By Robert Goldrich

LOS ANGELES --

Sandy Hook Promise’s “Back-to-School Essentials”–directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of SMUGGLER for BBDO New York–won the primetime commercial Emmy on Saturday (9/19), the fifth and concluding night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

The public service piece starts off as a familiar back-to-school ad but slowly unfolds to highlight students using everyday back-to-school items to survive an outbreak of gun violence, shedding light on the gruesome reality that youngsters face in the reality of classroom and campus shootings. 

The second time proved to be the charm for Sandy Hook Promise which had been nominated two consecutive years for the primetime commercial Emmy. While Sandy Hook Promise’s “Point of View” PSA fell short last year–with the win going to Nike’s “Dream Crazy”–this time around “Back-to-School Essentials” took the Emmy, topping a field which consisted of: Amazon’s “Before Alexa,” directed by Steve Rogers via Somesuch x Revolver for Droga5 London; Apple AirPods’ “Bounce,” directed by Oscar Hudson of Pulse Films for TBWAMedia Arts Lab; Jeep’s “Groundhog Day,” helmed by Jim Jenkins of O Positive for Highdive Advertising; and Procter & Gamble’s “The Look, directed by Anthony Mandler via Stink Films (he has since moved over to production house Arts & Sciences) for agency Saturday Morning.

“Back-to-School Essentials” was lensed by DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw and cut by Jason Macdonald of NO6 Edit. Music house was JSM Music with audio post and sound design from Heard City.

“We are honored and humbled that the Academy chose to recognize ‘Back-to-School Essentials’ for Outstanding Commercial. As a nonprofit organization, our mission is to end school shootings and prevent violence that harms children. The only way that can happen is if parents understand the real fears our kids have, and take action, including learning the warning signs of potential violence and speaking up,” said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan who was killed in the Sandy Hook tragedy. “We are grateful to our creative partners, BBDO New York and Smuggler Productions, for helping us develop innovative ways to reach as many people as possible with this life-saving message–and to our media partners for the donated airtime that brings the PSA into millions of homes nationwide.”

The Emmy win adds to BBDO’s rich history with the Television Academy. It’s the fourth commercial Emmy bestowed upon BBDO NY. BBDO won the very first primetime commercial Emmy in 1997 for HBO’s “Chimps.” The agency won again for FedEx’s “Stick in 2006. And in 2018, BBDO NY garnered the Emmy for Procter & Gamble’s “The Talk.” (BBDO also won an Emmy in the Image category for HBO’s “Foreman” in 1991.) Over the years BBDO NY has received 18 primetime commercial Emmy Award nominations.

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