Freelance creative directors Craig Lederman and Jera Mehrdad teamed with Kiran Koshy–a director who also served as a creative director in this particular instance–on a :60 designed to encourage voter turnout as part of a "Just Say No To Trump" initiative that’s a tongue-in-cheek play on the “Just Say No To Drugs” campaign of the 1980s.
As part of a “Make America Decent Again” push, this ad shows different kids talking about what they want to be when they grow up–sadly, it sounds like they want to be like our President. Their aspirations include wanting to grow up to be a racist, a self-obsessed narcissist, a liar, a bully or to hire dubious individuals, to hide tax returns, mock the disabled, pay hush money, have no moral compass, cheat partners, promote misogyny, idolize dictators, discredit the elections, lack empathy and divide the country.
Koshy–who’s on the directorial roster of production house Slash Dynamic and a 2017 SHOOT New Directors Showcase alumnus–said that Mehrdad came together with him and Lederman, two of her former colleagues, out of concern for what four more years of Trump in office would do to our kids. Though they are all of different political stripes (Mehrdad is from a Republican family, Lederman is an independent and Koshy is a new citizen), the three shared trepidation over the prospect of Trump being re-elected. “We’ve all had a hard time explaining the President to our kids,” said Koshy. “He’s had an effect on them, and we felt a lot of people were overlooking this fact.”
Koshy, Mehrdad and Lederman drove around Greater L.A. for three days lensing their own kids–and their kids’ friends. The scenes were shot on iPhones and an old Blackmagic Pocket Camera in natural light outside homes and in local parks with no real prep. A homemade boom that had a microphone hanging on a PVC pipe was deployed. The youngsters all said multiple lines and the best performances were selected. Video and audio post were done remotely.
