The honor recognizes a remarkable merger of technology and creativity by McLeod that uses immersive storytelling to bring to life the story of Hanna Stern, a young Jewish girl rescued by Žanis Lipke, a Latvian dockworker during the Holocaust.
Žanis’ Story: Hidden No More combines hand-drawn visuals, 3D scans, immersive audio and authentic music to transport audiences into Hanna’s story. The experience is narrated through the voice and perspective of Hanna’s daughter, Ilana Avimor, drawing on letters and testimonies gathered by McLeod to create an intimate portrait of one family’s survival and extraordinary courage.
“This project has been a labor of love for Cory and an incredible example of what can happen when creative ambition, technology and a powerful story come together,” said Kevin DiLorenzo, CEO of Rise and Shine and Partners. “What makes Hidden No More so meaningful is that through VR, people come to know Hanna, Žanis and history in a way that is immediate, emotional and unforgettable.”
For McLeod, the Ad Age honor marks another significant milestone in a body of work centered on using emerging technology to tell deeply human stories. This latest recognition follows three Gold ADDY Awards earned by the project earlier this summer in the categories of Virtual Reality, Out-of-Home & Ambient Media, and Digital Creative Technology.
Since its debut in 2025, Žanis’ Story: Hidden No More has also reached an international audience. The experience is permanently installed at museums in Latvia and Berlin, helping preserve this important story for audiences around the world. McLeod recently presented the experience alongside Dr. Raivis Sīmansons, curator at the Žanis Lipke Memorial, at MuseumNext’s Digital Exhibitions Summit 2026.
“Technology gives us incredible ways to experience the past, but the goal was never to create technology for technology’s sake,” McLeod said. “The goal was to make Hanna’s story feel present and to give people a way to step into a moment in history and connect with the people who lived it.”
Visit link to watch an overview on Žanis’ Story: Hidden No More.
