Some of the most meaningful work happens when you’re creating not for profit, but for purpose. Our pro bono campaign for the Chicago Public Library Foundation was one of those rare opportunities — a labor of love, produced entirely in-house by our team. From concept to shoot to final edit, we handled it all, driven by a shared belief in the power of public libraries.

Each summer, the city’s reading program invites Chicago’s youth to explore new worlds through books. In our first year, we had the extraordinary honor of featuring Apollo 13 astronaut Captain James Lovell — a living legend whose story exemplified courage, curiosity, and the lifelong rewards of learning. To bring it all together, legendary journalist and NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! announcer Bill Kurtis generously donated his voice to narrate the campaign — adding both authority and warmth to the message.

The following year, we took a more playful approach, promoting a program where teachers donate their time after school to tutor. We cast a precocious young “librarian” in the spirit of Kid President to serve as the program’s charming spokesperson.

The Chicago Public Library Foundation has spent nearly 40 years expanding access to education, creativity, and opportunity for every neighborhood in the city. We were proud to lend our voices — and our lenses — to a mission that believes reading isn’t just fundamental, it’s transformative.