Part of Droga5's "Chapter Two" campaign for Prudential, this docu short introduces us to Jennifer McKinley, a retiree who finally gets the chance to pursue her passion and aspiration.
The film was directed by Carol Lewis, a retired postal worker who too is realizing her ambition–to become a director.
Her directorial debut also reflected the pursuits of two other contributing retirees–IT director turned composer Martin Welling and retired agency producer Jon Marias who served as an exec producer on the project.
Credits
Client Prudential Agency Droga5 New York David Droga, creative chairman; Ted Royer, chief creative officer; Kevin Brady, executive creative director; Ray Del Savio, Jerry Hoak, creative directors; Bryan Wolff, Ant White, copywriters; Daniel Sumarna, Karen Short, art directors; Sally-Ann Dale, chief creation officer; Ben Davies, head of broadcast production; Anders Hedberg, sr. producer; David Justus, technology director; Teodor Florea, head of brand strategy; Zach Foster, brand strategy director. Production Brainwashed Martin+Lindsay, directors; Carol Lewis, co-director; John Marias, executive producer; Kathy Saelee, production manager. Editorial Cut+Run NY Isaac Chen, editor; Ryan Harrington, assistant editor; Rana Martin, Carr Schilling, exec producers; Remy Foxx, Ashley Thompson, producers. Post Company 3. Music Sion Dey/Martin Welling Assets, composers.
White Ribbon has launched its “My Friend, Max Hate” campaign in Canada featuring this public service film that follows the journey of a young, isolated boy who becomes influenced by a misogynistic online puppet, “Max Hate.” The PSA reveals how online figures in the manosphere--a network of online communities promoting hateful, misogynistic rhetoric which fuels attitudes among young men and boys that contribute to gender-based violence.
“It’s alarming to see the growing impact of the manosphere and how they are conditioning vulnerable populations such as teens, particularly young men,” said Humberto Carolo, White Ribbon CEO. “These misogynistic online groups have existed for years, but their influence has grown under controversial figures, driving an increase in gender-based violence. With the My Friend, Max Hate campaign, our goal is to expose the damaging influence of misogynistic figures and raise awareness, particularly among young men who are often drawn into these toxic online communities.”
Launching two weeks before Safer Internet Day (February 11), the campaign--from Toronto agency Bensimon Byrne--underscores the importance of online safety and protecting youth through clear content boundaries.
White Ribbon is creating an online resource hub that educates individuals on how to recognize harmful online groups and provides support for young men and boys seeking to escape. Additionally, the campaign will launch a TikTok account, @max_hate_, featuring the PSA ‘My Friend, Max Hate’ puppet to expose how these figures gain influence and spread hate in a space that reaches those most influenced, young men.
The PSA was directed by Angie Bird via Toronto-based Westside Studio.
