PRESENTATION REELS
PARAMOUNT GLOBAL | PARAMOUNT+ | MTV ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS | UPFRONT, BUDGET, & BOARD PRESENTATION REELS
Before a story reaches the world, it has to win over the room.
BUILT FOR THE ROOM
Some of the most ambitious and important creative work in entertainment is never seen by the public, and oftentimes doesn’t even begin with a finished show. It begins with an idea.
Each year, Paramount Global and MTV Entertainment Studios present their vision for the future of the company to advertisers, partners, and internal leadership through a series of high-stakes presentations including Upfronts, Board, and Budget Presentations.
The creative reels that anchor these moments are developed by a small, hand-selected team within MTV Entertainment Studios, assembled by senior leadership including the CEO, CMO, and Chief Creative Officer. Throughout my time at Paramount and MTV Entertainment Studios I’ve had the privilege of being part of the select group responsible for conceiving, writing, and producing more than 50 reels that helped bring those presentations to life.
These pieces were designed to do more than recap programming. They distilled the scale, ambition, and cultural impact of the company’s storytelling across film, television, live events, and social impact initiatives. In many cases they also highlighted defining moments from Paramount and MTV’s global events and cultural milestones.
Built for rooms where strategy, investment, and creative direction intersect, these reels had a singular goal: to capture the momentum of the brand and illustrate the future it was building.
Sometimes the greatest creative challenge is winning over the very first audience your story encounters, the room with the power to decide what gets made.
16 & RECOVERING
This reel was created to introduce the ViacomCBS board to 16 & Recovering, a docuseries centered on students navigating addiction and recovery at North Shore Recovery High School, a school designed to support young people working to rebuild their lives and overcome addiction.
At the time the piece was developed, the series was still in post-production, with only rough cuts and select scenes available. Without a finished narrative to rely on, the challenge was to shape a cohesive and emotionally resonant story that could communicate both the weight of the subject matter and the intent of the series.
The material itself carried profound emotional gravity. During production, one of the students at the center of the story tragically died from an overdose, underscoring the very real stakes facing the young people in the series. The creative approach needed to acknowledge that reality while avoiding a tone that felt overwhelmingly bleak.
Instead, the reel was constructed to balance truth with hope. Here is a great case of finding the ideal track that can provide a narrative backbone. Andy Grammar’s ballad, “Don’t Give Up On Me” allowed the piece to retain focus on resilience, support, and the possibility of recovery. It reframed the story not simply as one about addiction, but about young people fighting to reclaim their futures.
The result was a presentation that connected emotionally in the room while clearly articulating the purpose of the series. The approach proved so effective that it later informed the broader marketing campaign when 16 & Recovering officially launched.
2020 ViacomCBS BOARD PRESENTATION | “16 & Recovering” Chief Marketing Officer: Jacqueline Parkes EVP Brand Creative: Amy Campbell VP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Writer, Editor, & Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams
TEEN WOLF IS BACK
When MTV’s cult phenomenon Teen Wolf concluded its six-season run, it left behind one of the network’s most passionate and loyal fanbases. Years later, that audience was about to be reawakened.
Created for the Paramount+ Upfront presentation, this reel introduced the return of the Teen Wolf universe through two major projects from series creator and showrunner Jeff Davis, the highly anticipated film Teen Wolf: The Movie and a new supernatural series, Wolf Pack.
The piece revisits the cultural impact of Teen Wolf, highlighting the show’s devoted fandom, breakout cast, and lasting presence in genre television. From there, the reel pivoted toward the future, building anticipation for the reunion of beloved characters in The Teen Wolf Movie while introducing audiences and partners to the darker mythology and new ensemble at the center of Wolf Pack.
Designed for a room of buyers and industry decision makers, the reel balanced nostalgia with forward momentum. It celebrated the legacy of a defining MTV franchise while positioning its next chapter as a bold expansion of the universe that fans had followed for years.
