By ROBERT GOLDRICH
less nights at NAB last week; not because of the conference being in Las Vegas, the other city that doesn’t sleep. Nor was this lack of slumber brought on by my trying to make sense of the NAB deluge of technological innovations and their implications. Instead what left me bleary and teary-eyed was news of what happened in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20. Having spent most of that day on the convention floor and at evening press events, I wasn’t aware of the horrific events that had unfolded. Upon mindlessly flipping on the TV in my hotel room on late Tuesday night, I learned of the Columbine High School tragedy and like all of America felt devastated, angered and deeply saddened.
I thought about my kids, their friends and all the youngsters I’ve come to know as a den leader for the Cub Scouts. And by the time I returned to the office, I was at the tail end of a 72-hour stretch with minimal sleep. If well rested at the time of writing this column, I probably would have penned a manifesto on the need for gun control. But I subjected you to that nearly a year ago with an installment linked to the moving Cease Fire PSA, "Toy Gun," directed by HKM’s Graham Henman for BBDO New York.
This sleep-deprived column instead focuses on what I found amidst piles of mail and reels collected on my desk during NAB. It was a PSA conceived by a group of students at Audubon Middle School in Los Angeles, the result of a mentoring program developed by CBS Kids, The Ad Council and the Leadership Conference Education Fund (LCEF). I somehow found solace in this PSA, maybe because it involved, for a change, something good about what was going on in our public school system. Or maybe it was just because the PSA offered positive images of what school should be, replacing the nightmare scenes dancing through all our heads in recent days.
The PSA-directed by Scott Gillen through Cognito Films for DDB Needham, Los Angeles-centers on stereotypes expressed through voiceovers and then dispelled by live-action footage. For example, one utterance declares that "Black girls cannot dress," at which point we see a female, African-American high-fashion model. Another voiceover bemoans how "handicapped people take forever" as we watch a youngster with prosthetic legs run around a track.
The spot-which debuted this month during CBS’ Saturday morning children’s block-ends with that same runner reminding viewers to: "Open up your mind before you open up your mouth."
Another PSA-created by students at Emerson Middle School, L.A.-is currently in production. The idea behind the pilot program is to help students explore the subject of diversity through the creation of PSAs. The six-week CBS, LCEF and Ad Council curriculum aims to accomplish several key goals, including: To help youngsters examine and celebrate diversity by working with other students across racial, ethnic and ability/ disability lines; to interest students in the struggles and progress of the civil rights movement; to introduce kids to the spotmaking process; and to develop an in-school contest that encourages social skills needed for different groups of kids to work as a team toward a common goal.
I can’t help but think that such a program made a difference to those who participated, maybe even helping a troubled kid to connect with positive values in a meaningful way. And perhaps such an outlet could help a kid who might otherwise contemplate violence as a means of dealing with feelings of isolation, alienation and hatred. I’m not suggesting that this specific outreach effort would have prevented the tragedy in Colorado. But I believe that we as an industry can make a genuinely positive difference. I think that gets lost in the shuffle, particularly during times when the commercialmaking business is hurting. But it’s a fact that, for me, represents a viable cure for insomnia.
Director Jack Begert Joins Biscuit For His First Commercial Representation In U.S. & U.K.
Biscuit Filmworks has added filmmaker Jack Begert to its roster in the U.S. and U.K. This marks Begert’s first representation in advertising, building upon his acclaimed work in music video and film. He is best known for his striking aesthetic and surreal use of visual effects, displayed in his feature film debut Little Death, which won the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffman, Dominic Fike, and Talia Ryder, and was produced by Darren Aronofsky.
Miami-born and L.A.-based, the USC Film School graduate began his career in VFX and as an editor. Begert has worked with iconic musical artists including Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Flying Lotus, Childish Gambino, and Olivia Rodrigo, and has independently directed international campaigns for brands such as Apple, Converse, New Era, and Reebok.
Shawn Lacy, founding partner of Biscuit Filmworks, said of Begert, “We are such fans of his work--and of him as a creator, thinker, collaborator, and great guy.”
“My creative approach is often about trying to discover something unexpected in the filmmaking process,” said Begert. “Biscuit is a place where I can bring my own perspective to the work and still feel supported. That philosophy is clear from the talent they represent, and I’m excited to join their roster.”
“Jack’s work blew me away the moment I first saw it,” said Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director at Biscuit Filmworks UK. “He is a modern young director who clearly cares deeply about both craft and the necessity for it in his storytelling. Everything always pushes the narrative forward. We’re looking forward to making great work together.”
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