Campaigns & Elections - August 2007 - (Page 37)

10 Questions for Matthew Taylor Co-founder, Electrolift Corp. With a bachelor’s of fine art in sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis, Matthew Taylor has developed a unique style with video. Along with business partner Brett Murphy, he created a creative consulting company, Electrolift Corp, that turns out video incorporating a distinctive, fine arts style. He has also dabbled in freelance advertising. In 2004, Taylor worked on the Bush–Cheney 2004 campaign doing media cataloging and distribution, as well as commercial work. He is currently working on several political documentaries. 1. What is your routine for creating an ad campaign? 6. Which ad do you wish you had done? “I go about it a different way than most. I come up with a mechanism that can relay the message in a silent communication way. My background is in sculpture, which is silent communication, and I try to incorporate that into the routine.” 2. How do you come up with ideas for ads? “The daisy girl atomic bomb ad for LBJ. I am also a big fan of the Dukakis tank ad. Negative ads are more fun.” 7. Do you think YouTube will have a lasting effect on campaigns or is it just this cycle’s fad? “I go out with a campaign on a bus tour or event and try to get positive images of the candidate. I am more on the production side, so usually I work with the director and the consultants on their ideas. I take the same message and present it in a different way.” 3. What advice would you give to someone just starting out? “I think that everyone is going to jump on the bandwagon. Viral messaging is big. The only thing is, though, it is huge. There is more crap than useful information on YouTube. I think it is more effective to create custom technologies to suit your needs.” 8. What kind of trends do you think we’ll see in the substance of ads in the 2008 cycle? “Take any job you can. No job at any level should ever be turned down. Just like my experience with the Bush– Cheney ’04 campaign, I was hired to do a different job than what I wound up doing. You never know what you may be used to do.” 4. How much input from the candidate goes into ads? “I think it will almost be a free-for-all. People are more able to individually affect the election. It is more individually based. The proliferation this election is much larger than in 2004. Anyone who wants to can post a video. They don’t have to follow as many rules as the big politicians.” 9. What project are you working on now? “It is hard to determine because I don’t directly deal with the candidate. I get a script. It can be grueling, though. I have to pull out all of the elements that the spot is about. This is where my art education is helpful because sometimes I have to create something out of nothing.” 5. What is the hardest ad campaign you’ve ever worked on? “I am working on two political documentaries for an interest group which I am not at liberty to name. One will be in theaters. They are on two different topics. I can tell you that one is on Hillary Clinton.” 10. How did you get involved with the Bush–Cheney ’04 campaign? “The Bush–Cheney campaign was pretty difficult. It was long—13 months—but rewarding. The projects that I am working on now are probably the hardest. I am doing two political documentaries. I call them ‘poli-docs.’ They are like working on a full feature film with excruciating deadlines. This is a monumental task.” “I started working at Apple computers and some guys there were part of a production company. They would hire me for small jobs here and there. They picked up the Bush–Cheney campaign. I got a librarian-type job working with them. But then I picked up more responsibility for being in the right place at the right time. And the rest is history.” CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS 08.07 37

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Note Ames Straw Poll Cavalcade; Last Candidate Standing; The New Dollar-A-Year Guy; Web Videos That Can Change the Election Across State Lines: Campaign News from Around the Country People and Organizations Movers and Shakers: Ten Questions for Matthew Taylor and Philip de Vellis Campaign Consultant Sign-Ups Reel Time Cover Story: Building Blocks From Madison Avenue to K Street Money Can’t Buy Votes Dick Cheney: Roll Model for Millions Ames: Still Weird, Still Important How to Do Tougher, Quicker Crisis Management Online Cause-Based SocNets Lure Issue Voters The Great Exaggeration Why Primetime TV is Alive and Well, Politically Speaking Buyer’s Guide Tips for Toeing the Fine Line Between Employment, Friendship Managing Your Friend’s Campaign? Think ‘Consigliore’ Off The Record

Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

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