With Father’s Day on Sunday, American Family Insurance is releasing a digital long-form film that tells the story of a dad supporting his son’s dream in an unexpected way. Jamie Rafn of Smuggler directed this piece in which a dad buys his son a judo outfit and lessons so he can become stronger, build inner confidence, and defend himself if need be against bullying taunts of classmates. While the lad isn’t initially enthused over the prospects of judo, he begins to warm up to the training. The martial arts instruction serves its intended purpose, enabling the dad to buy another outfit more in line with a long-held dream of his son.
This online film is the latest entry in American Family Insurance’s ongoing “Insure carefully, dream fearlessly” campaign. By affording his son the proper protection, the father enables his boy to pursue something he might not have been able to easily realize otherwise.
Credits
Client American Family Insurance Agency BBDO New York David Lubars, chief creative officer, worldwide; Greg Hahn, chief creative officer, NY; Susan Golkin, Michael Aimette, executive creative directors; Eric Goldstein, sr. creative director; Lance Vining, Gary DuToit, creative directors; Becky Burkhard, sr. producer; Mike Ritchie, assistant producer; Rani Vaz, music producer. Production Smuggler Jamie Rafn, director; Drew Santarsiero, exec producer; Alex Waite, line producer; Andrij Parekh, DP. Editorial Cosmo Street Editorial Paul Hardcastle, editor; Nellie Phillips, assistant editor; Maura Woodward, exec producer; Anne Lai, producer. Postproduction MPC Mark Gethin, telecine artist; Adina Birnbaum, exec producer; Adrienne McNeary, producer; Jonathan McKee, Elijah Lamond, Leslie Chung, conform artists; Bindy St. Leger, producer. Graphic Design Suspect Rob Appelblatt VFX MPC Aleks Djordjevic, VFX supervisor; Vamsi Krisna Reddy, rotoscoping; Camila De Biaggi, exec producer; Bindy St. Leger, Aiste Akelaityte, producers. Music Beacon Street Studios Andrew Feltenstein, composer; Leslie DiLullo, producer. Audio Post Sonic Union Mike Marinelli, engineer; Justine Cortale, producer. Stock Footage/Video shot by Koji Yahagi; Mike Gentile, producer. Stock Music Universal/EVO (publisher) Stock track: “El Diablo Baby”
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
