with a focus on dark humor and high energy.
KEY ART
Since this show was based on a graphic novel, the main keyart had to be illustrative and vibrant, while keeping in line with the show's tonal edge. The eye-popping pink helped Deadly Class stand out on billboards and at cons, while the each signaled something unique about the show.
Our secondary keyart had the cast in their street clothes, highlighting more of the action and danger than the main keyart.
PROMOS
We blanketed the air and social platforms with a variety of promos, all targeting different audiences. Every promo kept in line with the main themes outlined in the campaign strategy, but focused on different elements of the series to maximize audience interest.
CHOSEN (:30)
DESTROY (:30)
QUOTE (:30)
NORMAL IS DEATH (:30)
BINGE SEASON 1 (:30)
MAGICIANS COMBO (:20)
PRESS KIT
We wanted to welcome press to Kings Dominion as if they were a newly enrolled student themselves. We sent a branded backpack full of custom items from the show, including newspaper clippings that introduced characters, custom Polaroids of the cast, a bluetooth speaker shaped like a cassette player, the Deadly Class graphic novel, a journal, and most importantly a hard bound yearbook full of information.
NOMINATIONS, AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
2019 PromaxBDA, Silver
DIGITAL FEATURETTES
Supplemental videos we released on digital and VOD platforms to both highlight the cast and build out the world of the show. Almost every video below also had social versions customized for each platform.
KILLER ADVICE
Lana Condor was a breakout star during the promotion of this show, and to introduce her fans to a character they were not accustomed to seeing her portray, we created this digital series that juxtaposed Lana's normal demeanor with that of her assassin counterpart.
KINGS DOMINION ORIENTATION VIDEO
Set in the world of the show, we shot this custom piece as if it was an orientation video students would see on the first day, spliced with footage from the show to add a sense of danger.
YEARBOOK SUPPERLATIVES
This series asks the cast what superlatives their characters would win in the world of the show.
THE NEWLYFRIENDS GAME
The cast developed some unbelievable chemistry on set and fans responded to that, so we decided to put them to the test in this newlyweds style game.
TEASES
Dozens of teases were made in a variety of styles to target different demographics. Below are examples from three categories.
DEADLY CLASS - "IN-WORLD" TEASES
Cult
Detention
Cliques
Rage
DEADLY CLASS - CHARACTER TEASES
Willie
Marcus
Maria
Saya
DEADLY CLASS - "BEHIND-THE-SCENES" TEASES
Deadly Class Is...
The Russo Bros.
Comic to Life
COMIC-CON BOOTH WRAP
To celebrate the the announcement that this beloved graphic novel was becoming a series, we created this booth wrap for Image Comics to display at San Diego Comic Con. The actors chosen for the show have remarkable resemblances to their fictional counterparts, an this side-by-side helped excite fans ready to see their favorite characters come to life with such attention to detail.
COMEDY FOCUSED "STUDENT LIFE" PROMOS
While most of the campaign focused on the action, the drama, the style and auspices of the series, the show also had quite a lot of humorous moments that we wanted to highlight with more adult-oriented promos.
PARTY FAVOR
Always make sure to lock your parents' room before throwing a rager.
TEACHER'S PET
In a school for assassins, it's best to keep your secret crush on your teacher to yourself.
LIBRARIAN
Librarians deserve more respect, especially at a school for assassins.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Countless "Behind the Scenes" videos were produced for all all platforms that built out the world of the show, introduced the cast, dove deep into the premise, and gave fans a glimpse at how the show was made. Below are two distinct buckets of BTS videos, the broader world buidling ones, and then "On Set" videos that break down specific scenes.
DEADLY CLASS - BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURES
Meet the Misfits
Henry Rollins
Tearing Down the '80s
Stunts
DEADLY CLASS - BTS ON-SET SCENE BREAKDOWNS
Crashing the Party
Students vs Ninjas
Never Card an Assassin
SUPERTEASE & EPISODIC
Weekly promotion for the next new episode.
Supertease
Episode 103
Episode 105
Episode 109
"AFTER SCHOOL" - INSIDE THE EPISODE
For every episode we created a deep dive, behind the scenes look at the creation of this it. Different than most "inside the episodes" for other shows, this format had the entire main cast of students together to talk about their time on set, as their group dynamic was very engaging. This is one example.
