The magic of snow and a winter wonderland is beloved by all–but some children have only ever seen snow on TV or in movies. So, tennis superstar Serena Williams and Lincoln brought the snow to them, orchestrating a snowy surprise for kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs (BAGC) of Palm Beach County in sunny southern Florida. The surprise was captured in this film–directed by Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah of Greenpoint Pictures for agency Hudson Rouge–with smiles and laughter as the children go sledding, make snow angels, and throw snowballs for the first time ever, all in their own backyards.
“Bringing this experience to life was the highlight of my year,” said Dawson-Amoah. “The staff at the BAGC welcomed us with open arms and I was so grateful to bring this sweet surprise to an organization I respect so much. I absolutely adore working with kids, and it isn’t every day I get to do something I love AND meet one of my all-time role models. This collaboration with Lincoln was a moment everyone will remember.”
Dawson-Amoah recently earned a slot in SHOOT's 2021 New Directors Showcase on the strength of her short film, To The Girl Who Looks Like Me. That film also was a 2020 Student Academy Award finalist, and selected for the Scene in Color Film Series, a joint partnership between Target and NBCUniversal that introduces viewers to three emerging BIPOC filmmakers and their short films.
Beyond her work as a director, Dawson-Amoah also runs The Melacast Network, a virtual platform focused on connecting BIPOC actors, directors, and crew with the opportunities, talent, and resources needed to tell culturally rich and diverse stories through film.
CreditsClient Lincoln Agency Hudson Rouge Jon Pearce, global chief creative officer; Lorna Hanks, creative operation director; Mary Ellen Verrusio, head of integrated production; Liam Golding, sr. content producer; Taylor Schumaker, sr. copywriter; Gong Liu, associate creative director. Production Greenpoint Pictures Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah, director; Niles Roth, creative director; Michael Kuhn, founder; Tatiana Rudzinski, Trevor King, exec producers; Karen Berkowitz, head of production; Adam McDaid, DP; Kathleen Handwerk, producer; Lexy Leeds, associate producer. Editorial Cosmo Street Kyle Moriarty, editor. Music APM (stock) Color Preymaker Ada Scott, colorist.
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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