We navigate through multiple train cars that travel through space and time representing the movement of immigrant communities. Each car represents a different layer, reality, and historical context of the immigration issue. The journey takes us through factories, sweatshops, workers picking fruit in fields, meatpackers and health facilities to end in a subway that represents the modern result of this flow of people: the creation of great cities like New York. When the immigrants arrive to the subway their eyes are covered, they are deprived from owning what they have fought for. They finally remove the bar from their eyes and unveil themselves from the shadows claiming their right to be seen. The migrant narrative is the narrative of human history.

The LA portion was shot in in April and the second part was shot at a New York museum in early May. The scale of the crew, talent and the need to relocate across the country demanded perfect coordination and the most efficient management of resources. The movie was released on a morning show on the 28th of June, less than a week before the 4th of July festivities. It was perfect timing because it was an important time to reflect on the values that make the United States what it is. The movie leveraged the connection to the smash-hit musical and the reach of talent to tap into audiences worldwide. As soon as it was released it started trending and sparked the conversation. It successfully provided a concrete bridge between past and present by highlighting the presence and contributions of immigrants today. We partnered with a youth association that brings classic poetry to the streets and street poetry into the classrooms. The idea is to engage youth in the works of literature as a way to express themselves artistically. A group of teenagers from the association are featured in the video.

Recognition in a number of festivals. The music video was covered in a number of media publications and was shared across all sorts of digital platforms. The most important achievements were the positive reactions from people who take pride on being an immigrant. In order to make this project as genuine as possible and tell this story from a place of truth, all the cast had some kind of immigrant experience. In between takes they all shared stories of how their relatives or themselves had become part of this country. It was truly magical and inspiring, bringing everyone together to make the outcome of this project much bigger than the sum of its parts.

The song “Immigrants,”, was the first from the album “Hamilton” to spur a music video. It is relevant for this category for being a brilliant exercise that combines powerful music, compelling performances, a great vision and the most advanced technical solutions to bring to life a narrative that is timely and important for our current society. It shows the power that music videos can have in the way we perceive ourselves and others. It uses images to write history and show an ongoing struggle.

As explained before, everyone involved in this video felt the responsibility to tell a story that was going to resonate with millions of immigrants worldwide. In order to make the most of the opportunity we relied on the most talented and committed professionals. The project represented a unique opportunity to reinvent the immigrant narrative in a climate of increasing tension around this subject matter. The strategy relied heavily on leveraging the heat of the moment to expand the reach and drive the conversation in an original and groundbreaking way. In the end, this project becomes an outcry for all of those that remain symbolically excluded from the US social imaginary even though their labor and sacrifice render them integral to the foundation and continuing survival of this nation.

The aim was to do a piece of content to shed light on the immigration subject using The Hamilton Mixtape. The director had a very original proposition and felt compelled to assume the responsibility of leading such a meaningful project. The objective was to approach the issue from the standpoint of globalization; and the underlying connection between us; and them;. In this piece, “the other” claims its voice and demands its right to have ownership in a society that he helped built with hard work and sacrifices. There are no victims, just hard workers that look to the audience into the eye. The music video goes through the immigrant’s struggles and ends on an uplifting note as we feel a sense of empowerment and victory, the immigrant’s determination is never ending, and it keeps the world moving.