With less than two weeks to produce the videos, we had to act fast. We didn’t have time to visit retailers and plan new shoots. We instead reached within our terabytes of footage from the Retail Across America campaign. Using our collective brain servers and actual servers, Tori, Favata and Loizou quickly developed treatments for two distinct messages: one that focused on retail’s impressive economic statistics and another that humanizes and industry by featuring several business owners and associates.
Retail Story TV Spots
LAI Video was completely stoked to work with the National Retail Federation in producing two national TV spots. In response to an industry attack, we helped devise a completely non-defensive and utterly positive message of economic growth and community contributions. The resulting two TV spots “My Story” and “Our Story” aired to 8.5 million viewers during the Democratic presidential debates on CBS.
An Emergency Archive


The Fastest Editing in Town
Similar to our other overnight collaborations with NRF, producing quality work within airtight timeframes requires a deep understanding of the client’s brand. After establishing the must-include factoids and outlining our favorite soundbites, Favata cut together both spots in record time. Hot off the render queue, we submitted the videos through the surprisingly archaic machinery of broadcast television. The videos played during an intense Bernie v. Hillary debate, offering some hope that no matter who wins the White House, retail will remain an essential part of American society.
And there’s a special cameo by our very own Jun Yang!
Meet the Team
James Favata
James specializes in exploring new avenues, and who knows, together you may even end up off the map.
Tori Furphy
A mother of three and a work mother of a dozen—Tori operationalizes a perfectly rewarding client experience.
James Loizou
Perhaps best epitomized by his signature red sneakers and tie, James Loizou thrives between the worlds of "the creative" and "the business."
Jun Young Yang
Jun has been traveling everywhere (including a place called Anguilla) to document special events and create unique images for clients.