Production and post shop The Cabinet has completed a branded mini-doc in partnership with Verizon Media. Directed and edited by The Cabinet’s Stu Barnes, “Access for all: Inside the Verizon Media Accessibility Lab” is a deep dive into the innovation that keeps Verizon at the forefront of accessible technology.
“When Verizon first approached us with the idea, it stood out as an opportunity to tell a very human story,” said Barnes, whose recent credits include editorial on a Method Men campaign directed by The Cabinet’s Doug Cox. “I felt inspired to try to make a film about personal connection in a very cinematic way.” Indeed, the film opens with first-person testimony from Kisiah Timmons, Principal Product Designer at Verizon Media. Discussing the onset of her blindness, Timmons points out that “I could not be here right now talking about this if it wasn’t for these assistive technologies.”
In the film, Larry Goldberg, Head of Accessibility at Verizon Media, explains that the company is on a path toward democratization of technology, because, “When we design technologies that don’t work for everyone, we really are creating a segmented society.” Citing common examples like electronic curb cuts and closed captioning, Goldberg and his team operate on the principle that good design is accessible design. If they can get to the point where Verizon Media’s products are all “born accessible,” he says, “we will have accomplished our mission.”
Virtually every production delivered in the past month or so has been affected by COVID-19. “Access for All” was no exception. “Nothing like a global pandemic to throw a monkey-wrench in a production schedule! We shot in February and then transitioned to a socially distanced workflow,” related The Cabinet founder/CEO David Verhoef, who executive produced. “I can’t thank the team at Verizon Media enough. It is a beautiful video with a wonderful message and I couldn’t be happier about how we all banded together to make it happen.”
“Access for all: Inside the Verizon Media Accessibility Lab” launched on the brand’s YouTube channel on April 23, 2020.
About The Cabinet
The Cabinet is an independent collective of minds and skill sets. A league of production and post-production artists who each bring something to the table. A team sport for content. We continue to offer content solutions for agency and direct client partners, solutions that today are like monetary Rubik’s cubes. Finding the balance between art and finance is like tuning a piano. It’s a delicate task but when tightened and struck just right, we can play a beautiful note. We exist to collaborate with you. We love telling stories. We love hearing stories. We direct content. We edit content. We make content pretty. Let’s play.
