USAA

(Description Coming Soon)

Across two campaigns with USAA, we spoke directly to the complexity of the military experience, while honoring the life experiences and motivations of those who navigate service. Deeply painful and human, these are the organizing principles of a unique community.

In Generations of Hope, Clayton’s journey to enlistment is a familiar one – He was drawn in by the sense of duty and acutely aware of the social and financial mobility military service offers. After transitioning back, Clayton found a community and career with Warrior Surf – a surf therapy program that works to enhance the psychological and physical well-being of vets. 

On the other side of service, we meet Emile as he prepares for enlistment. Here we explore the multi-generational impact of military service via his mom and grandfather.

In Small Town Heroes, we learn about Perry Yee. While veterans miss the fraternity and mission of military life, they leave by choice. Gold Star families, on the other hand, lose their connection to the military through circumstance. When you become a Gold Star family you don’t just lose your loved one on active duty. You lose a community, lifestyle, and military benefits. Perry Yee spent six years on Seal Team 7 in Coronado, CA. After his years of service, Yee struggled to find a fulfilling job, so he decided to start Active Valor, a program that pairs veterans with Gold Star children in order to foster meaningful mentorships and create a powerful network of mutual support.

These films were captured during the height of the covid pandemic fall 2020 and spring/summer 2021. We decided to move forward with existing creative and adapt. our visual approach to meet safety guidelines at the time.

director + creative lead: Cassandra Evanisko

warrior surf contributors: Clayton Merritt, Lindsay Hill

active valor contributors: Perry Yee, Chrissy Gibson, Makaylin Gibson, Andrew Adrian, Andrea Walker-Williamson, Monica Jaikaran, Dominic Jaikaran, Rylee Craghead Active Valor

production & editorial: Courageous Studios

creative director: Paul Sundue

creative: Erik Rhey

lead producer: Shannon Fitzmaurice

production team: Jessica DeLa Rosa

cinematographers: Owen Hamilton

first camera assistants: N

sound recordist: J

post supervisor: Charlie Sato

editor: Nathaniel Vidal

assistant editors: D

colorists: Sanja Blau

sound mixer: T

designer: M

motion graphics: E

usaa creative: J