States United to Prevent Gun Violence has tapped in the cultural phenomenon of the unboxing video to help a gun safety message gain traction. This public service film, a pro bono effort from Grey New York, centers on a fictional would-be social influencer, an eight-year-old named Cayden, who digs a box out from his parents’ bedroom closet and opens it for his online audience to reveal a firearm. At that point we see the profound potential for tragedy, all because families aren’t taking the necessary precautions when it comes to properly storing a deadly weapon.
Every day in the U.S., eight kids are shot by a misused or unlocked gun. Gun sales were at a 20-year high this past summer, and with coronavirus lockdowns keeping more kids at home, the number of deadly unintentional shootings by children is rising. Nationwide, there are currently 4.6 million children who live in homes with an unlocked gun. States United To Prevent Gun Violence PSA is urging urges parents across America that if a gun is unlocked, it can be unboxed and this preventable mistake could lead to a parent’s worst nightmare: their child handling a loaded gun, like Cayden in his unboxing video.
Kevin Wilson Jr. directed the PSA which was produced by Chelsea Pictures in association with Big Fun Films.
“As a parent and storyteller, I’m in a very unique position to approach my stories from the point of view of a guardian who cares deeply about protecting the innocence of children. No child should have to lose their life or deal with the guilt of having accidentally taken a life because of the unsafe storing practices of adults,” said Wilson Jr., an Oscar-nominated and Student Academy Award-winning filmmaker. Wilson received a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he studied under Spike Lee.
States United provides gun safety storage and education tips on its website.
CreditsClient States United to Prevent Gun Violence Agency Grey New York Production Agency Townhouse Studio Production Chelsea Pictures in association with Big Fun Films Kevin Wilson Jr., director; Lisa Mehling, owner/exec producer; Pat McGoldrick, exec producer; Laura Valladao, DP. Editorial Final Cut Patrick Colman, editor; Geoff Hastings, assistant editor; Sarah Roebuck, exec producer; Penny Ensley, head of production; Andrea Cantor, post producer
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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