James Iver Morris
Creative Director, Producer, & Strategist - based out of LA.
Trusted by the Best
My latest productions.
RAINMAKER
The Web 3.0 gaming ad that helped raise over $21 million dollars.
In the peak of the crypto market, Rainmaker Games was primed and ready to make a big entrance. In pursuit of additional funding and user-acquisition, Rainmaker came to me for their global launch video and strategy. Like anyone else in the world, crypto was new to me - so I kicked off our discovery to understand he industry terminology, the ins and outs of the business model, and how exactly this brand was positioned to win in the space.
We got to work with intensive VFX, 3D, and 2D work to bring this masterpiece to life. I had to highlight the platform, their crypto token, and how it all seamlessly worked together. The launch video took like wildfire, tracking hundreds of thousands of views within the first couple of days, helping secure an additional $21M in funding and a massive audience growth for the company. Web3 Launch? Success.
NUGG MD
A shocking brand spot for a national medical cannabis company.
NuggMD is the #1 med card provider in the nation, on a mission to unlock access to canna-wellness for everyone. However, the illegal cannabis market is still massive, and according to a recent study by The New York Times, is full of harmful chemicals and contaminants. NuggMD wanted to highlight the safety concerns and help convince people to buy legally and consume safer products. Seems easy enough right? Well… because cannabis is federally regulated still, you can’t show, say, or depict cannabis use on advertisements. But I like a challenge.
At the root of the concept, was shock and awe. We wanted to grab people and show them the truth, in a punchy 15-20 second spot, that focused on education and conversion at the same time. We got to work and made some movie magic, all without ever showing someone smoking or using any cannabis products. The result? A beautiful piece with an unmistakable message that checks all of the tricky advertisement requirements.
IZUMI
The new game drop that brought digital battles into reality.
With massive ambitions to bring an augmented reality mobile game to the world, Izumi needed an absolutely killer proof of concept that would give even Pokémon Go a run for their money. Without the game actually existing yet, we needed to lay some serious groundwork. This included building out and developing a full user interface for the game that we could overlay and track to shots of the players’ phones in post production.
In addition to creating a UI & UX from scratch, we also needed to build fully rigged and textured 3D models based off of Izumi’s original characters. With these fundamental steps underway, we were able to start the storyboarding process. Showing off the dynamic between exploring the real world and the digital one was a must.
Location scouting played a huge role in emphasizing the way that this game could be played. In addition to securing a sandy beach to film on as well as a cozy pocket of a busy downtown city, we needed our battlefield. By working with some of the top studios in the country, I was able to teleport our players to the perfect location.
After the filming and VFX work were complete, it was time to start cutting the final piece, or in this case, pieces. Izumi wanted to test multiple hooks to see which versions would stick with different demographics. I cut multiple versions with different pacing, music, shots, and overall structures to give them the greatest flexibility when strategizing their launch campaign. From brand breadcrumbs to blockbuster visuals, I helped Izumi bring their vision to life.
NUGG CLUB
A visual journey through the world’s first weed subscription box.
Nugg Club is the nation’s first cannabis subscription box, featured in Forbes, Rolling Stone, LA Times, and even loved by Wiz Khalifa and Tommy Chong. They were 10k members strong and growing, and it was time to bring the excitement of the unboxing to video. The goal was to capture that whimsy of their cheeky brand tone, and uncover what discovery looks like through highlighting some of the best brands in California. They wanted a video that could also be cut into evergreen content and stills, so the art direction for every shot was critical.
Inspired by the unboxing experience itself, we kept the ad up close and personal. It was intended to harness the feeling of unboxing one of these limited edition curations yourself. What started with the box and cheeky product copy, quickly blossomed into tantalizing shots of products spinning through the air. The excitement builds as more products unveil themselves, adorned by the whimsical Nugg Club brand behind them. All perfectly ending up, right back in the box - ready to be delivered to your door.