DMC
WORK
Behind the Scenes
Putting the people behind Cadillac’s vehicles in the spotlight.
New vehicles are often announced long before they reach dealerships. Behind the Scenes kept prospective customers engaged during that wait by introducing them to the designers, engineers, and makers bringing each vehicle to life.
As Associate Creative Director, I helped establish the original idea and guided its evolution across Cadillac’s portfolio—partnering with art directors, writers, designers, strategists, and production teams to give every vehicle its own expression within one connected platform.
Client
CADILLAC
Agency
MRM DETROIT
Role
Associate Creative Director
Scope
CRM · VIDEO · CONTENT · DIGITAL
Recognition
EFFIE FINALIST
Year
2018 - 2022
Challenge
The long road from announcement to availability gave prospective customers plenty of time to lose interest. Cadillac needed to sustain their excitement—and give them a reason to keep following the story.
Concept
Behind the Scenes focused on the people, not just the vehicles. Exclusive stories from Cadillac’s designers and engineers gave subscribers an inside perspective they couldn’t find elsewhere.
Delivered through a connected series of emails, videos, and digital experiences, each campaign moved audiences from early curiosity toward consideration, reservation, and purchase.
XT4
The platform began with XT4 and a personal challenge to one of GM’s youngest design teams: create the crossover they would want to drive themselves.
A dedicated video and photography shoot placed those designers at the center of the launch. Their stories and portraits became the foundation for a series of films, emails, and digital experiences—establishing the human approach that would shape the campaigns to come.
CT4: Captivating Energy
CT4’s campaign captured the energy of the young designers who brought it to life. Mirrors, vivid color, and dynamic lighting created an editorial visual language that reflected the vehicle’s youthful personality while giving Cadillac enthusiasts a closer look at its defining features.
CT5: Minds & Machines
Without access to the vehicle during production, we placed CT5’s designers and engineers at the center of the story. Graphic portraiture, colored lighting, and first-person interviews transformed a production limitation into a distinctive campaign—celebrating the minds behind the machine while building anticipation for the vehicle itself.
Escalade: The Makers Series
For Escalade, Behind the Scenes evolved into a six-part Makers Series featuring the designers, engineers, and innovators responsible for the vehicle. Exclusive interviews, cinematic photography, handwritten quotations, and personalized content gave prospective customers a closer look at both its makers and its possibilities.
To complement Escalade’s Academy Awards reveal, a robotic camera typically used to film celebrities gave the team its own red-carpet moment. The footage extended throughout the CRM journey, while the handwritten treatment resonated strongly enough to become part of Cadillac’s broader brand guidelines.
Proof of Performance
Early campaigns for Escalade, CT4, and CT5 demonstrated that maker-led storytelling could sustain interest and outperform established CRM benchmarks.
V-Series Blackwing: The Pit Crew
For V-Series Blackwing, the platform entered the world of performance. Racing champion Felipe Nasr introduced subscribers to the design and engineering “pit crew” behind CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing. Sports-inspired portraiture and expert interviews made the people—and the engineering behind the vehicles—as compelling as the performance itself.
Lyriq: Creator Series
Lyriq marked a new chapter for Cadillac and for Behind the Scenes. The Creator Series followed the designers and engineers developing Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV. First-person stories and luminous portraiture revealed the thinking behind the vehicle, while a custom lighting effect inspired by the Northern Lights connected its creators to Lyriq’s distinctive design.
From a Campaign to a Platform
What began with one vehicle became a repeatable CRM platform—evolving across audiences, launches, and creative teams without losing its human center.
Years of testing and refinement ultimately led to an Effie-finalist campaign bringing together work for V-Series Blackwing, Escalade, and Lyriq.
Three vehicles. One connected approach.
The case film captures how Behind the Scenes used insider access, human expertise, and personalized storytelling to sustain consideration and move prospective customers closer to purchase.
Next Project:
Cadillac In XT6 Seconds
Let’s Connect
darren_cutlip@icloud.com
Resume
©2026 Darren Cutlip. All rights reserved.
