Brian Hurley and Josh Thacker. They are not yet household names—but that in and of itself is what’s significant.
Last year, Hurley was a student at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He entered a spot concept into the inaugural Kangaroo Project in 2002, a competition sponsored by the nonprofit Sean Francis Foundation for mentoring promising creative and filmmaking talent via the production of worthwhile public service ad work. Though his entry for a motorcycle safety PSA didn’t win, the experience was valuable, as evidenced by this year’s Kangaroo Project, which solicited storyboards for a spot promoting organ donation.
Hurley—who recently embarked on his agency career, landing a presentation designer role at Martin/Williams Advertising, Minneapolis—won the Kangaroo Project this time around on the strength of "Beautiful People," which is centered on the human truth that people generally don’t like their driver’s license photos. This offbeat, entertainingly humorous means is deployed to underscore the fact that a Minnesota driver’s license can be more than an unflattering picture on a card. A donor designation can also grace the license, and the spot encourages people to think about and speak to their families about organ donation.
"Beautiful People" topped a field of high-caliber storyboards submitted to the Kangaroo Project. Similarly, the spot concept drew top-drawer directorial candidates who entered their treatments for consideration by Kangaroo judges.
Winning the directorial competition was another up-and-comer, Josh Thacker, an editor at Fischer Edit, Minneapolis. The selection of Thacker affirms that the Kangaroo Project is open to new directorial talent from all pockets of the industry—editors, agency creatives, crewmembers, etc., who harbor helming aspirations.
At press time, "Beautiful People" was being made. The project is employing a crew consisting of established professionals and Joeys—apprentices who are brought in so that they can learn about the business and gain on-the-job training and mentoring.
"Beautiful People" is slated to debut on Oct. 2 at the Minneapolis Advertising Federation’s awards show. But its exposure will extend well beyond catered industry affairs. A prime mandate of the Kangaroo Project is to secure meaningful airtime for its PSA work. Last year’s motorcycle safety spot—conceived by Mike Fetrow and Brian Tierney of Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis, and directed by Marco Baca of Wilson Griak, Minneapolis—aired in Minnesota markets and other states. The Minnesota Department of Safety pledged $150,000 worth of airtime to the PSA, which was placed in a transportation safety pool of commercials that other states can access.
For the second annual Kangaroo Project, the Fairview University Transplant Center, Minneapolis, has committed to secure airtime so that "Beautiful People" can be seen by TV/cable audiences. The Transplant Center views the spot as a cornerstone of a campaign that will help promote its Transplant Games, in which people who have undergone transplants, as well as organ donors from around the world, gather to compete in different athletic events. Held every two years in different global venues, the Transplant Games are next set for July ’04 in Minneapolis.
In just two years, the Kangaroo Project has grown from a competition with regional roots to one with national reach. Concept and directorial entries came from different parts of the country this year, leading organizers closer to realizing one of their own prime aspirations—to see the Kangaroo Project eventually become the Sundance Festival of the commercialmaking community, opening up opportunities for up-and-coming artisans to showcase their talent.
