Emese Simm

In this spot, we discover the latest innovation that Lenovo will be unboxing is actually quite Tiny. 

This 360 campaign was created to bring awareness to 7UP's recycling efforts. In each execution, our recycling messaging appears over recycled materials or recycled 7UP advertising.

Print ads are made of recycled paper using bits of vintage ads as backdrops. Billboards are made out of 7UP cans. New TV spots are created of old, well-loved ads. Wild postings feature recycling messaging over vintage painted signs. And an app helps people find their nearest recycling center. 

Drawing off the user-generated #HatchbackLife hashtag on Instagram, we extended this idea on Facebook with social postcards that illustrated how VW Golf fits more into your life and active lifestyle.

Skylanders live at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds.

Their motto: Unleash good. Who else to do that but an unlikely villain from the game known as Pain-Yatta.

Our concept: An oversized twenty-foot installation of Pain-Yatta at Toys’R’Us in Times Square that’s digitally triggered so kids can interact with him onsite. Kids at home, on the other hand, could join in on the fun with tweets that make Pain-Yatta sway and every so often vomit goodness in form of sweet treats and special collectibles. A live feed on YouTube follows the fun as Pain-Yatta unleashes good in both the digital and real world.

Disneyland wanted to capture those precious moments when a child first visits to the Park. So we created a series of social videos and evergreen Facebook & Instagram posts to highlight all the many Magical Firsts. After all, it’s the first visit to Disneyland that’s “magical for them, unforgettable for you.”

The task: Convince IT professionals that Google for Work is better for staff productivity.

The solution: A virtual event where you can join and watch Keynote Speeches from top Google execs and take part in a live Q&A session with the community.

My role on this project included everything from site copy and Q&A, to outlines and scripting for the 2-hour live-stream video.  

Inspired by SNL’s Mr. Bill, LEGOLAND was able to take liberties with a sarcastic plastic spokesmodel, named Stan. Though his voice, we helped bridge the gap between the LEGO brand and the theme park. Parents were amused, kids were entertained, and Park attendance rose. Even the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions awarded the campaign a Brass Ring. Here are just a few commercials we created over the campaign’s two-year lifespan.

As a writer, I'm always looking for new ways to sharpen my wit. I've created sketches for Second City and wrote for iOWest's Main Stage show, "Top Story Weekly" (aka Big News Report). "Ransom” is a favorite and one of two sketches that National Lampoon recorded as content for a comedy compilation.

If you'd like to see more in this style, check out Emese's Soapbox.

What started as a Ride-In sponsor ad for Honda quickly turned into this Kickstart the Liberation campaign that celebrates the joy of riding from a female perspective. 

To promote the opening of LEGOLAND's newest ride, we shot this teaser for Knights Tournament. During our casting session, the talent we chose looked like he had just walked off the set of LOTR and could wield a sword and mace as fluently as the Knights' Tournament robotic arm ride. (He brought his own weapons, by the way.) Yep, Mr. Knight had us sold.

DRAGON-SINGED OUTDOOR BOARDS

Billboards were posted around LA and San Diego Counties to further promote Knights Tournament. If you look closely, the trees in front of this particular billboard have been scorched.

With Left Field Labs, I helped align copy for the launch of Pixel C, the first tablet built entirely by Google. The messaging appeared in over twenty countries, as well as BestBuy.com and other retailers.

When it comes to fat, protein, and Omega-3 content beef, pork and chicken will never be tuna. (No matter how hard they try.)

DIRECTV has several sports packages that they promote throughout the year, with NFL Sunday Ticket being their biggest. This is a selection of rich media that got fans excited about the upcoming football season and NFL Sunday Ticket.

When Director Sophia Banks needed humor infused into her script, this is the ending she chose. The result: LiveTribe produced a commercial that was a semi-finalist during the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” campaign.

When the LA Times hosts its Hero Complex screenings, they go big. IMAX big. With this iPad ad in the LA Times' Hero Complex digital magazine, super geeks and superhero fans could get their capes in a bundle for upcoming releases like Thor, Tintin and Superman.

At Pereira & O'Dell, we worked on this concept that was built around following one of three journeys via SnapChat. Enthusiasts could choose a memory, nightmare or prophesy to escort them along a custom StarCraft experience at BlizzCon.

When Google was ready to unveil the Pixel Phone, Google Home and their VR Daydream Headset, they called on Optimist to create a Pop Up store on Spring Street. Google's first-ever NYC Pop Up Launch featured FAILE in the Live Cases Installation concept. They also partnered with TaskRabbit to spread the Personal Secretary AI benefits of Google Home and Pixel Phones. The event made headlines in Mashable, TechCrunch and CNet.

Collaborating with Left Field Labs, I helped with positioning and copywriting for Google Fit, an app designed to give FitBit, iWatch and other wearables a run for their money, so to speak.

Instead of a commercial break on Hulu and NBC.com, DIRECTV bought space to promote their Empty Cable Suit campaign. We were able to add interactivity as visitors could listen in on a conference call complete with brilliant boardroom catchphrases from Roman, Cable Corp's fearless CEO. Visitors could also take a peek at the board's biographies and find confidential Cable Corp brainstorming ideas.

How do you entice airplane enthusiasts to check out a watch built precisely for them? Test their aviation and geography smarts and lead them to an engaging in-store VR experience. This socially-integrated concept helped drive foot traffic to Aviator’s Pop Up store in Bristol, UK via digital channels. Those who answered the daily challenge correctly on social were given a boarding pass as their admission ticket to the event, where they could then compete as fighter pilots through the lens of an Oculus and win Aviator SWAG.

Safeway wanted to deliver the message that you'll save more when using Club Card. This quirky campaign put a humorous spin on human penny-pinching behavior. All three spots were shot in one day.

We continued creating more fun work for them like the Rancher's Reserve Beef outdoor boards. And this wildcard radio script for their Million Pound Chicken Sale actually got produced.

Safeway was a proud sponsor of the LPGA so we weaved subtle golf enthusiast humor into this spot with Annika Sorenstam. The client showed their appreciation for our idea with a golf-clap.

It's always fun to see your work pop up on Saturday morning cartoons. Yes, I still watch cartoons. Don't judge me. 

Here's a little something sweet with a side of quirky we produced for the tween market.

Tasty, local hotspots and interesting people. These were the only two ingredients needed for a good interview (and a good evening). Read on to find out the best method to bring your script to life and what it’s like to work with Zack Snyder.

Working closely with the trainer and Beachbody execs, I was responsible for creating the voice of TurboFire and all assets that accompanied its merchandising. From tagline to final TurboFire product, designing recipes and breaking down the science (and art) of High Intensity Interval Training the Chalene Johnson way, I wrote two guide books, marketing materials and online content. I guess you can say I now know a thing or two about diet & training.

Pre-game and tailgate essentials that football fans can appreciate.

There are a million ways to spend one million dollars. You could go all-in on something you're really, really into.

Just imagine, if you were the lucky winner of this Ohio Lottery jackpot. What you would spend it on?