An Experience Raises $1.2 Billion

Working with the university and with renowned creative director, Kile Ozier, we created an Amphitheatre-sized traveling, fund-raising show, which would engage the alums by emotionally reconnecting them to the university. The audience, each of whom got their start in life at Stanford, would become overwhelmed with pride, as they experienced the sensations of being Stanford students once more.

The first thing we did was to find out what campus life was like. Our team flew to the university, walked the halls, hung out on campus, talked with the students, spoke with professors. We also interviewed dozens of alumnus to understand what they remembered best about the school.

Once we felt as if we knew everything about Stanford - indeed, once we ourselves felt cheated that we hadn't been able to attend the university - then we knew we were ready to stage the show.

We based many of our creative choices on surprise. We knew that if we could continually surprise the audience, they would pay great attention the action, and would be more likely to hear and internalize the campaign's messages.

The element of surprise began when the audience entered the "theater" (a ballroom in some towns, a convention center in others). First, there was almost total darkness. Then, yards away, a glow emanated from behind a large curtain. Odder still, the tops of buildings and trees seemed to be sticking up from behind the curtain.

Once the audience made their way behind the curtain, they were greeted by a shocking scene. They found themselves seemingly smack-dab in the middle of their old campus.

We hadn't tried to recreate the exact campus in miniature. There was no need. Instead, we selected elements of the campus, reproduced them, and placed them in strategic places around the performing space. There were archways, rooftops, statues, trees, all modeled on the Stanford campus. There was also a 180 degrees wrap-around set, with a 300 foot cyclorama, on which we projected the sky (when people arrived, the sky would be blue. Later, it would change to a dusky sunset color, after which night would fall).

Once the audience was seated at dinner tables, the show began in earnest. The night was filled with high-definition films, punctuated by brief, live speeches.

The opening film was shown on two 12' X 22' screens, which were separated from each other by a fifteen foot gap. Rather than showing the same image on both screens, we created a film that followed a single action from screen to screen.

The film, backed by a musical score that was recorded at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch, focused on the hero as he biked through the foothills behind the school, through the campus, and arrived in his classroom. Because he came through the school's back entrance, we were able to stay away from all the standard shots that people come to expect of Stanford.

As he turned each corner, the audience would gasp in surprise and recognition as they saw a different spot on campus that had been meaningful to them, but whose existence they had forgotten about. Each shot built on the last, triggering a crescendo of emotion.

Throughout the rest of the evening, food was served, dignitaries spoke, and we'd show a dramatic, Hollywood-quality film.

One film was an eight-minute, fast-paced series of interviews with current Stanford students. They talked about the thrill of receiving their acceptance letter to the university, and the honor they felt of being taught by people who were each in the top of their fields. The students also talked about the ways they would use the knowledge they were learning to make a difference in the world. Another was a series of musical performances by Stanford a capella groups. Yet another was a moving study about the undergraduate program that the school hoped to raise money for.

The final film showed scenes of the campus and students, as alums (some of whom were over 90) talked about their most favorite moments at Stanford. Writes Kile Ozier: " The final segment . . . invariably moved the audience to tears. In fact, special arrangements had to be made in each city for the final speaker in that city to preview the film the day before, so that he or she would actually be able to speak at the close of the film."

The result: The campaign did, indeed, work. Stanford needed a billion dollars, and ended up raising over $1.2 billion!

The program was so effective at reengaging the alumni, that a smaller version was created and is used for recruiting and other university activities.

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