TZGZ
SYFY's late night adult animation block TZGZ soft launched in 2019 as a packaging around animated acquisitions for the network. I was assigned to market and rebrand the block in time for the original series' launches in 2020. In addition to changing the logo, we crafted a tone for the night that was irreverent and off-beat, filled with original characters, mind-bending interstitials, zany idents and an entire vibe that helped differentiate it from similar brands like Adult Swim and Fox's ADHD.
Campaign Collaborators: Ricky Barlis, Black Math, Block & Tackle, Greg Brayton, Charlie Ciuffo, Rob Edmond, Tyler Law, Amanda Leemans, Lussier, Eve Penzer, Primal Screen, Whitney Shin, Tongal, Jaime Villanueva, Max Zaslove
REBRAND
Very early on after taking over the marketing of the animation block, we did some focus groups that gave us the immediate learning that they weren't sure what TZGZ was and that the original logo was hard to decipher. Though it was a clever re-work of the SYFY logo (turning the 'S' into 'Z'), it didn't say much about the personality of the night. We worked closely with Block & Tackle to create a new logo that worked as a static, but also was able to shape-shift and morph allowing it to feel more alive and signaled the night was more experimental than traditional SYFY programming. We built a graphics package and visual identity around this logo with a variety of designs and eye popping color schemes that helped keep the interstitials and promos of the night feel both cohesive and unique week to week. See the full scope of the rebrand on Block and Tackle's website.
NOMINATIONS, AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
2021 Clio, Bronze | Network/Streaming Identity Package
ANIMATED LOGO EXAMPLE
GFX PACKAGE EXAMPLE
ORIGINAL
PRE-REBRAND LOGO FOR REFERENCE
INTERSTITIALS
In between shows during commercial breaks, we got to craft a unique night of short form animation with wholly original characters that our team created and partnered with vendors such as Black Math, Tongal and Primal Screen to execute. We created a variety of the below concepts so each week felt fresh and our social media pages has a plethora of content to publish.
NOMINATIONS, AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
2021 PromaxBDA, Gold | Art Direction & Design, Interstitials
OMNI: THE ALL SEEING CELESTIAL CAT
NURSERY RE-RHYMES
ASMRRR WITH ZARGO
TZGZ ASMRRR (GENERAL)
IDENTS & OPENS/CLOSES
One of the best things about our creative strategy and visual identity was that we got to be incredibly experimental with the idents, opens and closes that aired every night. The videos peppered in through our air breaks along with the interstitials above gave SYFY's late night an attitude and strangeness not seen anywhere else on tv.
TZGZ IDENTS
This compilation shows the variety of block idents we produced. They were made before the TZGZ logo rebrand was locked so we allowed the artists to interpret the logo however they felt fit the creative. They're weird, funny and out-there, and perfectly encapsulate the experimental nature of TZGZ.
OPENS & CLOSES
We created custom animations to signify the end of SYFY traditional programming and welcome viewers to the strange fever dream of TZGZ animation. At the end of the block we would air a matching close to signify the return to regular programming. This video is a compilation.
EXPLAINER SIZZLE
To better explain what TZGZ is to consumers, we created this trailer that keeps with the editorial voice of the campaign and highlights the upcoming originals, the fan favorite acquisitions and nightly interstitials.
SHOW PROMOS
In terms of more traditional marketing, we had to create promos with the TZGZ voice for our original shows and acquired series that made up the programming of the night.
DEVIL MAY CARE (TRAILER)
HELL DEN (PROMO)
WILD LIFE (PROMO)
MAGICAL GIRL FRIENDSHIP SQUAD (PROMO)
THE POLE (CAST SPOT)
THE SUMMONER (PROMO)
HARLEY QUINN (TZGZ BLOCK PROMO)
DALLAS & ROBO (PROMO)
ODDS & ENDS
A few bonus pieces of content we produced
TZGZ HALFTIME SHOW PROMO
We used the unofficial TZGZ mascot "High Wizard" to create a custom promo pushing people to the appropriately named "TZGZ Half Baked Halftime Show" on SYFY.
TZGZ HOTLINE
Before the rebrand and full launch of originals, we aired a hotline number asking people to explain what TZGZ was to them and used real life messages left to create a series of promos.
SDCC VIRTUAL PANEL
For 2020, SDCC went virtual and we produced a panel to introduce the TZGZ originals coming later in the year, hosted by Baron Vaughn and attended by a start studded cast that included Reggie Watts, Alan Tudyk, Claudia O'Doherty, Ana Gastayer and more. With the unique challenge of needing to thread four different shows into one panel to viewers who have not seen the shows yet, we created one of the more engaging panels that year filled with games and sneak previews. My team and I oversaw the entire production with an outside vendor and helped segment produce.
