Elton John: The Cut

Insight

Throughout his career, Elton John has championed emerging talent, using his own success as a platform for the next generation.

2017 marked the 50th anniversary of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s songwriting partnership, but some of their most iconic songs had originally been released without official music videos.

Idea

Elton John: The Cut gave undiscovered filmmakers from across the world the chance to bring their creative vision to three of his classic hits.

In partnership with YouTube and Pulse Films, Elton John reached an online audience of young creative talent and invited them to enter their ideas via a campaign microsite.

A panel of YouTube creators and celebrated industry judges chose the winners, who would see their ideas realised with support from Pulse Films and a full production budget.

Impact

The campaign received entries from over 50 countries around the world, and was covered by a variety of international digital, print and TV media.

The Today Show in the US even created their own music video to raise awareness.

More than half of the entries were from 18 to 34-year-olds, while the music and campaign videos have attracted over 14 millions views and counting.