TURNNT Study
A campaign for trust, visibility, and a better future
Client
Columbia University
Role
Creative Director / Concept / Identity / Direction
The Brief
Columbia University launched the TURNNT Study—Trying to Understand Relationships, Networks and Neighborhoods in Trans Women of Color—to research how systems affect the health and wellbeing of TWOC in New York City. But before we could recruit, we had to rebuild something much harder: trust.
The Goal
Enroll over 500 participants from a community rightfully skeptical of medical institutions. This couldn’t be a message from a brand or a university. It had to come from the women themselves.
The Idea
*
The Idea *
To build trust, we built visibility. We put real trans women, not actors, not models, front and center. We listened. We learned. And we built an identity around bold authenticity.
The message: “Build a Better Future.”
It wasn’t a slogan. It was a call from one woman to another to join, to be seen, and to shape what comes next.
“This couldn’t be a campaign of an institution talking at a community.
It needed to be one woman speaking to another.”
-Nora Rose Travis, Creative Director
The Strategy & Execution
*
The Strategy & Execution *
We partnered directly with the TWOC community at every step, from concept to production. Instead of casting or stylizing, we collaborated.
Each woman interviewed shared her story, her style, her truth. These became short-form videos and portraits, shared across flyers, events, and the platforms where the community connects—especially Instagram.
Every touchpoint was designed to feel human, local, and loving. Print ads showed up at trans-led events. Digital materials felt crafted by the community, not for them. Our job wasn’t to speak for them. It was to make space, and amplify.
Results That Matter
*
Results That Matter *
40%↑
Increase in study enrollment from prior efforts
3x
Improvement in trust perception scores
500,000+
Organic impressions across social media
$0
Media spend
entirely grassroots & earned
“What a beautiful and affirming campaign.”
—Community member via Instagram DM
Community Response:
“This is how we want to be seen.”
—Participant, TURNNT Study Campaign
“Love the photos. Love the power.”
—Instagram comment on @turnnt_study
Recognition:
IAC Awards
Best Gay/Lesbian Website
Best Gay/Lesbian Online Video
Telly Awards
Silver – Social Video: Diversity & Inclusion
Silver – Non-Broadcast: Diversity & Inclusion
MM&M Awards
Silver – Diversity & Inclusion Campaign
Finalist – Philanthropic or Purpose-Driven Campaign
WebAwards
Best LGBTQ Website
Mobile WebAwards
Best LGBTQ Mobile Website
Best of Show Mobile Website
Behind the Concept
I led the TURNNT campaign from the ground up—shaping strategy, identity, and storytelling in close collaboration with the women at the heart of it. Every visual was created to reflect power, not pity. Each interview began with a conversation, not a shot list. I approached this work with a clear intention: to shift the gaze from study subject to collaborator, from visibility to agency.
This work was made possible by an incredible team:
Dina Peck · Patrick Lupinski · Katie Schmitt · Bradley Sinanan · Julian Soto · Denton Callander · Roberta Scheinmann · Dustin Duncan · Gia Love · Jordyn Smith
Photos by: Spencer Ostrander
Videos by: Theodore Rex King
From Trust to Transformation
*
From Trust to Transformation *
This wasn’t just a recruitment effort. It was a creative reclamation. We created space for trans women of color to be seen on their terms and the community responded. As a Creative Director, this is the kind of work I live for: intimate, honest, and necessary.