This documentary short, First Days Out, helps to kick off the global “Feed the Good” campaign for Pedigree Dog Food out of agency AlmapBBDO, Sao Paolo, in partnership with Mars Brazil. The film showcases how a dog can positively impact a person’s life–in this case two ex-cons: Matt who served two years in prison for theft, and Joey, who served a 12-year jail sentence for armed robbery.
First Days Out chronicles the two men leaving their respective prisons, the shock of loneliness that goes with that freedom, their seeking out dogs in animal shelters, and how the love and companionship of the pets helped them to face the start of their lives outside prison walls. Matt rescued and adopted shelter dog Jeanie while Joey did the same for shelter canine Sadie.
“I feel Jeanie brought light to my future.” said Matt who is from Las Vegas. Matt’s two primary objectives were going back to his family (after his father had severed relations with him) and getting a job. With no place to go, Matt booked a motel room and in search of company that might give him confidence and affection to start over, he went to a shelter for stray dogs, where he found Jeanie. Their connecion was immediate and the benefits reciprocal. Through playing with and walking Jeanie, Matt began to come out of his shell and was able to get on with his life.
Jeanie accompanied Matt not only to the employment agency to find a job but also later to a meeting with his dad as Matt tried to repair that relationship. Jeanie helped break the ice in that father-son meeting which resulted in a reconciliation and Matt being invited back home.
Pal for Joey
Meanwhile in Florida, upon being released from prison, Joey was alone. Joey’s only remaining family–his mother and grandmother–had died on the same day, while he was still in prison. Arriving at his home in Jacksonville, Joey found everything was as they had left it. During the last four years in prison he had learned how to train dogs, and when he was released he had doubts whether he would be able to live free in the outside world. Adopting a dog could be the only way to put his life back on track.
Joey went to the shelter to find a companion. And it was Sadie, a female dog of undefined breed and shiny black fur, that he took a liking to at first sight. Joey took Sadie to his up until then empty home. It didn’t take long for her to become his only family. In the house, they shared time and taught each other how to get back to life. “With Sadie in the house, I feel much better,” he shared.
When walking with Joey, Sadie attracts the attention of people who approach to talk. In better spirits, he started meeting old friends again. Joey and Sadie spend the days training other dogs for adoption. Joey credits Sadie with helping him regain his footing in society.
Two consecutive supered messages appear in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, which simply read: “You save a dog.”/”A dog saves you.”
Ricardo Mehedff of Hungry Man directed the docu short which can be seen online, including on the Pedigree brand’s web page.
CreditsClient Pedigree/Mars Petcare Agency AlmapBBDO, Sao Paulo. Luiz Sanches, general director creation;Bruno Prosperi, Renato Simões, executive director creation; Andre Gola, Pernil, craetino directors; Luciana Haguiara, digital creative director; Pernil, Andre Gola, Fabio Cerdeira, Andre Sallowicz, Felipe Cirino, Andre Leotta, creation. Vera Jacinto, Ana Paula Casagrande, Diego Villas Boas, radio/TV production. Production Hungry Man Ricardo Mehedff, director/DP; Alex Mehedff, managing partner; Rodrigo Castella, Renata Correa, exec producers; Grant Weiss, Mike Alex, DPs; Mariana Barbiellini, line producer. Editorial Ricardo Mehedff, editor; Rodrigo Oliveria, postproduction supervisor. Post Great Studio. Color Grading Psycho N’Look Fernanda Antonelli, Pedro Fragata, Samantha Kechichian, José Maria Fafe, assistants.
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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