The Atlantic Festival | 2022-2024
Mike Brown, VP, Creative Director @ LDJ Productions
As VP, Creative Director at LDJ Productions, I lead the team on the successful new business pitch for The Atlantic Festival 2022 and lead the creative team in the subsequent partnership with Atlantic Live to help envision, design and produce the iconic 3-day thought-leadership festival in 2022, 2023 and 2024 at the Wharf District in Washington, DC. LDJ Productions provided turnkey creative production and project management services. The highly successful 2022 event lead to a multi-year strategic partnership between The Atlantic and LDJ Productions to drive enduring growth, engagement and equity with long-term financial benefit.
The Atlantic Festival is a live and virtual event that gathers audiences with influential leaders in politics, culture, business, tech, healthcare and climate leadership to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. The three-day event hosted by Atlantic journalists features notable thought leaders, elected officials, tech giants, CEOs, best-selling authors and cultural icons for diverse panels, exclusive interviews, book talks, screenings and networking held across multiple venues.
In collaboration with The Atlantic, LDJ played a key role in the success of The Atlantic Festival in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Under my leadership, LDJ's creative team integrated our highly successful Campus Approach each year to elevate strategic planning, programming and creative/design development, and help drive growth year after year. The team collaborated closely with Atlantic Live on creative ideation, design and implementation to transform 4 distinct venues and the spaces-in-between for seamless attendee experiences across the Wharf District. LDJ led project management, operations and logistics, overseeing the staffing of over 100 internal and external staff to execute The Atlantic's vision live and online.
See below a showcase of the following work. Images & Visual Assets courtesy of Atlantic Live and LDJ Productions.
The Atlantic Festival 2024 & Creative Development
The Atlantic Festival 2023 & Strategic Development
The Atlantic Festival 2022 & The Atlantic Festival RFP Response
The Atlantic Festival 2024
The Atlantic Festival 2024
"2024 was a crucial moment for bold ideas, innovation, culture, and exploration.This fall in Washington, D.C., Atlantic writers and moderators were joined by elected officials, best-selling authors, notable actors, climate scientists, health-care professionals, tech giants, and CEOs to tackle today’s big questions and meet the moment head-on."
Image courtesy of Atlantic Live
Programming for this pivotal year of The Atlantic Festival inspired the evolution of the 4 stages on the Campus to align with the overall vision. Graphic identity and assets courtesy of Atlantic Live.
The Ideas Stage was moved to the legendary Fichhandler Stage following 2 successful years in the smaller Kreeger Theater. We transformed the iconic theater-in-the-round with an epic curved projection screen -- an allegorical hug to infuse this space with a sense of belonging and connectedness.
We elevated the District Pier for the third consecutive year with a compelling guest experience anchored by a clear-span tent and vibrant branding, exterior lounge areas and sponsor activations, and the dynamic Culture Stage inside that hosted exclusive interviews, panels and screenings. The Pier was again celebrated as a vibrant community hub shaped by the power of gathering, day to night across programs, happy hours and festival celebrations.
The Culture Stage hosted exclusive interviews, panel discussions and screenings, while the District Pier gathered festival audiences day to night for networking, happy hours and meet-ups.
The Atlantic Festival 2024 | Development
Atlantic Live provided an updated 2024 Brand Language for our Creative Team to work with in developing the full creative production vision. Assets provided courtesy of Atlantic Live.
Creative development and planning for The Atlantic Festival 2024 was a remarkable collaboration for the third consecutive year. The examples above feature developmental concepts for the four stages and key places that we created. Development assets courtesy of LDJ Productions.
The Atlantic Festival 2023
The Ideas Stage 2023: We evolved the flat-vector brand language to create a vibrant new stage concept with a bold slash of red slicing through the stage space to create a visual 'bracket' for speakers. The iconic space served the moment well. Image courtesy of LDJ Productions.
Arrival & Registration: This program was moved to the new public square adjacent to The Atlantic's new headquarters at The Wharf. We leveraged clean pop-up structures and clear branding to activate the program for the start of each day. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
Ideas Stage at The Meade Theater: We reimagined the graphic approach to lead attendees inside the Meade Center for the Arena Lobby and Ideas Stage programming. Bold graphics applied in unexpected ways and places were great successes. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
The District Pier & The Pier Stage: Our second consecutive year transforming The Pier leveraged a cleaner graphic approach and an improved layout for circulation. The results impact and growth of the Festival Hub was felt throughout. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
District Pier & Pier Stage: This place had cemented itself as a heartbeat of the festival as it transformed day to night into a vibrant gathering place for exclusive talks, screenings, happy hours and meet-ups. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
The Atlantic Festival 2023 | Development Phase
Following the success of The Atlantic Festival 2022, LDJ Productions was hired for a 2023 Development Phase in advance of production deadlines the following year. Over a 3 month retainer, we mapped strategic approaches and creative explorations to develop an expanded 2023 Campus and a new creative vision. Development assets courtesy of LDJ Productions.
Our in-depth analysis of 2022 Festival metrics drove studies for the 2023 Campus Approach across attendee journey, programming adjacencies, sponsorship opportunities and more. Development assets courtesy of LDJ Productions.
We crafted a new holistic design language in collaboration with the Atlantic Live team to shape our creative approaches for the four stages, the Wharf campus and signage and way-finding. These renderings are development concepts for the four festival stages. Development assets courtesy of LDJ Productions.
The Atlantic Festival 2022
Ideas Stage 2022: We leveraged The Atlantic's flat-vector brand language to create a striking stage design for the Kreeger Theater. A monumental soft-light ceiling and vibrant graphics framed the stage space with a central upstage content display.
Arena Stage at the Meade Center: Bold graphic treatments lead attendees from the exterior approach of the Meade Theater through the lobby to the Ideas Stage within. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
District Pier: We transformed this public pier into a branded open-air gathering place for two dedicated stages, sponsor booths, open-air lounges and iconic photo moments. In this inaugural year of The Atlantic Festival at The Wharf, our transformation of The Pier played a key role in the success and growth of the Festival. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
The Pier Theater: This intimate gather place for exclusive talk, screenings and performances was the heart of the District Pier. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions.
The District Pier became a vibrant gathering place at night with exclusive talks, screenings and celebrations. Images courtesy of LDJ Productions & Atlantic Live.
The Atlantic Festival RFP 2022
This new business pitch and the partnership, collaborations and work that followed were highlights of my three years as VP, Creative Director at LDJ Productions. It was a remarkable opportunity to inspire, lead and direct the teams on a project of this scale, and cultivate the potential in people and processes to drive measurable growth across culture and commerce.
Our strategy was anchored by The Atlantic's editorial legacy and digital equity. We translated their Storytelling DNA into thoughtful design pillars that would inform meaningful spatial design and experiential moments. Development materials courtesy of LDJ Productions.
We prepared three Ideas Stage concepts anchored in The Atlantic's brand and core values. Development materials courtesy of LDJ Productions.
Notably, we reached beyond the RFP scope to propose a cultural placemaking strategy for the Wharf District itself. Leveraging adjacencies to The Atlantic's forthcoming new corporate headquarters, we envisioned transforming the District Pier into a cultural hub for The Atlantic Festival. This Campus Approach Vision sealed the win and the start of a remarkable longstanding partnership. Development materials courtesy of LDJ Productions.