To support Black Americans who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, the Ad Council, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDC Foundation, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are launching a national campaign, “You Will See Me,” to inspire and empower Black Americans to wear face masks to help stop the spread of the virus. Created by 3AM, a division of Los Angeles-based Wild Card creative agency, this integrated platform features prominent Black celebrities sharing their stories to encourage everyone to see the real person behind their face mask.
Data shows Black Americans are affected by COVID-19 at higher rates due to systemic healthcare, economic, and social inequalities. Across the U.S., Black and Latino residents are three times as likely to be infected as their white neighbors, according to new CDC data which provides detailed characteristics of 640,000 infections detected in nearly 1,000 U.S. counties. Additionally, recent CDC data shows that Black and Latino people are nearly two times more likely to die from the virus as white people.
Public service spots in the campaign–including this “You Will See Me” anthem PSA directed by Bille Woodruff and Danny Yirgou via Happy Place–will be available for broadcast and digital media. Celebrities inspiring others to wear face masks in the campaign include Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis, Olympian champion Simone Biles, The Roots members Questlove and Black Thought, sports TV personality Stephen A. Smith, TV personality Lala Anthony, gospel singer Kirk Franklin, hip hop artist Lecrae, actor Al Shearer, actor Marcus Scribner, actor Deon Cole, and former NY Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz.
“When the Ad Council asked us to partner with them and the CDC on a face mask campaign, we immediately understood the importance of this effort. Not just to stop the spread of the coronavirus within the Black community but to also encourage all Americans to see us as the people we are behind the mask,” said Tara DeVeaux, EVP and chief marketing officer of Wild Card creative agency. “‘You Will See Me’ shows we are actors, athletes, comedians, musicians but also mothers, fathers, siblings and champions for our community. We hope both messages have an impact through this campaign. That wearing a mask and seeing the person behind the mask will save lives.”
Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council, said, “‘You Will See Me’ is a message of inspiration and motivation to keep up the fight against the coronavirus. We know that face masks are the single most effective way we can protect others from the virus. This is a powerful and critical platform for the Black community and we’re so grateful to the team at Wild Card for creating it.”
CreditsClient Ad Council, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Agency Wild Card | 3AM Tara DeVeaux, EVP, chief marketing officer; Evan DeHaven, executive creative director; Molly Douglas, creative director/writer; Amber Wade, producer; Wilson Saloj, designer; Shawn Shahani, director of insights; Fredrick Brown, sr. strategist; Victoria Carter, marketing coordinator; Tracey Smith, casting director; Ada Lovecraft, Grace Mekarski, web developers; Louie Lorenzo, VP of client services; Pablo Herrero, producer; Katie Spritz, associate producer; Chris Bohr, Andrew Vann, Luke Porst, Charlie Butterworth, Emily Pietrocario, editors; Jeremy Fisher, creative director graphics; Cameron Starke, TJ Lowe, graphics; Stephanie Koury, music director; Lana Bui, music supervisor; Teoderico Berberabe, music coordinator; Joshua Strauss, operations manager; Scott Sprague, postproduction manager; Jack Ritten, Pablo Lara, Amruta Patil, assistant editors. Production Happy Place, Inc. Bille Woodruff, Danny Yirgou, directors; Adam Coleman, Peter Mosiman, DPs; Tara Razavi, founder & creative producer; Gina Naranjo, line producer; Sarahi Salazar, production coordinator; Allison Acevedo, producer; Tony Stackhouse, post producer; Brandon Moody, postproduction coordinator. Finishing New Wave Entertainment Shawn Stoner, post supervisor/online editor; Deloren Hickles, rerecording mixer; Sam Dlugach, Ed Twiford, colorists; Ed Molina, compositor.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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