DMC
Based in Chicago
WORK
Behind the Scenes
Putting the people behind Cadillac’s vehicles in the spotlight.
New vehicles are often announced long before they reach dealerships. Behind the Scenes kept prospective customers engaged during that wait by introducing them to the designers, engineers, and makers bringing each vehicle to life.
As Associate Creative Director, I helped establish the original idea and guided its evolution across Cadillac’s portfolio—partnering with art directors, writers, designers, strategists, and production teams to give every vehicle its own expression within one connected platform.
Client
CADILLAC
Agency
MRM DETROIT
Role
Associate Creative Director
Scope
WEB · SOCIAL ·
CAMPAIGN HUB
Recognition
EFFIE FINALIST
Year
2018 - 2022
Challenge
The long road from announcement to availability gave prospective customers plenty of time to lose interest. Cadillac needed to sustain their excitement—and give them a reason to keep following the story.
Concept
Behind the Scenes focused on the people, not just the vehicles. Exclusive stories from Cadillac’s designers and engineers gave subscribers an inside perspective they couldn’t find elsewhere.
Delivered through a connected series of emails, videos, and digital experiences, each campaign moved audiences from early curiosity toward consideration, reservation, and purchase.
XT4
The platform began with XT4 and a personal challenge to one of GM’s youngest design teams: create the crossover they would want to drive themselves.
A dedicated video and photography shoot placed those designers at the center of the launch. Their stories and portraits became the foundation for a series of films, emails, and digital experiences—establishing the human approach that would shape the campaigns to come.
CT4: Captivating Energy
CT4’s campaign captured the energy of the young designers who brought it to life. Mirrors, vivid color, and dynamic lighting created an editorial visual language that reflected the vehicle’s youthful personality while giving Cadillac enthusiasts a closer look at its defining features.
CT5: Minds & Machines
Without access to the vehicle during production, we placed CT5’s designers and engineers at the center of the story. Graphic portraiture, colored lighting, and first-person interviews transformed a production limitation into a distinctive campaign—celebrating the minds behind the machine while building anticipation for the vehicle itself.
Escalade: The Makers Series
For Escalade, Behind the Scenes evolved into a six-part Makers Series featuring the designers, engineers, and innovators responsible for the vehicle. Exclusive interviews, cinematic photography, handwritten quotations, and personalized content gave prospective customers a closer look at both its makers and its possibilities.
To complement Escalade’s Academy Awards reveal, a robotic camera typically used to film celebrities gave the team its own red-carpet moment. The footage extended throughout the CRM journey, while the handwritten treatment resonated strongly enough to become part of Cadillac’s broader brand guidelines.
Proof of Performance
Early campaigns for Escalade, CT4, and CT5 demonstrated that maker-led storytelling could sustain interest and outperform established CRM benchmarks.
V-Series Blackwing: The Pit Crew
For V-Series Blackwing, the platform entered the world of performance. Racing champion Felipe Nasr introduced subscribers to the design and engineering “pit crew” behind CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing. Sports-inspired portraiture and expert interviews made the people—and the engineering behind the vehicles—as compelling as the performance itself.
Lyriq: Creator Series
Lyriq marked a new chapter for Cadillac and for Behind the Scenes. The Creator Series followed the designers and engineers developing Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV. First-person stories and luminous portraiture revealed the thinking behind the vehicle, while a custom lighting effect inspired by the Northern Lights connected its creators to Lyriq’s distinctive design.
From a Campaign to a Platform
What began with one vehicle became a repeatable CRM platform—evolving across audiences, launches, and creative teams without losing its human center.
Years of testing and refinement ultimately led to an Effie-finalist campaign bringing together work for V-Series Blackwing, Escalade, and Lyriq.
Three vehicles. One connected approach.
The case film captures how Behind the Scenes used insider access, human expertise, and personalized storytelling to sustain consideration and move prospective customers closer to purchase.
