The Champ
Created for Shinola.
Creative Direction by Michelle Potter
Photography by Brian Bilicki + Jennifer Bondy
Video by Dave Donaldson
Copy by Taylor Rebhan
Additional Design by Lisa Nettler + Kenta Tomeoki
Retouching by Chris Fry + Rachel Bertolini
Shinola had designed a watch to celebrate the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but with the onset of COVID-19, the games were cancelled and the Detroit watch factory was shut down. We decided to redirect our resources to celebrate and support first responders and frontline workers.
We used our social platform to celebrate local heros, and documented the manufactoring process after we were able to safely reopen the factory floor. Shinola committed 100% of the proceeds to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
The watch sold out before it was even finished being produced, and the resulting campaign took home a silver award at The D Show.
Our Champs: Community and Social Activation
We used our social media platforms to shine a light on local folks who rose to the occasion and did what they had to do to serve their community during the early days of the pandemic. Keeping safety in mind, we executed our first “socially distanced photoshoot” and captured portraits of our Champs on their front porches or in outdoor settings significant to them. We also used our “link in bio” to drive our audience to the organizations our Champs care about, and told their deeper stories on our blog.
Ka’Juan Hill
Ka’Juan Hill a community outreach activist for Unified HIV Health and Beyond, a Detroit-based organization that provides services to those living with HIV. After the onset of COVID-19, Ka’Juan lead his organization to also serve the needs of a community effected by the pandemic—offering care packages of food and other essentials—in addition to their regular roster of services. Ka’Juan’s deep-rooted desire to serve the ever-evolving needs of his community makes him a Champ.
Tresa Baldas
Tresa Baldas is a Detroit Free Press reporter who first started reporting on COVID-19 at the outbreak of the pandemic. She had no idea she would end up writing from a first-person point of view after she and her husband contracted the virus. Before she was fully recovered, she was sharing stories of survivors and tributes to those who passed. Her journalistic standards and integrity prevented her from accepting a watch, so Shinola honored her by sharing a longer form of her story on our blog.
Eboni Taylor
Eboni Taylor is the Executive Director of Mothering Justice - a group that advocates for policy reform and supports mothers of color in Detroit and beyond. After the pandemic hit and Mothering Justice moved a lot of their activity online, Eboni realized that many members of the community she serves did not have equal digital access, so she pivoted the organizations mission to close the digital gap, as well as provide material support through care packages, diapers, baby formula, and other essentials to the mothers she serves.
