Common Ground

The Chicago Park Exchange, the second in our Park Exchange Series, brought the sounds of New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park to the Windy City. We kicked off the day’s events with a media moment that featured principals from the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, Oscar and Grammy winning artist Common.

As a Chicago native and the grand marshal for the event’s second line parade, Common helped showcase the National Park Service Centennial and the power of parks as places of healing for communities like Chicago’s. His participation in the event resulted in successful coverage – regionally and nationally – including ABC7, FOX 32, Huffington Post, and an exclusive with the Chicago Tribune ahead of the exchange.

Together with our supporting agency and local partners, we welcomed members of the surrounding community to engage with the event’s interactive displays and activities, corporate sponsor activations, and to join the parade’s second line. It was a unique way to showcase the musical common ground that Chicago and New Orleans share.

As part of managing the event’s digital strategy, I executed the streaming of the event’s Facebook Live, coordinated the amplification of the event through Common’s social channels, captured additional content for our social channels, and served as a handler onsite.

Highlights

Common Wants To Bring ‘Peace’ And ‘Hope’ To Chicago Through New Initiative
Huffington Post (UVM: 44,079,298), June 13, 2016.

Common to lead New Orleans music event in Washington Park
Chicago Tribune (UVM:16,878,643), June 8, 2016.

Chicago jazzed up New Orleans-style with Oscar winner Common
ABC 7 (UVM: 113,201), June 11, 2018.