David Gelb, whose lauded work includes the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, directed a series of films that mark a powerful new phase of Memorial Sloan Kettering Center’s “More Science. Less Fear” campaign out of agency Pereira & O’Dell New York. Produced by Nonfiction Unlimited, the three shorts each tell the compelling story of a different cancer patient–and how treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering can save lives, and much more.
The four-minute film titled Suzanne introduces us to a woman diagnosed with an aggressive cervical cancer and how Memorial Sloan Kettering devised a strategy and treatment that saved Suzanne’s life and enabled her to realize her personal dreams, including the birth of her daughter. All three of the shorts end with the same tagline: “Science saves more than lives.”
Credits
Client Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Agency Pereira & O’Dell NY Dave Arnold, executive creative director; Tennille Teague, head of production; Tammy Lecker, broadcast producer; Alexei Beltrone, Jake Dubs, associate creative directors; Lauren Geisler, art director; Alex Parodi, jr. art director; Michelle Lamont, copywriter; Matt Herman, chief strategy officer; Mike Lewis, strategydirector; Anna Bedineishvili, sr. strategist. Production Nonfiction Unlimited David Gelb, director; Maryse Alberti, DP; Michael Degan, Loretta Jeneski, exec producers; Patrick Degan, head of production; Franny Freiberger, line producer. Editorial Union Editorial Sloan Klevin, editor; Caryn Maclean, exec producer; Susan Motamed, post producer. Music Asche & Spencer Audio Post Heard City
Continuing their partnership to combat the mental health crisis among America’s youth, the Ad Council and McCann New York have released the latest installment of the “Sound It Out” campaign which focuses on helping parents and caregivers have meaningful conversations with their kids about emotional wellbeing.
The new work, “Listening is a Form of Love,” focuses on the important role parents and caregivers play in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and is supported by new data from Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker. The survey highlights that: 55% of youth (ages 10-24) report mental health struggles; and one in five youth report symptoms of depression, and one in four report symptoms of anxiety.
The film includes an interactive digital experience that invites parents to practice “holding space” by pressing the space bar to listen to kids sharing what they wish their parents could hear, in their own words. Along with this literal interpretation of the active listening the campaign encourages, the website also gives valuable tools to help parents and caregivers be better listeners, and in turn, better support their kids.
There is also this 60-second PSA--directed by Alex Fischman Cardenas via Greenpoint Pictures--which underscores the power and importance of listening to your loved ones.
