Art Directing Octave Therapy’s First Brand Photoshoot

Studio: Newfangled Studios

Every Moment Matters

Octave’s 2025 “Moments” campaign included our first live-shot CTV spot for the brand. The campaign aimed to increase brand awareness after a 2024 rebrand and to support the launch of new in-network insurance options in key US cities.

I supported with art direction on set, primarily focused on the still photos you’ll see below. Our custom photography performed better than stock alternatives in a user preference test.

Concept, tagline, creative direction by ACD Sarah Flores; production by Newfangled Studios. Photo & art direction: myself & Ryan Ford, Head of Design at Octave.

High-performing custom photography

Challenge:

Rather than relying on stock, our team realized it was time to invest in creating unique, ownable content that represented the art direction of our brand: authentic, relatable images that felt like real people in the in-between moments of their lives, showcasing positive therapy outcomes.

Solution:

We collaborated with Newfangled Studios to shoot a set of custom photography, shot on the same production day as our first CTV commercial.
Under the guidance of our Head of Design (Ryan Ford,) I took the lead in art direction of the photography on the Octave team, so our ACD (Sarah Flores) could focus on the CTV spot. I provided real-time feedback and support on set, tapping into my photography background.
I managed the feedback and revision rounds and direction of post-production editing style.

Results:

Our custom photography performed consistently better than stock imagery alternatives overall in a user preference test. With these findings, I set up and documented a strategic implementation plan to replace stock photos across our website with high-performing and relevant images from our custom shoot.