Overview
In September 2023, Optimizely hosted Opticon 2023 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. The flagship event brought together 1,100+ global marketing, product, and technology leaders for three days of keynotes, thought-leadership sessions, demos, and networking opportunities. This was the first Opticon I contributed to as Optimizely’s first in-house motion designer, setting a new precedent for creating an entirely internally produced motion system without external agency support.

Challenge
When I joined Optimizely, the company had previously relied heavily on external agencies for all event video and animation production. With Opticon 2023 only two months away, I took full ownership of the motion design and content pipeline, leading all aspects of storyboard development, motion asset production, and digital screen content delivery as a solo motion design lead. This required not only a deep understanding of Optimizely’s brand system but also rapid scaling of deliverables to match a large-scale, high-visibility corporate event.

Creative Approach and Execution
Working closely with Alyssa Newman’s event design system, I translated Optimizely’s vibrant static design language into dynamic motion graphics and immersive animated content. I collaborated with graphic designers Joe Geoghan, Kadie Kohls, and Ellen Hossain, using their work as inspiration to storyboard, design, and animate custom visuals.
Deliverables included:

– Animated brand assets and brand messaging.
– Wayfinding animations for venue navigation.
– Sizzle reels showcasing brand customers, milestones and next year’s venue.
– General information screens with rotating content loops.
– Animated demo station explainer video.
– Opticon Online video contents.
– Customer Award show animated assets.
– Cohesive motion branding across all venue signage.

I created a flexible motion system optimized for a large event environment, ensuring consistency and scalability across multiple screen formats, resolutions, and orientations.

Impact
Opticon 2023 set a new standard for Optimizely’s in-house creative capabilities, with 1,100+ attendees, 30+ breakout sessions, and 70+ motion assets powered entirely by internally produced animations. By eliminating external agency support, the project delivered significant cost savings while demonstrating how a unified approach to branding can transform static assets into a dynamic, multi-screen experience that amplifies engagement and brand perception.

Overview

This promo announced Optimizely’s expanded partnership with Google Cloud, highlighting how Optimizely One taps Google’s Gemini models—surfaced through Opal, Optimizely’s AI assistant—to accelerate content and marketing workflows. The message aligned with Opticon 2024 news: Gemini access inside Optimizely products, CMP availability on Google Cloud Marketplace, and deeper Vertex AI alignment.

Role & Collaboration

I set the initial creative direction and built the first storyboard. Jhon Conge refined the boards to tighten brand alignment. I then led motion design and co-animation with Shouvik Fouzder, producing a concise narrative that connects cloud + AI benefits to real marketer outcomes.

Approach

– Framed the story around “Gemini inside Opal” → AI assistance directly in Optimizely’s UI.
– Pacing designed for paid/social cutdowns and event screens: 15–45s modular sections with logo-safe intros/outros.

Impact

– The video served as a key asset in announcing Optimizely’s expanded integration with Google Cloud. Specifically, accessibility to Google’s Gemini models via Opal, Optimizely’s AI assistant, AI-driven workflows across the content lifecycle.
– Optimizely’s multi-year partnership with Google Cloud, highlighted in the video, also extended to significant platform availability. Content Marketing Platform was added to the Google Cloud Marketplace, providing seamless deployment for enterprise customers.
– By introducing these integrations visually and narratively, the video helped position Optimizely One as a comprehensive, AI-powered solution trusted by marketers, aiming to drive efficiency, quality, and speed in content production.

Overview
Optimizely Explainer Video breaks away from the traditional explainer format. It’s a high-energy, fun, and visually engaging video crafted to introduce Optimizely, a leading digital experience platform known for experimentation, A/B testing, personalization, and feature management across web content and commerce. Storyboarded by Dan Reid, the video brings a vibrant personality to a technical product, making complex capabilities feel accessible and exciting.

Concept
The creative challenge was to express Optimizely’s innovative spirit through a dynamic format that reflects experimentation and rapid iteration. Rather than a static, step-by-step walkthrough, the video employs lively visuals, playful pacing, and bold graphic transitions that mirror Optimizely’s brand ethos of testing, learning, and evolving.

Creative Strategy
Storyboard-First Approach: Dan Reid’s storyboard mapped key transitions, conceptual UI motions, and pacing to match the upbeat tone, guiding the animation team and ensuring cohesion.
Tempo Matching: Music selection and sound cues (e.g., clicks, pops, UI swooshes) were chosen to align with motion hits, each animation feels tightly integrated with audio for an immersive experience.
Balancing Clarity with Fun: While the video is playful and engaging, the underlying message, “Optimizely’s capabilities and benefits” remains clear through simplified visuals and strategic pacing.

Impact
The video successfully breaks from the bland “talking head” style of many explainer videos, delivering technical messaging through high-energy motion and character-driven storytelling.
Viewers find it memorable and approachable. Optimizely’s feature becomes understandable and exciting, not overwhelming.
Improved audience retention and comprehension, particularly among non-technical stakeholders.

I led the video and motion team for Opticon 24, delivering over 70+ animated assets across events in San Antonio, London, and Stockholm. Working under Dan Reid’s creative direction with motion designer Shouvik Fouzder and video editor Tawhid Rafi, we built a scalable motion system featuring a dot matrix design language. The visuals created a high-impact, globally consistent brand experience seen by thousands of attendees.