Don't Let The Summer DieA multi-format creative universe built around nostalgia, adulthood, family, and rediscovering joy.
My Role
Creative Director • Artist • Writer • Producer • Campaign Strategist
Ecosystem
Music → Film → Book → Card Game
The Campaign
Rather than treating the song as a single release, I approached Don’t Let the Summer Die as an expandable story world. Each format served a different audience behavior: music created the emotional entry point, film created the visual story, the book created deeper reflection, and the card game turned the idea into a shared social experience.
The goal was to create multiple ways for people to enter the same story while keeping the emotional message consistent across every medium.
The Song
I wrote and released the title song as the emotional centerpiece of the project, building the campaign around themes of growing older without losing the part of yourself that still knows how to dream. Inspired by the birth of my first child.
The Visual Story
I developed the visual identity and music-video concept around adulthood, family, loneliness, nostalgia, and rediscovering what actually matters. I directed the overall creative approach across artwork, promotional visuals, video content, and campaign imagery.
The music video serves as a short film showing the story of a man realizing what matters most in life - family.
The 52-Week Book
I expanded the theme into Don’t Let the Summer Die: A 52-Week Journey Back to You, using personal stories and reflection to explore identity, adulthood, joy, and reconnecting with yourself.
A major narrative device in the book is telling parts of my life through six different trips to Disney, using each trip as a marker for a different stage of growing up and how my relationship with wonder changed over time.
The Card Game
I turned the project into an interactive physical experience through Don’t Let the Summer Die: The Card Game.
The game includes:
Over 100 Action cards
50 Caveat cards
30 Number/Life cards
Multiple game modes
Physical packaging and rules
The goal was to turn the project's message into something people could actually experience together, instead of only listening to or reading about it.