We knew the campaign needed to be well, hot. Logo Network is the leading progressive media channel for the gay community. And Levi’s is one of America’s most legendary brands.

We initially flashed to really attractive young gay kids in jeans. And then we talked about “honesty” and “authenticity.” Which are often tossed around as a device or hook. If it’s used as a technique though, it fails. Fake hotties playing fake characters telling fake stories. Lame. We wanted real.

We opted to find our narratives. Not manufacture them. We identified people who naturally embodied the Levi’s/Logo brand portraits. Not those who could act it. To get truly unbuttoned and real, we knew the assignment required partial nudity, whispered secrets and deep character investigations. We threw ourselves into the fray.

We didn’t cast. We speed dated real people—a lot of people: waiters, lawyers, teachers, police officers, musicians, soldiers, and athletes. We laughed, we cried, we told them to take their clothes off. It was tough, but we learned a great deal about the story we wanted to tell in the process.