Lance Acord of Park Pictures directed and shot this spot in which a father finds himself in a quandary with his young son to which many parents can relate–competing to seemingly no avail with the virtual world of mobile devices and information on demand. Dad and son crisscross the country in their Subaru Outback, touring America’s natural wonders which don’t seem to impress the youngster–until they come face to face with a Bison. The dad notes that with his Outback he can reach anything–in this case both the remote locale and in the process his son.
Agency was Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis.
Credits
Client Subaru of America Agency Carmichael Lynch Dave Damman, chief creative officer; Randy Hughes, executive creative director; Conn Newton, associate creative director/writer; Michael Rogers, associate creative director/art director; Joe Grundhoefer, head of production; Brynn Hausmann, sr. exec content producer. Production Park Pictures Lance Acord, director/DP; MaryAnn Marino, exec producer; Pat Frazier, line producer. Editorial Final Cut Eric Zumbrunnen, editor; Scott Butzer, assistant editor. VFX a52 Patrick Murphy, VFX artist. Post Volt Studios Steve Medin, online artist; Sarah Thomas, assistant. Post Company 3 Sean Coleman, colorist. Audio BWN Music Carl White, mixer/sound designer. Music Singing Serpent Track “Morocco Begins” Jason Begin, composer; Glen Galloway, producer. Performers Paul Bartholomew, Tommy O’Keefe, actors.
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.
