Contagion Campaign PSA
Role: Lead Creative Producer • Editor • Typography
Client: Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Editorial Strategy
Working closely with Contagion screenwriter Scott Z. Burns during the first weeks of the global lockdown, I edited a series of PSAs featuring the original cast—Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, and others.
With direct, grounded messaging from public health experts and actors, we focused on clarity, accessibility, and a calm, authoritative tone.
My role involved shaping the flow, selecting the strongest takes, and applying a simple, understated graphic treatment to let the message lead. The result: content that felt urgent, human, and reassuring during an uncertain time.
The campaign launched across platforms with a massive rollout—quickly gaining traction worldwide.
With over 2 billion media impressions, the Contagion PSA series was seen everywhere, from news outlets to social feeds. It became one of the most visible early COVID-19 awareness campaigns and went on to win a Webby and Shorty Award for Best Public Service Advertising. More than anything, it was an honor to contribute to something that helped inform and comfort audiences at a historic moment.
“To date, the Contagion PSAs have received over 2 billion media impressions that have an advertising value of $15.5 million.”
On Saturday, March 28, the PSAs ranked 2nd in the “What’s Happening" section.
DIGITAL ROLLOUT