Case Studies
Georgetown Day School Celebrates 80 Years
Project
Georgetown Day School (GDS), a private liberal-arts school based in Northwest DC, reached out to Emerson Street Media (ESM) to create a video for the school’s 80th anniversary celebration in May 2026. ESM Co-Founder Jeff Goldberg is an alum of GDS, and we had previously worked with the school on capturing content for their new website, so we were already familiar with its mission and history. Our team knew the significance of this project and how it would require a great deal of depth, analysis, and care to tell the complete GDS story in a relatively short amount of time. But ESM was up to the task and jumped into the project with enthusiasm and focus.
Approach
We were intentional about working closely with the GDS team to establish the key themes, concepts and storylines to incorporate into the video and to identify the individuals who could best articulate them. We outlined a storyboard for the video ensuring the right voices would be captured, but also creating a visual concept that would combine archive materials with animated sketches to give life to static photos. Everyone involved in the project was very thoughtful about putting the plan into action, knowing that we wanted to ensure every interview and every piece of visual content was central to this story and would lead to the best possible final product.
Action
Once we agreed on themes, interview subjects, and visuals, it was time to get moving, knowing well that coordinating schedules would be a challenge. The ESM team was in constant contact with the GDS team throughout the process and consistently making sure that each element fulfilled a specific purpose. In collaboration with GDS, the ESM team conducted nearly 10 interviews in person in DC and virtually. We collected video footage that brought life to the sentiments and stories shared in the interviews and worked closely with our animator to create images that added texture, depth and warmth to the project, all of which are hallmarks of the GDS culture.
Result
In close collaboration with the GDS team, ESM created a final video that brought everyone involved a great sense of pride in both the history and future of the school. While it was a big challenge to condense all the amazing interviews and footage into a relatively short video, we believe that we achieved the goal of telling the enduring story of GDS: its humble and impassioned early days, decades of growth and success and a future that combines the school’s founding values and mission with constant evolution and innovation. The video was shown at the school’s 80th Anniversary event, which included more than 600 attendees. The response to the project was overwhelmingly positive and many, many people in the GDS community shared that the video instilled in them renewed feelings of pride and joy to be a GDS Mighty Hopper!
