There are truisms, and then there are “really truisms.” And one of them is the notion that a person doesn’t have the right to complain, if he or she didn’t bother to vote. Democrat, Republican, or fiercely Independent – it is a rally cry that transcends political affiliations. And yet while the number of complainers continues to increase, those who express their feelings in the voting booth continues to decrease.nnIt is with this in mind that Chicago-based ad/marketing specialists Third Street Advertising conceived the idea of launching a national, multimedia campaign entitled Real Complainers Vote – a non-partisan effort designed to encourage young registered voters to embrace two American privileges: Voting and Complaining. To achieve this goal, they teamed up with frequent collaborator, Foundation Content.nn
nTo view the animated, viral video within this campaign, CLICK HERE. nReal Complainers Vote on Facebook.nFollow the Griping on Twitter.nnFeaturing the voice talents of TJ Miller and the artistic expressions of renowned street artist Ray Noland, Real Complainers Vote takes a “seriously humorous” look at how our nation isn’t just comprised of complainers; it was founded and built by them. Through a unique viral video, Tweets, Facebook posts, a website to find outlets for complaining, and street-level campaign materials ranging from posters to campaign buttons, Real Complainers Vote seeks to motivate young voters across the USA to express themselves where it matters most – in the voting booth — on November 6th.nnThe themes of “Hands-On” and “Handmade” were two ideas that guided the development of Foundation Content’s Real Complainers Vote animated video. Since this project is all about empowering the individual to vote, Foundation Content looked into incorporating some of the visual landscape associated with grass roots and DIY movements like Occupy. The company decided to explore making things that would appear within the viral video out of paper and cardboard, as well as using a stop-motion style for some of the animation. It was important to "pull back the curtain" a bit on the process, to show the human element behind some of the animation, and likewise provide some human perspective to a political process that can feel overwhelming.nnThird Street Chief Creative Officer David T. Jones sums up the essence of the campaign: “We know that we don’t need to convince Americans to complain. We only need to convince them that complaining has a cover charge. And that cover charge is voting. Foundation Content has been a true creative partner to Third Street since we started, but even with our big expectations they over-delivered with layers and layers of ideas executed brilliantly. At one point, we were in the Foundation studio up to our elbow in cut-out stencils, funny paper constructions, rope, ribbon and an overall sense that we were creating something pretty cool.”nnThird Street Associate Creative Director Max Mearsheimer adds, “Bringing the street art style of Ray Noland and the bizarre comedy outlook of TJ Miller to our project gave it a true social momentum. A lot of PSAs about getting out the vote have been made – and too often they just don’t stand out. Our take was to try a different approach and sell the merits of complaining – really celebrating complaining – as a path to motivation to vote."nnFoundation Content’s Kyle Shoup, who served as Creative Director and Motion Designer for the Real Complainers Vote project, said, “David from Third Street approached us because he was a big fan of the piece we did for Contagion, and I wanted to take the opportunity to make something just as fun, but unique. The result was a piece that incorporated stop-motion, handmade, 2D & 3D design and animation. Mixed media is really what this piece became, and it gives the message an unusual (and I think compelling) look. I was extremely appreciative of how David let us run with the script, developing our own visual jokes and puns from our interpretation. I really enjoy humor in design, and I admire a successful design that can incorporate comedy. Playful visual hooks will stick with you, and you’re more likely to remember the message of the piece because watching it becomes a fun, participatory experience. Hopefully, Real Complainers Vote will connect with our audience, and they will find that both voting and complaining are rewarding aspects of their personal political participation.”nnHe adds, “I was really excited to collaborate with Ray Noland (aka C.R.O.) I knew he was already locked into the world of political commentary through his prolific street art around Chicago, and that his handmade approach would lead to some unique visuals inside of the piece. Ray and I discussed the script and some of the initial ideas we had, and he then began to create for a solid two weeks as an artist in residence within our studio. In the end, it was my job to take the resulting pieces and decide how best to integrate them with some of the elements that I developed into a cohesive narrative. I think Real Complainers Vote ultimately benefits from the variety of visual elements and textures we wove together, making it a truly mixed-media piece.”nnAdds Samantha Hart, Foundation Content Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer, “This is the type of project that lives within the DNA of our company. We enjoyed co-developing this campaign with Third Street, fleshing out their creative concept and producing the animated piece that appears on the realcomplainersvote.com website. Originally, we wanted to create something that would take full advantage of the facility we have at Foundation in Chicago, which would include production and the use of our stage. For the first two weeks, our stage was an artists’ studio and laboratory, and then it became a production studio for capturing some of these elements. Foundation is set up for this kind of collaborative flexibility, and we took full advantage of it. We are involved in public service announcement campaigns on a regular basis, because a strong aspect of our company’s mandate is to ‘give back’ to the community. We feel that encouraging people to get out there and vote on November 6 is critically important.”nnCreditsnThird Street AdvertisingnChief Creative Officer: David T. JonesnAssociate Creative Director: Max MearsheimernDirector of Relationship Marketing: Phil RobinsonnAttention Agent: Brittany MasonnnFoundation Content ProductionnExecutive Producer: Samantha Hart nCreative Director/Motion Designer: Kyle Shoup nArtist: Ray Nolandn3D Artist: Jesse Willis nEditor: Steve Morrison nMixer: Dave KreslnAssociate Producer: Lily TomczaknnAbout Third StreetnThird Street, the world’s first Attention Agency, offers solution-based marketing strategies to brands with national and international reach. Brands Third Street has helped bring attention to include Valspar, Cabot, Optimum Nutrition, Coors Light and The City of Indianapolis. With offices in Chicago, IL, and Indianapolis, IN, Third Street can be found online at www.TakeThirdStreet.com nnAbout Foundation ContentnWith offices in Culver City (CA) and Chicago, Foundation Content was founded by Samantha Hart and James Lipetzky in Chicago in 2004 as an “Indie Advertising Collective” that specializes in the conception, production and delivery of compelling advertising and marketing campaigns for a diverse group of clients. In conjunction with its creative partners, the Foundation Content team focuses on collaboration and efficient execution, helping brands find new and innovative ways by which to get their message across to their target audiences. The company is a Certified WBENC Minority/Womens’ Business Enterprise. nnFoundation Content houses producers, directors, writers, editors, 2D/3D motion graphics artists, sound designers, along with smoke and color rooms, and shooting stages on the premises of each location. The company specializes in handling projects from inception to exhibition—and any stage in between. As an “Indie Advertising Collective,” Foundation Content exudes the energy of an indie film company, the experience of an established production & post production house, and the vision of a design boutique.nnFoundation Content’s clients include Walmart, Sony Electronics, Nissan, Whole Foods, vitaminwater, United Way, Radical Skin Care, and many others. For more info, please see www.foundationcontent.com and also visit on Facebook.
Contact:
Media Contacts: For Third Street: Sean Smith President (317) 450-5146 Contact Sean via email
Contact:For Foundation Content: Dan Harary Asbury PR Agency Beverly Hills, Ca 310/859-1831 Contact Dan via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More
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