We open on a family in a video arcade. Dad gives his son some change and the lad goes off to play to his heart’s content, as mom looks on.
The parents’ faces beam with pride as they watch their child get behind the steering wheel of a driving simulation machine. However the adults’ jaws drop when they hear four-letter words spew from the boy’s mouth as he goes on a demolition derby-like ride on the simulator. Instead of beep-beep, the sounds emanating from this kid are literally bleep-bleep.
“Get out of the way, jack [bleep],” screams the boy.
“Use your [bleep]-ing blinker,” he yells at another driver.
“You idiot, get out of the [bleep]-ing lane.”
The first reaction shot shows both mom and dad mortified. The second shows mom looking disapprovingly at her husband.
“Where did you [bleep]-ing learn to drive, lady? China?” declares the kid.
A voiceover observes, “Drive like a [bleep], and others will follow. Drive responsibly or don’t drive at all.”
This PSA sprung out of The Kangaroo Project, which is in its fourth year. Sponsored by the Minneapolis-headquartered, nonprofit Sean Francis Foundation to mentor promising creative and filmmaking talent via the production of a public service TV spot that’s guaranteed airtime, the Kangaroo Project chose this year to make a PSA that promotes safe and courteous driving.
Competitions were held to find not only the concept, with assorted creative teams submitting entries, but also a director for the project. The concept came from Thom Sandberg, a veteran graphic designer who’s a fixture in the Minnesota ad community, and Mark Wirt, a freelance copywriter in Minneapolis. Sandberg heads Minneapolis-based graphic design firm The Kenyon Consortium.
The winning director–based on a treatment he submitted for the project–was George Andrew (“Andy”) Basore. An aspiring helmer, Basore has been working as a production assistant in New York.
The spot has already aired locally in Minneapolis. And The Kangaroo Project is working with the National Auto Dealers Association as well as other motor vehicle-related organizations to secure more airtime.
Kirk Hokanson of Voodoo Films, Minneapolis, executive produced “Bleep,” with Julie Hartley serving as producer. The DP was Pat Hall. Hartley and Hokanson teamed with members of the Minnesota production community to form the Sean Francis Foundation several years ago.
Kevin James of Post Facto, Minneapolis, was offline editor. Steve Medine of Pixel Farm, Minneapolis, was online editor. Colorist was Dave Sweet of Pixel Farm. Graphics artist was John Shirts of Voodoo Films.
Audio post mixers were Ken Chastain of Pixel Music, Minneapolis, and Jefferson Fee of Wow & Flutter, Minneapolis.
Principal actors were Joe Lovitt, Wendy Hinz and Brent Braunschweig.
VCCP Hires Trio Of Creative Duos
Global communications network VCCP has brought three creative duos on board: Charli Camber (née Plant) and Laura Saraiva; Lance Boreham and Tom Dyson; and Jack Snell and Joe Lovett.
Associate creative directors Camber and Saraiva are a British-Portuguese duo known for creating entertaining, culturally influential, and emotionally resonant work. They are best known for “Waiting to Live,” a National Health Service (NHS) child organ donation campaign that placed 233 bespoke dolls representing children on the transplant waiting list in medical waiting rooms across the U.K. The campaign won over 50 awards, including three Cannes Lions, the Grand Prix at the Clios, ADC*E and Eurobest, as well as multiple D&AD Pencils.
Camber and Saraiva join VCCP after three years at VML, where they contributed to four agency pitch wins and worked across global brands including Batiste, Beko, and Duracell. They also helped launch the award-winning mentoring app Magpie and created “Check Me Out,” a provocative cervical cancer awareness campaign that gained traction on social media.
Boreham and Dyson join VCCP as a senior creative team. The duo first met on the renowned Watford ad course in 2014 and later reunited at isobel, where they delivered standout campaigns for Reed, Travelodge and Thortful. Their work has been recognized across the industry for its creativity and effectiveness.
Snell and Lovett also join VCCP as a senior creative team, marking a return to the agency where they spent the first seven years of their careers. During their initial tenure at VCCP, they played a pivotal role in launching major campaigns for Domino’s (“The Official Food of Everything”) and Virgin Media O2 (“Supercharge Your World”), as well as crafting... Read More