With over 100 years experience in working with and for children, across 115 countries, Save the Children has witnessed, countless times, the importance of a single moment that can change the course of a child’s life. London-based independent advertising agency Don’t Panic brings this narrative to life, following the lives of three children as they progress, reconnect and arrive.
Screened across U.K. TV and social media, “Our Proudest Moments Are Theirs,” tells the story of three protagonists in moments of their own, all facilitated by Save the Children; a baby born in rural Liberia, a young Bangladeshi girl being reunited with her mother; and a nine year old boy going to school for the first time in a Syrian refugee camp.
The baby is born with the help of Save the Children trained midwife “Alice”; a story based in fact, inspired by the tale of Alice Sumo. Alice, “one of the world’s busiest midwives” who delivered her first baby in a street at gunpoint, in war-torn Liberia. Over the last 28 years, Alice has delivered over 1,000 babies named after her; a whole community, with ages ranging from 30 years to a few weeks old. Alice is portrayed by an actress who, like the real Alice, travels on a motorbike to a rural community to help Lucy through her labor. This story is framed by two others; Ali, a young refugee who attends school run by Save the Children for the first time in a Syrian camp and learns to write his name. And, Milli who is reunited with her mother in Bangladesh, as part of a Save the Children reunification program, after having been separated for a year.
George McCallum, creative director, Don’t Panic, said, “We want people to see Save the Children for what it is–a collaborator–offering tailored, compassionate and impactful support, regardless of where it might be needed. The organization doesn’t just ride in when disaster strikes. It is there for all the moments, big and small. For this campaign we focused on those moments; things that change the course of children’s lives.”
Marcus Söderlund via production house Academy directed this hero film. Söderlund said, “We used a naturalistic mise-en-scène to closely mirror the real world, while remaining true to the authentic emotions and the actual narratives in these real-life stories. I loved the freedom during this process and the opportunity to explore complex human emotions and social situations. Working closely with Don’t Panic and Save the Children was a great collaboration.”
CreditsClient Save The Children Agency Don’t Panic Ellie Moore, strategic partner; Anna Petrescu, strategist; Rick Dodds, creative partner; George McCallum, creative director; Katie Richardson, creative; Jennifer Clare Houlihan, executive producer; Ani Bosco, jr. producer. Production Company Academy Marcus Söderlund, director; Medb Riordan, joint managing director; Darapen Vongsa-Nga, exec producer; Kishan Patel, producer; Georgia McClure, production manager; Daniel Takacs, DP. Service Production Company Ginger Ink Guy Wilson, producer; Tina Kabuthu, production manager; Isaya Evans, 1st AD; Wanjiku Mbugua, art director; Valerie Mdeizi, makeup; Isaya Evans, casting director. Editorial Whitehouse Post Ben Canny, editor; Annabel Bennett, exec producer; Ella Sedgwick, producer; Steven Waltham, Thomas Sheriff, edit assistant. Postproduction Rascal Kalle Lundberg, executive creative director; John Thornton, 2D lead; Richard Mckeand, 2D; Max Williams, motion graphics; James Bamford, colorist; Matt Towell, exec producer; Stacia Akaba, producer; Ben Spalding, color producer; Maddy Lebel sound producer; James Beck, head of production; Neil Johnson, Izaak Buffin, sound designers. Music Rascal Music Lisa Nordstöm, score; Linus Hasselberg, Bangladesh and Liberia; Christian Olsson, Syria. Cast Navya Bhakhri, Pritul Raithatha, Aseem Sharma; Camelyne Imali, Lucy Sein, Stephanie Sein, Hussein Ibrahim, Sally Ashmauy.
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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