The Ad Council and R/GA teamed on a film series, “Love Lives On,” as part of the continuing Love Has No Labels campaign. At a time when over half (55%) of adults say race relations in the U.S. are bad, this film series–featuring a short anthem film and three PSAs–proves that love lives on when you respond to acts of hate, bias and discrimination with intentional acts of love that support communities and create a more inclusive, just, and equitable society.
Unveiled at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, this pro-bono campaign was written, created and produced by a diverse creative team led by Shannon Washington, SVP, executive creative director at R/GA. It was a very emotional process for the team to ensure that even the smallest details reflected the reverence and authenticity of Bridgett Floyd’s, Maddy Park’s, and Barbara Poma’s stories.
Directed by Andre Muir of production house SMUGGLER, this anthem film titled The Gentle Giant tells the story of Bridgett Floyd, sister of George Floyd whose murder by Minneapolis police made worldwide headlines, propelling the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice. The story of George Floyd as a family man, mentor and community member has not been widely shared. In a heartfelt and deeply personal account, Bridgett Floyd shares the powerful bond between her and her brother. Bridgett celebrates the love, joy, and light that George Floyd brought to his family and the world–and how she has turned the pain of his death into purpose through the establishment of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation. Though his life was tragically cut short by an act of violence and injustice, his legacy and love can live on through each one of us when we continue to fight for racial justice.
The Gentle Giant is slated to stream on Hulu.
Credits
Client Ad Council/Love Has No Labels campaign Agency R/GA Tiffany Rolfe, global chief creative officer; Shannon Washington, Erin Lynch, SVPs, executive creative directors; Fernando Hernandez, executive creative director; JJ Lim, creative director; Pawel Rokicki, design director; Rowan Mansfield, Corey Thorn, Julian Soto, Artiana Wynder, associate creative directors; Vitor Lessa, art director; Anslem Samuel Roque, editorial research & interviewer; Chris Detoy, executive director, content production; Erica Jensen, director, content studio; Lauren Powzyk, sr. content producer; Yassmina Fandi, sr. content producer, art; Jeff Skutnik, executive production director; Pete Jones, executive producer; Vitor Rossellini, sr. producer; Christian Kugel, SVP, global head of insights; Lucien Etori, VP, executive strategy director; Brandon Heard, sr. strategist; Aaron Francois, sr. connections strategist; Jess Vande Werken, creative director, experience design; Aaron Kelly, associate creative director, experience; David Holm, associate engineering director. Production SMUGGLER Andre Muir, director; Patrick Milling-Smith, Brian Carmody, Jaclyn Larson, exec producers; Alex Hughes, head of production; Manny Caston, producer; Svetlana Dekic, production supervisor; Adam Hein, 1st AD; Oliver Millar, DP; Maren Jensen, production designer; Jodi Sonnenberg, casting director; Elise Velasco, wardrobe stylist. Editorial Cabin Edit Nathan Rodgers, editor; Dominique Machain, assistant editor; Maggie Meade, managing director; Andrea Cantor, post producer; Adam Becht, exec producer. VFX/Finishing Shape + Light Cara Lehr, exec producer; Austin Lewis, lead Flame artist; Pat Hunsberger, Aaron Neitz, Flame artists; Joe Abou Sakher, VFX producer; Rob Trent, creative director. Color Blacksmith Mikey Pehanich, colorist; Sam Howells, color assistant; Ashley Goodwin, color producer; Charlotte Arnold, exec producer. Music Barking Owl Kelly Bayett, creative director; Ashley Benton, exec producer; Lily McCann, assistant producer; Jacob Plasse, composer. Sound Design/Audio Post One Thousand Birds Hayley Livingston, Myra Al-Rahim, sound design/mix; Jackiel Zhou, additional sound design; Alex Berner-Coe, producer; Maya Kotomori, asociate producer. Licensing & Art Partners Jelani Rice, Ron Kurokawa, Nijalon Du’Boi, Getty Images, XYZ Graphics
Luke Jaden directed two films for PETA, including this one titled “Inhumane” which highlights a family of sheep fearing for their lives on a farm--and for the inevitable day when they will be slaughtered for meat.
Jaden--an alumnus of SHOOT’s 2023 New Directors Showcase--explained that the campaign was aimed at “silent storytelling. Looking back at the power of silent film--we wanted to show that animals are not silent. Animals may not be able to talk like us humans, but they are just as sentient as us and animals can communicate a conversation between one another. They are highly observant and intellectual beings. So, we wanted to highlight the feelings they do feel, which I would say was the biggest challenge. We captured them in their natural environment in a docu-style approach to not distract them as the camera can be an unfamiliar thing. We wanted to craft and build a conversation that would coalesce as a narrative between the animals and their families on the farm. We really wanted to show those ideas on-screen and we wanted to approach this with a sensitive, unobtrusive lens that captured the honesty and fear these animals can and do feel on a farm before they are killed by their owners.”
Octagon Haus was the production company on the PETA work, which came out of agency Viewmaster.
