Danielle Hinde Interview: Jejune Magazine
12.09.2020
Founder and EP of Doomsday, Danielle Hinde, sat down (remotely!) with Jejune Magazine to discuss her love affair and with music videos and how she’s been able to navigate the industry in a meaningful way. Scroll on (Garth) to read some excerpts from the interview, and click here to read the full interview on Jejune’s site.
You launched Doomsday 10 years ago. What inspired you to launch the company and what is the ethos of your company?
I came up in the world of music videos in the early 2000’s. “Back then,” there were mostly big corporate production companies with a rolodex of directors churning out work left and right. While it was certainly a fun time for music videos, I always felt like the human connection was lost in the flurry. When I decided to start my own company in 2010, I wanted to create a culture that was more family based – back to our roots, if you will. There’s a sense of personal responsibility that I feel for each of my directors, and I make it a priority to invest a level of care and interest in each one…so much so that over the years I’ve been given the moniker “Mama D,” and I wear it proudly. When you work closely with someone for a long period of time, I think it’s important to understand them like you would a close friend or family member. I am most successful when I am able to align myself with their goals and vision, both in a creative sense and a human one.
Jejune loves that you produced Nike’s ‘You Can’t Stop Our Voice’ campaign. Why was this important for you to be a part of?
We’ve always been cautious about the content we produce and the types of messaging it promotes to the world. I think it goes without saying, but this has been especially true in 2020. It’s definitely our priority to ensure we’re creating content and partnering with agencies/brands that we can stand by, and not just something that will sell products. When we first started working with our friends at Wieden+Kennedy, it became clear that we shared the same core beliefs and values when it came to our work, and we’ve been very fortunate to have a longstanding relationship with them ever since. From a brand perspective, Nike has consistently led the charge with how to successfully communicate difficult topics in their messaging, so when we had the opportunity to partner with both W+K and Nike to combat the issue of voter suppression in 2020 America, there was no question for us.
What are your thoughts on brands using their platform to be political?
Like most things in life, it can be a hit or a miss. Some get it right and some get it horribly wrong. We’ve passed on many projects that we felt were inconsistent, socially negligible, or attempting to co-opt a space that it didn’t belong in. Like an old-timey whiskey your very white grandpa would drink attempting to make a spot about BLM–that level of cringe and lack of awareness is something we actively avoid. While these issues are extremely important and deserve the public’s attention, it’s equally important to show care and respect for where the messaging is coming from. That shouldn’t discourage brands (or people) from continuing to fight the good fight – donate, educate yourself, listen, show compassion – but please don’t appropriate a very important moment in history to sell your shitty whiskey! Advertising has a massive reach, and the power it yields over the masses is undeniable. Now more than ever it is so important to use that power responsibly.