The Future is a Place We Make.

Drexel University developed a $750M capital campaign that would support students financially, create new approaches to teaching and learning, expand research capabilities, and harness a more profound social impact. The campaign, titled The Future is the Place We Make, is now in its third year and has made significant headway in its fundraising efforts. As the campaign entered its final stretch, Drexel called on heavy to help create energy and make one last push for contributions with an anthemic video that matched the gravity of Drexel’s impact.

Drexel’s existing campaign had proven its success, but it needed a fresh approach that exemplified the human and emotional side of Drexel’s mission. We developed a storyline to establish this new perspective while complementing Drexel’s existing brand.

The heavy team started by looking back to the heart of the campaign and used its tagline, The Future is the Place We Make, as an anchor point. Our mission was to create a hype video that proved that this was more than a tagline. It was a guiding principle behind every action Drexel students, faculty, and community members take today. We realized that their goals for the future aren’t aspirational, and we developed a video that showcased precisely how Drexel was in fact, making the future. During production, heavy worked to capture a number of scenes from across campus, with distinctive footage that brought to life all the different ways the Drexel community is making the future. Through careful consideration of brand and voice, including the inclusion of campaign design elements, we were able to craft a story that was representative of the expansive fields of study, diverse interest areas, and exceptional talent dedicated to fortifying the time ahead.

The future isn’t something we wait for; it is a place that we are making for ourselves right now. Today, Drexel is making the future in every field of study with deep civic engagement in every aspect of the city, new buildings which will expand the scope of their work, and co-op students working in nearly every Philadelphia neighborhood. The pursuit of passions happening every day on the Drexel campus, no matter how seemingly minute, all contribute to the bigger picture. Drexel approaches their blueprint for the future with respect to both big and small—a duality that inspired our approach to filming, capturing their story in macro detail and expansive vistas and everything in between. The discovery of impactful breakthroughs and innovative solutions to today’s challenges are rooted in Drexel’s desire to build a better tomorrow. A vision for the future 130 years in the making.