Vinny Lopez is a Writer. Also, a Director.

Who is a writer, and a director. Also, a writer.

What I’ve taken from my years in TV promos is that you’re never with one “product” for long.

As tastes shift and content changes, the style, voice and POV has to constantly adapt to keep every show, and even the overall face of the network, fresh.

It’s helped me hone my skills in finding the right voice for a wide array of projects. It’s also challenged me to use a variety of formats to send a clear message:

AWKWAFINA: 7 TRAIN ANNOUNCEMENTS

SP and Me

As the Creative Director for the Season 23 promo campaign of South Park, I oversaw tone, language and the on-air promotion of a digital-forward concept championed by the social team. Wanting to capitalize on title comparisons to the DNA Ancestry site 23andMe, we created a fully-functional parody site that empowered fans to find out their “South Park DNA.”

There is no broader set of end-users than commuters from Queens, NY – one of the most diverse places on Earth. To promote the show Awkwafina is Nora from Queens on Comedy Central, I was given the opportunity to work directly with the MTA and Awkwafina to write custom announcements for every single stop on the 7 train line – the first project of its kind.

The guidelines were incredibly strict, as maintaining the clarity of messaging was crucial (stand clear of the closing doors!), but we were able to entertain while making history… and the news.

Instead of a traditional promotional campaign, on-air spots were designed to be CTAs directing viewers to the site, where they could share their results on social media. The tightrope walk was in crafting something that felt very much in the voice of pharmaceutical ads, but activated finicky fans of the show.

They couldn’t resist finding out who they most resembled. Even those weirdo 100% Cartman ones.

MTV CULTURE ORIENTATION

Writing a twelve-minute dive into the wide world of stereotyping and cultural representation isn’t exactly microcopy.

But this project, which was to distill into one succinct video an hour-plus, in-person training session for TV show runners and their writing staff, involved all the facets of successful content strategy.

Extensive research into the work of researchers, psychologists, and media analysts. Interviews with internal staff. Making academic information appealing to a difficult audience: jaded TV writers who bristled at the thought of being told what to do with their creative work.

**Did I mention that this also needed to be funny and entertaining?**

CHOBANI IPO

Further videos explained the basics using iconography and bold animation to create a common baseline for the viewership.

Good copy can make anything engaging, even an IPO pitch for Chobani, famous for greek-style yogurt and coffee creamers. The key: good research, finding the spirit behind the story, and expressing the unique POV of the company. All of this captured in the company’s unique voice.

It’s more than just selling a product or an idea: it’s about discovering the personal and relatable in every subject.

PORTLANDIA IS FOREVER

I was tasked with coming up with concepts and language around the final season of Portlandia. How to send off the now-iconic series? I pitched that for fans of the show, it was more than just a last hurrah for the series: it was a moment in culture that will live on.

While the show might have been ending…

Just three words that acknowledged the love, nostalgia, and heartbreak (okay, that’s pushing it) that rabid fans of the show felt at its end.

Pour one out for pickle juice.