Distracted driving is currently responsible for 9 deaths and over 1,000 injuries each day in the U.S.
To address this problem and hopefully prevent more injuries and deaths, Travelers Insurance and TBWAChiatDay NY rolled out its “Unfinished Stories” animated film series last November that imagines the unrealized futures of real victims whose lives were tragically cut short by distracted driving. Working closely with the victims’ families to imagine what might have been for their loved ones, “Unfinished Stories” envisions those potential future chapters had the driver not been distracted, and the tragic accidents been avoided.
Two short films in the “Unfinished Stories” series recently debuted including this one that introduces us to 19-year old Shreya Dixit, killed in a preventable distracted driving incident.
Shreya was a gifted student and talented singer-songwriter, who was on her way home from school one afternoon when the driver of her vehicle became distracted and hit a concrete pylon. In “The Stage,” a film brought to life with animation by Psyop and directed by Jack Anderson, Shreya’s story doesn’t end there, but rather imagines her as a successful graduate student who returns to her love of music when she comes across an old song she had written herself but never had the chance to sing out loud. Shreya takes to the stage of an open-mic night, and ends up headlining a sold-out show.
Credits
Client Travelers Insurance Agency TBWAChiatDay New York Chris Beresford-Hill, chief creative officer; Walt Connelly, executive creative director; Alex Holm, sr. art director; Avi Steinbach, sr. copywriter; Chris Rowson, executive creative director/head of design; Seokmin Hong, motion graphics designer; Robyn Makinson, sr. designer; John Doris, head of production; Chris Klein, executive producer; Kelly Sutton, Sarah Haroldson, producers; Sami Salmenkivi, global director of strategy; Andrew Nethery, editor (RedSlash); Pietra Cangialosi, post producer (RedSlash). Animation Psyop Jack Anderson, director; Justin Booth-Clibborn, exec producer; Adrianne Scott-Kemp, producer; Devon Manney, Stephanie Stromenger, Max Forward, Tristyn Pease, storyboard artists; Emma Verruno, animation director & head of art; Nico Presas, director assistant; Andrea Bacigalupo, exec producer; Danielle Kisinovsky, production mgr; Agustina Rossito, Marcela Cárdenas A., production coordinators; Max Rocamora, CG supervisor; Christian Granados, animation supervisor/animator/layout artist; Favian Fregoso, Sebastián Buitrago, Mariano “Casper” Rodríguez Calvo, Ignacio Fina, Alex Figueroa, animators; Marco Di Monaco, layout artist/set modeling; Luis de Gennaro, assets supervisor; Sofía Gariazzo, character modeling/hair development; Diego Rudnitzky, character modeling/set modeling/props modeling; Lautaro Schipizza, Sofía Gariazzo, Martin Girgenti, props modeling/dressing; Pablo Focareta, props modeling/set modeling/texturing & shading artist; Flavio Greco, modeling supervisor; Eduardo Núñez-Melgar, lead rigger; Luis De Gennaro, head of look dev, texturing & shading artist; Pedro Sciammarella, Lautaro Schipizza, Sofía Gariazzo, Alejandro Ghio, texturing & shading artists; Alejandro Ghio & Paolo Giordana, lead ltg & supervisor; Pedro Sciamarella, Juan Ignacio Casale, Natalia Urrutia, ltg artists & comp; Ignacio Arévalo, compositing supervisor; Gastón Duranovich, motion graphics; Andrés Montero Bustamante, editor; Flavio Greco, color key artist, environment design; Fernando Sawa, matte painting artist; Edino Israel, character design; Christian Galvan, IT mgr. Production Variable Steve Hoover, director; Daniel Stewart, DP; Tyler Ginter, Alex Friedman, exec producers; Paige DeMarco, head of production/supervising producer; Jon Simonetta, producer; Rocco Campanelli, production coordinator; Jeff Levine, AC/DIT; Michael Winn, gaffer; Owen Bradford, sound mixer; Melissa Martin, HMU. Editorial Cartel Chris Catanach, editor; Lauren Bleiweiss, exec producer; Joanna Hall, producer; Zach Kaigler, Dan Gutterman, assistant editors. VFX The Mill Heath Raymond, exec producer; Lauren Orban, producer; Roberto Herrera, production coordinator. Color The Mill Michael Rossiter, colorist; Evan Bauer, color producer; Nate Seymour, color assist. Music “Every Time I Breathe” by Arlissa; Elias Music Joey Netter, EP; Matt Phenix, music producer; Eric Ronick, creative director; Zach Golden, mix; Evan Wood, sound design. Live Action Track: “Sea of Love (No Groove)” Adi Goldstein, artist. Music Library FLIKTRAX.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
