Los Angeles is a welcoming city to people of every color, age, nationality and background. This is such an obvious asset for this great American city. Why bother to make it the center of an ad campaign?
L.A. County could lose over 800,000 international visitors in the next three years, courtesy of the nation’s toxic political climate. That could lead to a loss of $736 million loss in direct spending by tourists for the city of L.A., according to Discover Los Angeles.
The new video for the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board was created in-house with the help of director Isaac Ravishankara, a Harvard grad with a degree in Physics. The son of an Indian father and Jewish mother, Ravishankara was inspired by the idea of extending an L.A. welcome to those who may currently feel uninvited. “I wanted to be involved in this piece because it encapsulates things I am passionate about: diversity, inclusivity, community.”
Set to the soundtrack of Father John Misty’s “Real Love Baby,” the video also features iconic street art by Shepard Fairey, Dour One and even an impromptu cameo appearance by Steez, who just happened to be painting a mural near the director’s home in Echo Park.
The shredder on the long board is Layla Shaikley, a self-described Muslim Hipster (or #Mipsterz, a phrase she coined). She co-founded TED talks in Baghdad and heads a software company.
Dan Goldgeier
David Burn
Shawn Hartley
Wade Sturdivant