From superb streaming series to Appalachian signposts, the Coal Crew has certainly dug their creative claws into a wide variety of unique works. Asking a talented creative to pick their favorite project, however, is like asking which of their children they love the most—or so we thought.
Surprisingly, our master creators had no issues sharing which endeavors they’ve enjoyed the most during their tenures on the team. So, to (potentially) send Keeping Up With The Coal Crew out on a bang, we’re letting our readers know which projects got love—and which got snubbed!
Jay, Alex, and Will – The Masked Wrestler: Season 2
This talented triumvirate of Jay, Alex, and Will (hereafter referred to as JAW) all chose the same project as their favorite. That’s no surprise, because as Alex notes, “The scope of the project is the largest we’ve worked on, and it was an incredible experience for everyone.”
The Masked Wrestler is a competition-style wrestling tournament extravaganza and its second season aired on Independent Wrestling Television (IWTV) in 2022 [1]. The Coal Crew was responsible for the whole experience, including:
- Writing
- Planning
- Shooting
- Editing
Jumping into the ring to slingshot opponents into their teammate’s awaiting clotheslines
The series’ production, much like the steel chairs weaponized during matches, unfolded quickly. In just a couple of days, cast, crew and Coal put their fighting, humor and special effects skills to the test to create an over-the-top and exhilarating series that you need to see to fully appreciate.
JAW might appreciate it a little too much, however, as they’ve been breaking office furniture over each other’s craniums since the season aired. Hopefully they’ll get a carpentry-themed assignment soon—we’ve been sitting on rubble for over a year!
Camaryn – Cola Creative Rebranding April Fools Day Skit
Camaryn still dreams of the day she was instantly catapulted from Operations and Business Development Manager to Chief Creative Officer. Current CCO Sam, on the other hand, may not have quite as fond of memories of the infamous prank.
Her popularity as CCO led to a lightning-fast rise up the company ladder, and by the day’s end, she was elevated to President and CEO. While Cola Creative was short-lived, staff are still begging to implement Camaryn’s three-day workweek policy.
Holly – Coal Community Impact Video
Coal has partnered with a wide range of regional organizations and provided creative consultation on many important initiatives over the years. From founding a creative collective to supporting the LGBTQ-focused Rainbow Alliance, we’ve been all over Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond planting creative seeds in tandem with worthy causes.
To celebrate this history of fruitful collaboration, (real) CEO Holly chose Coal’s Community Impact Video as her favorite project. The sentimental clip holds a special place in Holly’s heart as it showcases how Coal has grown alongside its local partners over the years. Supporting her community has always been central to Holly’s business ethos and that shows no signs of changing.
Jeremy – Super Efficient Spreadsheet
Project Manager Jeremy has worked on the majority of Coal’s unique, whimsical and exciting creations. He’s the literal coal that keeps our engines burning and he’s always got the team’s back with a crucially-crunched number or inventive logistical solution.
So, which of our wonderful works did he choose as his ultimate favorite? A spreadsheet.
He says it can create complex estimates from a few pieces of information. For the percentage of people that derive profound pleasure from pondering Excel, this may just be Coal’s magnum opus.
Jesse – 2022 Young Professionals Awards Skit
Jesse is a bonafide dinger-slinger and base-stealing bandit. In his finest hour, he was called upon to join the (not so) big leagues and face off against other local young professionals in a winner-takes-all baseball game for the ages.
Okay, that’s not exactly how it went down, but it is how this iconic video imagines it. It was Jesse’s first full skit as an actor, and he certainly knocked it out of the park. The glittery Dodgers jersey, by the way, is still hanging in his closet like a trophy.
Matt – Signallamp Health Avatar Creator
Signallamp Health helps patients with chronic medical conditions match with nurses who remotely monitor and care for them. To give the experience a friendly feel, our web team made a personalized avatar creator for nurses to customize to their heart’s content.
As an avid fan of The Sims, Matt called the project, “A dream come true.” Getting to illustrate all the different styles of hair, outfits and facial features was a formidable obstacle to overcome, but likewise a career highlight for the young creative.
Mia – Signallamp Zoom Backgrounds
Mia also chose a Signallamp project as her favorite to date. With chronic medical issues being a personal and often touchy subject to broach, standard Zoom backgrounds seem a bit cold for such crucial consultations.
Thus, Mia put her impeccable illustrative skills to the test and designed personalized backdrops for nurses and patients to conference over. She enjoyed the project because it gave her a high degree of freedom while still allowing her the chance to show off her keen creative chops.
Samantha – Ricketts Glen Kids Trail Signs
Ricketts Glen State Park comprises over 13,000 acres of lush, green foliage and breathtaking waterfalls [2]. It’s easy for anyone to get lost in this vast expanse of wilderness, especially wee kiddos who haven’t yet learned how to navigate using the sun as their compass.
So, to make sure no little ones wander off the trail, Samantha designed a series of signs that mark Ricketts Glen’s lightest path. Samantha is a huge animal and nature lover, so when she gets the chance to combine her passions with her work, she always considers it a home run.
Samuel – Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association (PHRA) Foal Cam
Samuel prefers a stable pick over some of the more quirky choices on this list (ba dum tss!). When their next generation of prize foals was on their way into the world, the PHRA wanted to share the miracle of birth with the public.
Their idea was to live stream the whole process so that anyone interested could join in. Samuel took the creative reins, crafting a custom logo from scratch and masterminding promos to get the word out. He still marvels at the care and dedication that went into safely delivering the foals, and hopes to win big on one of them someday.
Travis – Signallamp Chronic Care Management (CCM) Economic Value Calculator
To close this list of favorites off, Travis chose another one of Signallamp’s unique features. The CCM Economic Value Calculator helps healthcare providers see how much they can save by partnering with Signallamp to fill remote roles.
Travis has no qualms with espousing his love for Javascript, so he was pumped when he got to do a custom build in his second-to-native language. As he modestly notes, cross-departmental collaboration was key to the success of this project—even if he’s the brains behind all the technical aspects.
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Sources:
[1] “The Masked Wrestler”. Independent Wrestling Television. [Online], Available: https://independentwrestling.tv/. [Accessed July 9, 2023]
[2] “Ricketts Glen State Park”. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. [Online], Available: https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/. [Accessed July 9, 2023]
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