Emmy Winner Jane Lynch, STORY Filming Tourism Campaign Throughout Illinois This Week

An award-winning campaign picks up right where it left off, highlighting everything the State of Illinois has to offer… and the team’s Emmy-winning star is back as well. Illinois native Jane Lynch, who won a Primetime Emmy for her turn as “Sue Sylvester” in the musical comedy series Glee, is back in the director’s chair, alongside production company STORY, to film a new edition of the “Illinois: The Middle of Everything” campaign. Filming is expected to continue for the next week, wrapping up around Wednesday, May 17th, at destinations throughout the state.

A Look Back at the Award-Winning 2022 Campaign

Last year, the “Illinois: The Middle of Everything” campaign for the Illinois Office of Tourism received two U.S. Travel Association Mercury Awards at the 2022 ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Mercury Awards recognize all U.S. tourism offices for excellence and creative accomplishment in destination marketing and promotion.

“Illinois: The Middle of Everything” starred Illinois native, actor and first-time director, Jane Lynch, and won the award for Best Public Relations Campaign. The campaign launched in April 2022 at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and generated significant regional and national attention and interest in Illinois destinations, including widespread media coverage and traffic to the Enjoy Illinois website.

And please take a moment to enjoy the series of spots right here…

Click here to enjoy SCREEN’s coverage of last year’s filming of “The Middle of Everything” and our exclusive interview with STORY Executive Producer Mark Androw, whose team helped bring the campaign to life.

And here is one more piece from the 2022 campaign for you to enjoy…

The Illinois Office of Tourism shared the 2022 Mercury Award honors with its Public Relations Agency of Record TimeZoneOne, a global creative communications agency and its Creative Agency of Record, O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul (OKRP), a Chicago advertising agency.

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