Case Study: The Summertime Visual Project

đź”— Watch on Playbill.com
Timeline: February 2021
Project Type: Cultural Media, Brand Collaboration, Digital Campaign
Services: Strategic Planning, Project Management, Brand & Marketing Strategy
Clients/Partners: WOCoB Inc., MAC Cosmetics, Playbill.com
Producer: Victoria Velazquez

Overview & Objective

The Summertime Visual Project was a musical short film produced by Women of Color on Broadway (WOCoB) in observance of Black History Month 2021. Created at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project reimagined George Gershwin’s “Summertime” to honor the generational influence of Black women performers connected to Porgy and Bess, and spotlight emerging talent. The goal was to deliver a high-impact digital performance that expanded WOCoB’s platform through intentional brand and media partnerships.

Strategy & Execution

Brand Strategy & Community-Building

Victoria’s brand strategy positioned the project as both a cultural tribute and a forward-looking digital campaign. Leveraging WOCoB’s engaged community and growing cultural presence, she crafted a narrative that honored legacy while amplifying emerging voices—casting rising jazz star Samara Joy in one of her first major filmed performances. Through intentional storytelling and creative direction, Victoria aligned WOCoB’s mission with the values of its sponsors and partners, optimizing the project’s cultural resonance, digital visibility, and audience engagement.

Fundraising & Budgeting

Victoria developed and pitched a values-aligned partnership with MAC Cosmetics, securing the brand as the presenting sponsor. MAC’s support included funding, social media promotion, and strategic marketing amplification to extend the project’s visibility beyond the arts and into cultural and beauty spheres—reflecting the brand’s commitment to equity and the arts. Victoria managed all fundraising deliverables, ensuring the project reflected both WOCoB’s mission and MAC’s brand values, without relying on overt product placement.

Strategic Partnerships & Institutional Leverage

WOCoB partnered with Playbill.com, Broadway’s leading digital platform, to premiere the film online—broadening its visibility across mainstream theater and entertainment media. The project became a model for culturally grounded, values-driven collaboration in the nonprofit arts space. MAC contributed both financial sponsorship and public relations support, helping secure coverage in Allure, CULTURECON, and other prominent cultural outlets. Together, these partnerships set a new standard for how arts organizations and mission-aligned brands can collaborate to elevate underrepresented voices.

Legacy | Community | Brand Framework

Victoria applied her proprietary framework to position the project for institutional success and cultural resonance:

Legacy: Reputation | Credibility | Resources

  • Reputation: Building on the national success of House Seats and WOCoB’s growing brand as an innovator in musical theater, Summertime reinforced its standing as a cultural leader.

  • Credibility: The backing of MAC Cosmetics and the media partnership with Playbill signaled to the industry that this was not just a video—it was a cultural event.

  • Resources: In-kind beauty styling, professional film production support, public relations campaigns, and Playbill’s digital infrastructure provided a foundation for impact and longevity.

Community: Voice | Culture | Engagement

  • Voice: WOCoB amplified the voices of Black women performers by fusing a historically complex opera with jazz music genre and vocal performance revisions centering their excellence and innovations of black women performers.

  • Culture: The film was released in the context of COVID-19, racial reckoning, and a renewed focus on Black creativity, adding depth and urgency to the project’s tone.

  • Engagement: Social media buzz, online community sharing, and features in cultural media helped the short film reach beyond traditional Broadway audiences.

Brand: Story | Offering | Impact

  • Story: The piece honored Anne Brown—the first Black woman to play Bess in Porgy and Bess—and the many Black women who followed in her footsteps. It marked a turning point in digital musical storytelling for WOCoB.

  • Offering: A musical short film featuring Samara Joy (prior to her Grammy win), merging high art, heritage, and access.

  • Impact:

    • 100,000+ views in its first year. 

    • 10,000+ Spotify streams of the performance.

    • 82,000+ Apple Music streams.

    • Completion of WOCoB’s first artist development workshop tied to the project.

Metrics & Results (2018–2020)

  • 100,000+ total views across Playbill and social platforms

  • 10,000+ Spotify streams, 82,000+ Apple Music streams

  • Featured in major beauty/lifestyle outlets, including Allure

  • Successful co-branded partnership with MAC Cosmetics

  • WOCoB leaders invited to industry panels as cultural leaders

  • Completion of WOCoB’s first arts development workshop

  • Expanded digital audience and engagement.

  • Victoria and Alexia were later invited as guest panelists for MAC’s #ShadesofBlack panel at CultureCon @ HOME.

Conclusion & Looking Ahead

The Summertime Visual Project marked a major leap in WOCoB’s ability to blend live performance values with cinematic storytelling. It introduced audiences to emerging Black talent while honoring Broadway heritage. More importantly, it demonstrated the power of creative storytelling to forge meaningful, long-term partnerships with legacy media and beauty brands. The project established WOCoB’s credibility in the digital content space and set a strong precedent for future multimedia collaborations. Victoria and her team at VPM continue to use Summertime as a blueprint for how art, commerce, and advocacy can intersect to drive culture forward.