My Role: Producer and Marketing Strategist
A Hamilton Parody*
Ask any prospective student on the prowl for a medical school to call home and they will tell you: Showing music videos is the thing during Revisit Weekend. In fact, it’s become somewhat of a tradition for medical schools, helping them highlight their best assets on- and off-campus; a tradition that the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) had never followed. Shortly following the Class of 2020’s White Coat Ceremony, the Department of Medical Education collaborated with the class, to create the School’s first music video. After much deliberation, we decided to feature a medley of songs taken from the Broadway musical, Hamilton—a decision we came to for a number of reasons.
Taking on this project came at the height of Hamilton’s soaring popularity: it had been a mainstay in New York City for over a year, was on its way to expand to Chicago, and had made national headlines in the New York Times when the cast went off-script to address social concerns to a special audience member—then, Vice-President Elect, Mike Pence. In addition, the musical’s themes of diversity, inclusion, and defying all odds resonated with us and our mission statement as we strive to make sure our students become patient-centered activists and advocates. (Not to mention the seven-count syllabic parallel that “Icahn School of Medicine” has with “Alexander Hamilton.”)
After informing the legal and health system marketing teams of our venture, we immediately went to work on this project. We split into teams, made of students and staff that led the creative, choreography, musical arrangement, and production aspects. We identified a series of songs to parody, and subsequently sought music licenses—hitting our first roadblock: our calls, emails, and pleas were either unanswered or unmet. Fortunately, there are many ‘YouTubers’ who create their own original Hamilton-styled tracks, to whom we reached out, and successfully received permissions to their tracks.
When tackling the plot, storyboard, and subsequent lyrics, we had one main objective:
Focus on Icahn Mount Sinai's unique features.
In the style of the songs “Alexander Hamilton,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” and “My Shot,” we highlighted aspects of our mission (“At Sinai we fight for health equality; medicine centered in humanity.”); our NYC location (“Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be at Sinai now: Education's happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be at the greatest med school in the world.”); our relaxed atmosphere (“We take exams in PJs, in bed, in a Snuggie. It's pass fail—so clutch, ain't even funny.”); and even the free mugs and coffee ("There's nothing med students love more, than blue mugs with free coffee as we hit the twelfth floor.”)
The storyline follows a medical school applicant who is deciding between schools. Upon visiting the Icahn School of Medicine, current students belt out (and at times, rap) the reasons why ISMMS is the “greatest med school in the world.”
When the School’s Dean of Admissions gives the applicant a ‘golden ticket’ (symbolizing an ISMMS acceptance letter), he decides that he will ‘not throw away his spot.’ At the end, he chooses the best medical school for him, and is coated with an Icahn Mount Sinai white coat.
The Hamilton parody video was shot in nine locations in one 10-hour day, and made a huge organic and social impact: within the first three days of being posted, the video garnered over 55,000 views across the School’s YouTube and Facebook accounts. The video was shared by social media influencers, like the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Dr. Zubin Damania (best-known by his pseudonym “ZDoggMD”) on their respective Facebook and Twitter accounts (whose platforms at the time scaled 80,000 followers combined).
The video was well-received by leaders of the Mount Sinai Health System, including the School’s dean and health systems’ president. The team was even later invited by the School’s dean to present the video and its backstory to the Mount Sinai Health System Boards of Trustees during their annual meeting.
Beginning in September 2017, we incorporated the video into our marketing collateral for Interview Day, and showed it to over 1,000 applicants throughout the current academic year. On the digital front, within the first month, on Facebook the video has 51,384 views; 619 engagement counts, and 307 shares; on YouTube, the video has nearly 17,000 views and over 250 likes.
As a result of this project, the Class of 2020 has connected with each other and the administrative staff in ways that are beyond words. Together, we accomplished a project that showcases our collaborative community, of which we are increasingly proud of every day.
A Hamilton Parody received Honorable Mention for the 2017 GIA Awards for Excellence.
It was reviewed by marketing professionals across the country.
Here's what they had to say:
"Outstanding! Unbelievable that you were able to accomplish this all in one 10-hour day. Smart move to use YouTube as a resource for the tracks. Some very talented medical students!"
"Wow. AWESOME job! This is so innovative, especially because it uses a cultural sensation to its advantage and speaks to the audience exactly as it should—from the perspective of those who are living and experiencing the school. It's not relying on a bunch of talking heads telling potential students about the advantages of attending the school—instead, the actual student experience is authentically communicated in a VERY entertaining way."
"Great idea, very well executed, impressive and fantastic. Great job."
Me accepting the GIA Award for Excellence at the Award Ceremony.
In Partnership with the Creative Collective:
Charles Sanky, Jordan Francke, Jordyn Feingold, and Catharine Kappauf
Videography: Chuy Guttierez of BosLabs and Robert Caplin
Director of Photography: Robert Caplin