The Challenge: Forcing Visibility on an Invisible Crisis

Atlanta held the horrifying distinction of being the #1 city in the U.S. for sex trafficking, yet the crisis remained invisible—diluted by euphemisms and ignored by those with the power to intervene. The primary challenge was securing buy-in for a zero-media-budget campaign that refused to soften the reality, knowing the provocative concept risked public backlash but was necessary to "shake the city awake."

 

 

The Pitch & Action: Directing Audacity, Galvanizing an Alliance

As the Creative Director, my role was to be the conceptual authority and the strategic closer—securing both the visual concept and the critical donated media.

• Selling the Risk (Conceptual Authority): I conceived and championed the provocative campaign Truth in Trafficking, arguing that only a gut-punch of reality could break through civic denial. The strategy refused to "raise eyebrows," aiming instead to "raise hell."

• Hands-On Craft & Visual Concept: I commissioned and directed original visual artwork from a Swedish dollmaker—a conscious choice to use the hollow-eyed, damaged dolls as haunting, unsanitized stand-ins for minors. I personally wrote the arresting, unsanitized headlines that directly confronted societal complicity.

• Media Persuasion (Zero-Budget Execution): I led the pitch to media partners, securing 25+ of Atlanta’s highest-visibility billboard placements and full transit saturation on MARTA—all through donated inventory. I directed the flawless rollout across all donated TV, radio, and print assets.

• Political & Community Activation: I personally presented the campaign to civic leaders, high-profile influencers, and celebrities to galvanize their participation, building an alliance of survivors, public officials, and entertainers to organically amplify the message.

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The ROI: Moving People, Moving the City

The creative audacity drove massive, high-impact results, proving that powerful creative can be the catalyst for political and social change:

• Political Recognition: The campaign was acknowledged in the Georgia Governor’s public address and included in the award-winning documentary Trafficked.

• Direct Impact: The campaign ran concurrently with the largest human trafficking arrest in Atlanta’s history, rescuing children and exposing a major ring.

• Visibility & Coalition: Generated millions of unpaid impressions driven by earned media and triggered new partnerships between law enforcement, nonprofits, and civic organizations.