2023 PARAMOUNT+ UPFRONT PRESENTATION | “Jeff Davis - Teen Wolf & Wolf Pack” Chief Marketing Officer: Amy Campbell SVP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Writer, Director & Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams Agency Partner: A/V Squad
THE HILLS RETURNS
Few reality series defined a generation quite like The Hills. For many viewers, the show captured the emotional milestones of early adulthood in a way that felt both aspirational and deeply relatable.
Created for MTV Entertainment Studio’s 2019 Budget Presentation, this reel took a different approach to announcing the return of the franchise with The Hills: New Beginnings. Rather than opening with the familiar cast or iconic imagery from the series, the piece began with a universal theme: the “firsts” that define our lives.
Through a series of reflective moments, the reel explored milestones everyone recognizes — your first day of school, your first kiss, your first love, your very first steps into adulthood. The emotional thread mirrored the very experiences that made The Hills resonate with audiences when it first premiered.
Only after establishing that shared sense of nostalgia did the piece reveal its true purpose: the return of the original cast and the next chapter of their stories. By grounding the concept in universal life moments before unveiling the series, the reel transformed a simple announcement into something more sentimental and reflective, a reminder of why the show connected so deeply with viewers in the first place.
The approach reframed the revival not just as the return of a beloved franchise, but as a continuation of the life journeys audiences had once followed so closely.
2019 MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP BUDGET PRESENTATION | “The Hills: New Beginnings” Chief Marketing Officer: Jacqueline Parkes EVP Brand Creative: Amy Campbell VP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Writer, Editor & Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams
1,000 YEARS OF SLAVERY
As the Smithsonian Channel began post-production on its four-part documentary series 1,000 Years of Slavery, our team was asked to craft an early presentation reel that could introduce the project during Paramount’s 2021 Budget Presentation.
At the time, the series was still deep in the editorial process, with limited finished material available. Working closely with selects provided by the Smithsonian Channel team, we assembled a reel designed to convey the scope, gravity, and historical importance of the project while the series itself was still taking shape.
The timing gave the piece added resonance. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, conversations about racial injustice and the legacy of slavery were unfolding across the country and around the world. Paramount’s leadership wanted this series included in the presentation as a reflection of the company’s commitment to telling stories that confront difficult history with honesty and depth.
Built from early footage, archival material, and carefully selected moments from the series, the reel was designed to underscore the scale of the storytelling and the urgency of the subject matter. Even in its earliest form, the project stood as a powerful reminder that the history of slavery is not confined to the past. Its impact continues to shape the world we live in today.
2021 VIACOMCBS UPFRONT PRESENTATION | Smithsonian Channel “1000 Years of Slavery” Chief Marketing Officer: Amy Campbell SVP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Writer & Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams Agency Partner: Cause + Effect
TENTPOLEs
2023 PARAMOUNT GLOBAL UPFRONT PRESENTATION | “2023 Video Music Awards” Chief Marketing Officer: Amy Campbell SVP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams Creative Director: Vinny Lopez Agency Partner: Stuck In Motion
2018 ViacomCBS UPFRONT PRESENTATION | “Trailblazer Honors” Chief Marketing Officer: Jacqueline Parkes EVP Brand Creative: Amy Campbell SVP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Editor & Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams
2023 PARAMOUNT GLOBAL UPFRONT PRESENTATION | “Tentpole Offerings” Chief Marketing Officer: Amy Campbell SVP Brand Creative: Justin Russell Executive Creative Director: Chris Williams Creative Director: Vinny Lopez Agency Partner: Stuck In Motion
Impact Snapshot
These reels will never appear on air. They are not measured in ratings, views, or awards. Their impact is measured in something far more consequential: The confidence they inspire in the room.
They help secure annual production budgets, strengthen the trust of Fortune 500 boards and senior leadership, and support the advertising partnerships that generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue. In many ways, they play a role in determining what projects move forward and which stories receive the investment to be told.
Long before a show reaches an audience, the decision to make it starts here.
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