Now in its fourth year, the Kangaroo Project–which mentors promising creative and filmmaking talent via the production of a public service TV spot that’s guaranteed airtime–has a new wrinkle.
While full details on this year’s Kangaroo endeavor are reported on in a separate story (p. 7), the joey aspect of the program often gets lost in the shadow cast by the creative and directorial legs of the competition. But the fact is that once a concept is selected and a winning director is attached to the project, joeys represent an important part of what makes the Kangaroo Project so worthwhile.
Every year, Kangaroo organizers assemble an ensemble of apprentices, called joeys, who are interested in learning about the business and gaining on-the-job training and mentoring. This year, there will be 30 professional crewmembers and approximately 30 joeys to learn from them.
The new element is the start of what Kangaroo folk hope will be another tradition. Established producer Jodi Nelson will produce the 2005 Kangaroo public service spot. But she will be grooming a joey who, if all goes well, will produce next year’s Kangaroo Project PSA. And that fledgling producer will in turn mentor another joey, who will take the Kangaroo producing reins the year after that and so on.
“We feel that passing on the producer’s torch from year to year is very much in the spirit of what the Kangaroo Project is about,” related Julie Hartley, a veteran producer and production manager, who teamed with several members of the Minnesota production community to form the Sean Francis Foundation, named after her 20-year-old son who died in a motorcycle accident in 2000. From the Sean Francis Foundation sprung the Kangaroo Project.
Francis was a production assistant and an aspiring producer. But with Francis’ life cut short, the Kangaroo Project was launched to make an ongoing positive filmmaking contribution in his memory through nurturing and opening up new creative opportunities for deserving creatives, aspiring directors and crewmembers–in some cases, helping them to start their careers.
The Kangaroo moniker grew out of the fact that the animal nurtures its baby in her pouch. The apprenticeships parallel this in that experienced crewmembers help joeys take a hop forward in their chosen profession. The Kangaroo designation was also chosen because Francis was born in Australia.
The aforementioned passing of the producer’s role from a professional to a joey has some Kangaroo precedence–but not from one year to the next. Hartley produced the inaugural Kangaroo PSA in ’02. That same year, working under her was a joey, Nicole Erdman, who went on to produce the Kangaroo spot in ’04.
The Kangaroo Project PSAs over the years have tackled such issues as the HIV/AIDS youth epidemic, live-saving organ donation, and motorcycle safety. This year the competition will result in a PSA that promotes safe and courteous driving. The Kangaroo Project, which has the backing of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, has secured the support of the National Auto Dealers Association, which is committed to gaining airtime for the winning public service spot in ’05.
Indeed that’s the multi-pronged purpose of the Kangaroo Project–to raise consciousness about a social issue while grooming, and gaining exposure for, new spotmaking talent.
