Sage Strategies hired SocialFlixx to help bring Scott Tuxbury's story to Montana Voters. This was our first real journey into creating content for political candidates.
Political consulting firm Sage Strategies here in Montana tapped SocialFlixx in early 2020 to help build the primary campaign advertisements for their client. Scott "Tux" Tuxbury was on the Republican ticket, running for Montana State Auditor.
It is not a widely known fact, but political parties often sign with larger, out-of-state ad agencies to create content for their candidates. This means they fly in videographers and photographers, and the post-production is done by yet another firm; again, out-of-state. Tux made it a point to search for local content creators, and I feel honored to have been a part of it all. What follows are two types of content we made: the ads for social, TV, and radio; the "Get to Know" video series about Tux himself.
The Ads
Working alongside John from Sage Strategies, we developed a visual ad campaign that focused on Tuxbury's connection with Montana. As a traveling insurance salesman in his earlier years here in the Big Sky State, Tux was able to create meaningful relationships in rural areas, where many salespeople traditionally do not go, to help those folks gain coverage for a wide variety of needs. Because of these connections, we were able to shoot at a ranch location in Western Montana.
Here are a few behind-the-scenes shots from that day. *Big shout out to John Perkins for snagging these images!
We also shot another b-roll sequence in Helena. I don't have any BTS (behind the scenes) of that shoot, but you see it in the ads where Scott is addressing folks in a classroom setting.
We then used the audio track recordings provided by a Montana voice over artist (more about him in the next section) as the sound bed for the ads, and simply placed this footage on top of it. Below are the ads, April and then May, respectively.
"Get To Know Scott Tuxbury" mini web-series
In addition to making the campaign ads, we wanted to let folks who didn't know him into Scott's world. We were able to set up and shoot this interview-style series in a private setting. Our interviewer (his name is Will and for the life of me I can't find his last name!) also provided the voice-over for the ads.
Will asked Tux a series of questions, and it was fun to watch John make sure he hit the 'talking points' along the way. Here are a couple of BTS shots from that day.
I've put the 5-Video Mini-Series on my YouTube channel, so if you like to see one or all of them (they average about 4 minutes in length each) than click HERE
Campaign Results and Updates
As luck (or pandemic? you pick) would have it, Scott did not make the general election ballot for this cycle. However, he gained experience and name recognition throughout the state, and it's my personal hope that he tries again next cycle.
This entire experience has shown me that I am every bit as capable of making political ads as the out-of-state agencies can. I'm hoping to have more political work in the future, so long as it is for someone I can rally behind, regardless of party affiliation.
