Case Study: Success Academy

Scholars and teachers genuinely do work and play hard at Success Academy, so it was easy to use day-in-the-life-style photography to show that aspect of the brand

Kindergarteners prepare worksheets while their teacher waits for everyone to come to the rug

a teacher flexes lifts two students at the same time for fun at recess

I created portraits of teachers in action...

Ms Zou talks through story with her reading group

Ms Bryant guides scholars through a math lesson on paper easel one day each week second graders return books to the class library Ms Pregony accepts and starts to sort

...but then also photographed traditional headshots used for Teacher Appreciation Week stickers

Appreciated in Barbie font on pink bursts with teacher headshots girl holds up stickers

While headshots are used in more conventional ways, I also created picture books for the teachers that I shadowed

Ms Li uses her headshot for her introduction to families child holds two picture books open to show what's inside

two scholars look to see what a third is doing on his Chromebook

two scholars turn to talk about what they are creating in art

On picture day, the Operations team requested a more creative group shot that I turned into a mousepad

operations associates jump on stage in front of red curtain ops team picture with action written in script font under computer mouse

scholar with load of bracelets strains to be noticed raising her hand

boy in school uniform with tie shoots basketball during drills in gym two canvas displayed on filing cabinets show four children smiling in classroom and next to chainlink fence

East Flatbush Middle School commissioned wall art

scholars on tour walk past canvas prints of current middle schoolers girl points to Pasca markers in giant canvas print of scholar in art class

The school not only decorated, but also showed online followers what's happening in classes

female student uses Pasca markers in art class two girls sing at microphone stands to rehearse in club

I followed students who were getting ready for the next level of education on their tours

screenshot on main Success Academy Instagram account of Bensonhurst elementary scholars touring East Flatbush Middle School screenshot SA High School of the Liberal Arts Brooklyn bear mascot approaches line of 8th graders screenshot high school teacher smiles broadly while preparing 8th graders for science challenge

Then I created a newsletter for parents so they could see what the schools are like

Videos for TikTok and Instagram reels became important in early 2024

I would show up at recess with a microphone and camera to enlist the help of scholars to create content to try to win an internal contest among the schools that sometimes ended up on the Network's TikTok account