The latest installment of the national “Seize the Awkward” campaign from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The Jed Foundation in collaboration with the Ad Council includes this “We Can Talk About It” PSA designed to inspire young adults (16-24) to start conversations around mental health with friends.
The public service work, including this :60, recognize the need for culturally relevant content and resources for Black and Hispanic/Latine young adults. Developed pro bono by agency Droga5, the PSAs reflect the lived experiences of a diverse range of young people. Inspired by the insight that young people are surrounded by harmful messages around mental health, “We Can Talk About It” encourages them to break through the stigma and reach out to friends who may be struggling. The campaign aims to equip all young adults with accessible and relatable information to help talk about mental health with friends and directs audiences to SeizeTheAwkward.org for more resources.
Haya Waseem of production company Object & Animal directed the public service fare.
“For the last five years, Droga5 has been leading the creative development of the Seize the Awkward campaign. This time we focused on Black and Hispanic/Latine youth who often face even more pressure when it comes to mental health,” said Kevin Brady, executive creative director, Droga5. “Our film took a frank look at how the pressures of racism, masculinity and toxic positivity can affect mental health and let all youth know that the first step is reaching out to a friend to talk about how they’re feeling.”
CreditsClient Ad Council, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation Agency Droga5 Scott Bell, co-chief creative officer; Kevin Brady, executive creative director; Nate Scott, executive design director; Pepe Funegra, creative director; Joseph Russomano, sr. art director; Temnete Sebhatu, sr. copywriter; Sally-Ann Dale, chief creation officer; Ruben Mercadal, Jesse Brihn, co-heads of film and content production; Jeremy Fox, executive producer; Charlotte Stirrup, Patrick Wood, sr. producers, film; Mike Ladman, sr. music supervisor; Mara Techam, jr. music supervisor; Shannon Choi, jr. designer; Graham Jones, strategy director; Molly Klein, sr. communications strategist; Sam Williams, jr. communications strategist. Production Object & Animal Haya Waseem, director; Christopher Lew, DP; Justin Benoliel, exec producer; Jennifer Brooks, producer. Editorial Cabin NY Dylan Edwards, editor; Dominique Machain, assistant editor; Maggie Meade, managing partner; Adam Becht, exec producer; Mariana Terenzio, sr. producer. Post/VFX The Mill TJ Sponzo, exec producer; Katharine Mulderry, producer; Brian O’Donnell, Jesse Newman, designers; Asaf Yeger, 2D lead; Jose Aruaz, 2D assist; Matt McDonald, David Forcada, Kayako Ono, finish. Color Electric Theatre Collective Luke Morrison, colorist; Olivia Jessop, color producer. Music Found Objects Jay Wadley, Trevor Gureckis, ECDs/co-founders; Ben Marshall, creative director; Adam Weiss, composer; Jennie Armon, exec producer; Elijah Torn, head of creative production; Katt Matt, lead producer; Nick Chomowicz, Agatha Lee, producers; Lee Cash Chisholm, music coordinator. Sound Design Wave NY Aaron Reynolds, Isaac Matus, sound design & mix; Vicky Ferraro, exec producer. Additional Animation Droga5 Studios Pravin Chottera, design director; Victor Hermosillo, editor/animator; Sheldon Smith, post producer.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More