Big Com Earns National Recognition for Innovative "Unlocking Creativity" Sidewalk Film Festival Project

Big Com, an independent, full-service advertising agency based in Birmingham, Alabama, announced today that it has been honored with a national Silver ADDY from the American Advertising Awards. Presented in the Animation, Special Effects or Motion Graphics category, the award recognizes the agency's work on the "Unlocking Creativity" sponsor trailer for the 25th anniversary of the Sidewalk Film Festival produced last year.

Big Com’s "Unlocking Creativity" project was designed to engage festival attendees and celebrate the magic of filmmaking. A one-of-a-kind website featured a cipher, allowing participants to solve puzzles for the chance to win prizes while encouraging return visits to the year-round Sidewalk Cinema. By embedding clues in the program book, a cryptic t-shirt and colorful sidewalk-chalk stencils, festival-goers were drawn into a community of creativity and curiosity. Hundreds successfully solved the puzzle, embracing the spirit of filmmaking and the collaborative essence of the festival.

In honor of 25 years of Sidewalk, Big Com’s in-house creative team challenged themselves to explore new avenues. Driven by the agency's motion graphics expertise, the 2D and 3D opening sequence aimed to inspire festival-goers, providing an immersive experience that celebrated a love of filmmaking and problem-solving.

The national recognition comes at an exciting time for Big Com, which recently rebranded from Big Communications after nearly 30 years of serving local, regional and national clients.

“Sidewalk has been close to our agency’s heart for over a decade,” said John Montgomery , Big Com’s founder and CEO, who also serves as a member of Sidewalk’s Board of Directors. “Supporting the festival underscores our agency’s belief in the powerful intersection of community and creativity. We encourage everyone to join us at the upcoming festival to experience the magic for themselves.”

The upcoming 26th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival is set to take place Aug. 19-25, 2024 in downtown Birmingham’s historic Theatre District. Tickets are on sale now, offering attendees the opportunity to be part of another year of extraordinary films, creative exploration and community celebration. For more information on this year’s Sidewalk Film Festival and to purchase passes, click here.?

Big Com is a real live agency that specializes in creative, digital, marketing, PR and media services. And we're hungry 24/7.

Sidewalk Film is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging filmmaking in Alabama and building audiences for independent film. For two decades, the organization's premier event, the Sidewalk Film Festival, has showcased the work of filmmakers from around the world, welcoming 15,000 film lovers to Birmingham annually.

"UNLOCKING CREATIVITY" CREDITS

Category: Animation, Special Effects or Motion Graphics

• Shannon Harris , Executive Creative Director
• Brian Curtin , Creative Director & Animator
• Ali Clark Associate Creative Director & Animator
• Dan Gavin , Digital Experience Engineer
• William Nash , 3D Artist
• Aaron Gresham, Typography Design
• Kristin Dober , Senior Producer
• Julia Meyer , Senior Account Executive
• Boutwell Studios ★ Creative Audio Production , Sound Design