Columbia's Directors of Toughness
After launching the “Tested Tough” campaign, we wanted to more ways to tell the story, to get the gear out into the world. There was no brief or client request, so proactively we pitched the idea to create a new position within Columbia Sportswear: a Director of Toughness.
The job required serious mental and physical toughness, and the desire to travel the world testing gear for a year. We kicked off the search with an Outside Magazine cover, the news quickly spread to blogs all over the world, and thousands applied for this “dream job.” We invited a select few to interview—but we knew a standard interview wouldn’t suffice, so we filmed them conquering unexpected challenges mid-interview for social content. Whether it was climbing a mountain, kayaking across the East River in New York, or scaling cliffs on the Isle of Skye, we had to make sure they were tough enough for Gert Boyle.
I was the Executive Creative Director for Columbia’s Directors of Toughness.
Faith Briggs and Mark Chase and currently somewhere in the world testing gear for Columbia.