When W Hotels launched it W Records label, it turned to Marriott Content Studio (the in-house production branch of Marriott, W’s parent brand) to create an intimate portrait of artist Amber Mark. The Travel Video Alliance spoke with Marriott International’s Executive Creative Director Marc Battaglia about the project, including how the team collaborates with outside partners, and how the campaign resonated with audiences.
How did the collaboration with VICE begin?
Marc Battaglia: Our partner, W Hotels, was launching a record label and, as a well-established brand in the music space, this was a natural evolution for them. As the companies’ storytellers, the Marriott Content Studio saw a great opportunity to develop a documentary that focused on Amber Mark, the first artist signed to the label. The story would be an intimate look at her and her process while naturally integrating the W music story. As we began to develop the idea we gravitated towards VICE as a strong partner and collaborator, and began to work together on both the creative and distribution strategy. We also knew we wanted to connect with a specific audience, in this case a music-driven audience that aligned really well. Part documentary, part music video, Let’s Talk About You, Amber Mark explores the emotional journey and artistic process of Amber Mark, a W Records artist on the rise. Her unexpected life story is highlighted through an editorial and video piece and supported by social assets across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.
Was the collaboration’s concept in place first, and VICE was the right partner? Or did the concept come from the collaboration?
MB: As a studio we always develop the nugget of the idea first in-house and then set out to find the right partner to build and develop it with. We approached VICE with the documentary idea and then began to craft it together. From there, our director Stella Scott was brought on board and she was a perfect fit for both Amber as well as the tone, story, and look we were going for.
