The hottest new series is coming this summer! Don’t miss Valley Heat in action as Roman and Dominic crack down on a case of missing terminals with their
brand-new go-to gadget to help them along the way.
This campaign project was meant to break away from the traditional, bringing the movement, energy, and action of a classic 80s parody buddy-cop entertainment series to life. Even better, it became an opportunity to introduce Genie, a brand-new helpful Sales Enablement Platform created for PayCompass Agents that I entirely branded. Genie became the perfect addition to Roman and Dominic’s toolkit, and their new go-to gadget for cracking the case!
Treating Valley Heat as an actual series coming
to screens, my goal was to build a complete experience around the brand, from a fully developed brand identity package to promotional marketing materials that make the series feel ready for its debut.
The Story
With the core of Valley Heat established, the next question was how to showcase the concept in a way that could genuinely sell it like a real show premiere. The goal was to capture the visual language of a classic 80s crime-comedy series so authentically that the audience would stop, take a second look, and appreciate the humor behind it. The first step was establishing its identity. The “network” logo became the heart of the story, setting the visual foundation for how the rest of the campaign would come together. I hand-drew the logo and paired it with a grainy texture to create the feel of a vintage television series, while using warm-toned colors reflecting both the Valley setting of Phoenix, Arizona.
From there, the campaign evolved beyond the logo and centered around the stars of the show. Played by two PayCompass employees, Roman and Dominic became the recognizable faces of Valley Heat and another core piece for how the campaign would come to life. Their characters, personalities, and partnership helped shape everything from the visual direction to the promotional materials, making the campaign feel less like a collection of designs and more like an actual series preparing for its premiere. Curious to
see what these two are up to? Tune in to find out!
Motion Graphics
Email Designs
Introducing the world to our stars and entering the heat, I created these email designs to give our audience a teaser of what they were in for. While I was constantly building email designs for each campaign show, I wanted to challenge myself to approach these differently, something beyond the traditional static email design that could bring the movement, action, and excitement of Valley Heat directly to the screen.
For each email asset, I created motion graphics that reinforced the core theme of the campaign. Each email starts with a GIF designed to immediately hook the audience, taking them through a visual journey of the Valley and giving a glimpse of what to expect. Just when the story seems to be over, another motion graphic brings the email to life once again, creating a final moment of excitement before tying everything together. Each animation was designed specifically around the theme of its corresponding email, from the introductory “show title poster” featuring a setting sun and trees breezing in the wind, to promotional materials featuring record-spinning soundtrack albums, and, best of all, the state-of-the-art technology behind Genie.
Promotional Materials
What would the premiere of Valley Heat be without promotional materials to bring the campaign full circle? With plenty of options on the table, I wanted to carry the retro aesthetic beyond the screen and into the physical world. Each piece was designed to feel like something that could genuinely come from the show, from promotional merchandise to collectibles made for fans.
The cardboard cutout was a clever way to showcase Genie as part of the show while introducing the new product to the audience. Roman and Dominic are shown presenting Genie as it shifts between their phones and watches while they put the platform to use. I gave the characters a hand-painted treatment inspired by 80s entertainment posters, bringing a nostalgic illustrated quality to the campaign and giving the cutout its distinct Valley Heat look.
The shirts were designed as both trade show giveaways and a way for employees to
represent the show in style. I wanted them to feel like dramatic promotional posters,
with Roman and Dominic as the main visual and the same hand-painted treatment for consistency. This turned the merchandise into an extension of the Valley Heat world rather than simply branded apparel.
Hand-making cassette tapes to promote Valley Heat’s original soundtrack gave fans a physical souvenir of the show—and a chance to enjoy some classic yacht rock. For the cover, I shifted toward a more polished, sleek direction that captured the feeling of winding down and cruising into the night. The limited-edition tapes were handed out to the first 100 fans that came
to our booth.
The campaign turned out to be a huge success and got 94% of Sales Agents to use Genie. The emails and motion graphics became a hit on social media platforms and generated a 25.9% increase in impressions, a 72.2% increase in reactions, and a 335.7% increase in comments.
Every piece down to the very last detail was created to make
Valley Heat feel like more than a campaign. I created it to feel like
a series ready for its premiere. The case may be closed, but Roman
and Dominic’s story is just getting started, take a look!
Get to know more about Genie!