Titled “The Truth Is Hard to Find–Mark Mazzetti,” this :30 from Droga5 NY tells the story of the dedication of the New York Times’ Washington, DC bureau in investigating stories and uncovering information.
As we hear an interview with Mark Mazzetti, the Washington Investigations editor for the New York Times, we see a series of real redacted government documents from a span of many years. It’s a stark representation of how hard it is to find the truth amid a growing culture of secrecy in government. And how that makes the job of investigative journalists to bring this information to light even more vital. The idea of the ad was to take authentic, redacted, declassified government documents — made available to the public through The Freedom of Information Act — and use them to demonstrate how hard it is to uncover information in the face of government secrecy.
Credits
Client The New York Times Agency Droga5 NY David Droga, creative chairman; Ted Royer, chief creative officer; Tim Gordon, executive creative director; Brian Eden, associate creative director/copywriter; Ben Grube, associate creative director/art director; Mitchell Quesada, jr. copywriter; Fatima Jafri, jr. art director; Sally Ann Dale, chief content creation officer; Jesse Brihn, Bryan Litman, co-directors of film production; Kylie Loeffler, associate producer, film; Jonny Bauer, global chief strategy officer; Harry Roman, co-head of strategy; Tom Gibby, strategy director. Editorial D5 Studios Matt Badger, sr. editor; CJ Trahan, post producer; Brielle Mordant, associate post producer. Postproduction The Mill Mel Wickham, exec producer; Colin Blaney, sr. producer; Luis Martin, producer; Michael Brown, production coordinator; Ilia Mokhtareizadeh, lead compositor; Brandon Danowski, compositor. Audio Post Sonic Union Michael Marinelli, Fernando Ascani, mixers; Pat Sullivan, audio post producer. Sound Design Barking Owl Morgan Johnson, sound designer; Kelly Bayett, creative director/exec producer; Ashley Benton, producer.
The Ad Council, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and AdoptUSKids, launched a public service campaign, created pro bono by Edelman, which aims to inspire prospective parents to consider adopting a teen from foster care.
This centerpiece PSA titled “The Rewards”--directed by The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) via Greenpoint Pictures--spotlights real adoptive families who have personally experienced the mutual benefits of adoption. This longer form PSA (and cutdown versions) begins with a touching display of openness and vulnerability as adoptive parents reflect on their adoption journeys and their initial questions and hesitations about adopting a teen. Then, in a deeply emotional turn, the adoptive parents witness their children recounting the profound rewards of adoption in their lives. The teens speak of the love they share with their parents and how the decision to become a family is reciprocal. The campaign directs viewers to the AdoptUSKids website to learn more about adopting a teen from foster care.
