Titled “In The Spotlight,” this PSA for The Stuttering Association for The Young (SAY) from BBDO New York portrays the emotional weight on young people living with a stutter to ignite a conversation and bring awareness to this common yet stigmatized speech disorder.
Directed by Alex Gorosh of Hungry Man, the film hyperbolizes what it feels like for youth who stutter while delivering ordinary conversation–as if they are literally on stage, in the spotlight. It aims to educate viewers on how to treat their peers who stutter, stressing empathy and patience, just in time for the upcoming school year.
The pro-bono partnership with BBDO NY and SAY was actually inspired by the agency’s own jr. copywriter, Aaron Marshall who shared his experience of growing up with a stutter. For example, there were times he would order something at a restaurant that he did not want, just to avoid stuttering.
Credits
Client The Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY) Agency BBDO New York David Lubars, chief creative officer, worldwide; Lance Vining, Gary Toit, VPs, creative directors; Aaron Marshall, copywriter; Whitney Husnik, producer; Julia Millison, music producer; Dexter Blumenthal, strategy director; Isabel Rendon, strategist; Lucy Bennett, influencer lead; Chris Daniele, director of digital analytics. Production Company Hungry Man Alex Gorosh, director; Sherra Fermino, producer; Caleb Dewart, Mino Jarjoura, Dan Duffy, Meredith Bergman, exec producers; Eric Ulbrich, DP; Paul McConnell, production designer. VFX & Color The Mill Anastasia Von Rahl, managing director; Warwick Hewett, sr. producer; Mike Cimino, production coordinator; John Leonti, creative director & shoot supervisor; Chris “Badger” Knight, 2D lead artist; Freddy Parra, 3D lead artist; Stephen Paragone, 2D artist; Lalida Karnjanasirirat, Amit Patil, C Dinesh Reddy, Anthony Ignatius Dsouza, 3D artists; Vinamra Ramniranjan Bhartia, Utkarsha Chittaranjan Wairkar, production support; Paul Yacono, colorist; Denise Brown, sr. color producer; Lindsey Orlando, production coordinator, color; Gemma Parr, Logan Highlen, color assists. Audio Post Lime Studios Zac Fisher, audio mixer; Michael Baran, audio assistant; Kayla Phunnglan, sr. producer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Music Walker Chris Keye, composer; Jendayi Bonds, associate producer.
In this Super Bowl :30 for Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cup--directed by Matias & Mathias of Epoch Films for agency Erich & Kallman--a concerned park ranger reports live from the site of an active volcano where Reese’s fans are going to extreme lengths to get their hands and taste buds on the lava flow.
As passion builds, a team of park rangers rein in the mayhem--saving grandma from scootering into the hot flowing molten lava--and try to clear up the confusion: “Don‘t eat lava. Eat ooey-gooey Chocolate Lava.”
“There’s nothing better than seeing our fans go wild over new flavor additions to the classic Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter combo,” said Ryan Riess, VP of brand strategy and creative development, The Hershey Company. “The Big Game is the perfect stage to showcase our fan’s energy – whether that be from the top of a volcano or on the couch during football Sunday.”
In a joint statement, directors Matias & Mathias said of the “Don’t Eat Lava” spot, “Although the characters’ obsession with Reese’s Chocolate Lava Big Cups is completely realistic and very easy to identify with, our favorite part of this project was seeing all the talented people we got to work with become obsessed with making the lava flows of our dreams become a reality.”
