This short documentary titled Good Morning Peyton captures the daily struggles of living with rare disease. Produced by Washington Square Films and directed by Alison Klayman for the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), the documentary introduces us to Peyton Madden who has Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), an extremely rare and life-threatening disease that makes him allergic to sunlight. He is one of 30 million Americans living with a rare disease.
Madden’s situation led to a partnership between the town of El Dorado, Kansas, and NORD to flip its clocks from “PM to AM” and give the lad with XP the “day” of his dreams under the safety of the moonlight.
Peyton’s story is part of NORD’s “Do Your Share” (#DoYourShare) campaign, which sheds light on the need for more discussion about rare diseases and for more support from communities.
Credits
Client National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Co-Agency CDNY Dan Cohen, SVP, group creative director, art; Stephanie Markell, SVP, associate creative director; Jake Schroeder, VP, art supervisor. Co-Agency Link 9 Shawna Sanders, VP, director of visual arts. Production Washington Square Films Alison Klayman, director; Olivar Millar, DP; Amanda Scoblick, producer; Nathan Kincaid, field producer; Audrey Davis, assistant production supervisor. Editorial Melissa Huffsmith-Roth, editor. Music Paul De Jong, composer. Audio Mr. Bronx Dave Wolfe, mixer.
Continuing their partnership to combat the mental health crisis among America’s youth, the Ad Council and McCann New York have released the latest installment of the “Sound It Out” campaign which focuses on helping parents and caregivers have meaningful conversations with their kids about emotional wellbeing.
The new work, “Listening is a Form of Love,” focuses on the important role parents and caregivers play in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and is supported by new data from Surgo Health’s Youth Mental Health Tracker. The survey highlights that: 55% of youth (ages 10-24) report mental health struggles; and one in five youth report symptoms of depression, and one in four report symptoms of anxiety.
The film includes an interactive digital experience that invites parents to practice “holding space” by pressing the space bar to listen to kids sharing what they wish their parents could hear, in their own words. Along with this literal interpretation of the active listening the campaign encourages, the website also gives valuable tools to help parents and caregivers be better listeners, and in turn, better support their kids.
There is also this 60-second PSA--directed by Alex Fischman Cardenas via Greenpoint Pictures--which underscores the power and importance of listening to your loved ones.