Next Project: Cadillac In XT6 Seconds
Let’s Connect
©2026 Darren Cutlip. All rights reserved.
darren_cutlip@icloud.com
Resume
DMC
Based in Chicago
WORK
Behind the Scenes
Putting the people behind Cadillac’s vehicles in the spotlight.
New vehicles are often announced long before they reach dealerships. Behind the Scenes kept prospective customers engaged during that wait by introducing them to the designers, engineers, and makers bringing each vehicle to life.
As Associate Creative Director, I helped establish the original idea and guided its evolution across Cadillac’s portfolio—partnering with art directors, writers, designers, strategists, and production teams to give every vehicle its own expression within one connected platform.
Client
CADILLAC
Agency
MRM DETROIT
Role
Associate Creative Director
Scope
CRM · VIDEO · CONTENT · DIGITAL
Recognition
EFFIE FINALIST
Year
2018 - 2022
Challenge
The long road from announcement to availability gave prospective customers plenty of time to lose interest. Cadillac needed to sustain their excitement—and give them a reason to keep following the story.
Concept
Behind the Scenes focused on the people, not just the vehicles. Exclusive stories from Cadillac’s designers and engineers gave subscribers an inside perspective they couldn’t find elsewhere.
Delivered through a connected series of emails, videos, and digital experiences, each campaign moved audiences from early curiosity toward consideration, reservation, and purchase.
XT4
The platform began with XT4 and a personal challenge to one of GM’s youngest design teams: create the crossover they would want to drive themselves.
A dedicated video and photography shoot placed those designers at the center of the launch. Their stories and portraits became the foundation for a series of films, emails, and digital experiences—establishing the human approach that would shape the campaigns to come.
CT4: Captivating Energy
CT4’s campaign captured the energy of the young designers who brought it to life. Mirrors, vivid color, and dynamic lighting created an editorial visual language that reflected the vehicle’s youthful personality while giving Cadillac enthusiasts a closer look at its defining features.
CT5: Minds & Machines
Without access to the vehicle during production, we placed CT5’s designers and engineers at the center of the story. Graphic portraiture, colored lighting, and first-person interviews transformed a production limitation into a distinctive campaign—celebrating the minds behind the machine while building anticipation for the vehicle itself.
Escalade: The Makers Series
For Escalade, Behind the Scenes evolved into a six-part Makers Series featuring the designers, engineers, and innovators responsible for the vehicle. Exclusive interviews, cinematic photography, handwritten quotations, and personalized content gave prospective customers a closer look at both its makers and its possibilities.
To complement Escalade’s Academy Awards reveal, a robotic camera typically used to film celebrities gave the team its own red-carpet moment. The footage extended throughout the CRM journey, while the handwritten treatment resonated strongly enough to become part of Cadillac’s broader brand guidelines.
Proof of Performance
Early campaigns for Escalade, CT4, and CT5 demonstrated that maker-led storytelling could sustain interest and outperform established CRM benchmarks.
V-Series Blackwing: The Pit Crew
For V-Series Blackwing, the platform entered the world of performance. Racing champion Felipe Nasr introduced subscribers to the design and engineering “pit crew” behind CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing. Sports-inspired portraiture and expert interviews made the people—and the engineering behind the vehicles—as compelling as the performance itself.
Lyriq: Creator Series
Lyriq marked a new chapter for Cadillac and for Behind the Scenes. The Creator Series followed the designers and engineers developing Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV. First-person stories and luminous portraiture revealed the thinking behind the vehicle, while a custom lighting effect inspired by the Northern Lights connected its creators to Lyriq’s distinctive design.
From a Campaign to a Platform
What began with one vehicle became a repeatable CRM platform—evolving across audiences, launches, and creative teams without losing its human center.
Years of testing and refinement ultimately led to an Effie-finalist campaign bringing together work for V-Series Blackwing, Escalade, and Lyriq.
Three vehicles. One connected approach.
The case film captures how Behind the Scenes used insider access, human expertise, and personalized storytelling to sustain consideration and move prospective customers closer to purchase.
Let’s Connect
©2026 Darren Cutlip. All rights reserved.
darren_cutlip@icloud.com
Resume