Cold Call Your Crush
Cold Call Your Crush is a cinematic Valentine’s Day short film that follows a young man building up the courage to call someone he just met. Set within the intimacy of his bedroom, the tension builds as he wrestles with fear, vulnerability, and anticipation. When he finally makes the call, his heartfelt confession is interrupted by the realization that he’s dialed the wrong number, a pizza shop. Instead of retreating in embarrassment, he laughs, orders a pizza, and accepts the moment for what it is: growth.
Grounded in Fades’ ethos, “Experience is Wealth,” the film reframes rejection as progress.
Ultimately, the film captures a universal moment: the fear of reaching out, and the quiet confidence that comes from trying anyway.
Inspiration
Early in my career, I worked as a Sales Development Representative, cold-calling over 100 people a day. It required more courage than most would assume. At some point, I began to wonder: what if I applied that same persistence to something I actually cared about? And further, what if you did the same?
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I wanted to create a special piece for the brand that captured an experience we can all relate to, the nerve of picking up the phone (or however you choose to do it) and telling someone how you feel. The hesitation. The risk. The vulnerability. The dial tone before the leap.
Process
As this was my first visual campaign, the planning was very ad hoc. I had a shot list, a script, and an aesthetic that I documented very informally, but I communicated the key details to the talent and videographer. Using my apartment as the set eliminated the need for outreach and helped keep the budget low.
Brand Integration
Not having product from the Valentine's Day release was a challenge, and brand integration primarily came from, once again, the ethos of Fades: in that experience, wealth is in the experience itself. I wanted to encapsulate an experience that many can relate to: sharing your feelings for someone can be a challenge, but we have all worked up to doing it…or even not doing it. Additionally, I tend to rely on comedic relief in my visual campaigns as the climax. The brand relies heavily on satire and comedy. It was great to map out the brand identity for integration vs just using the product to sell. All marketing materials were supported by a social media post. Each order from this collection also came with custom Fades candy hearts.
