With the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting coming up this Sunday, BBDO New York crafted a PSA campaign for Sandy Hook Promise, an gun violence prevention organization formed in the wake of that tragedy.
In the three-minute video “Monsters Under the Bed,” an interviewer has children draw pictures of monsters and then interviews parents asking them what they do to protect their children from these imaginary creatures, with parents offering up a range of responses. Then the interviewer changes the conversation, asking, “How do you protect them from gun violence?” Most of the parents just sit silently with a pained expression, and not one is able to offer a satisfying answer. BBDO New York drives the message home when text appears onscreen reading, “Last year, zero kids were killed by monsters under the bed. Let’s protect our kids from the real threats…so they can continue being afraid of the imaginary ones.”
The video ends by directing viewers to SandyHookPromise.org, where the organization offers parents, students and teachers tools and programs to prevent future gun violence, including mental wellness, social development and gun safety approaches.”Monsters Under the Bed” is being promoted on social channels including Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, and Twitter.
Additionally, BBDO New York worked with director Tarik Karam and executive producer Stephen Daldry to create a short documentary film called What They Left Behind. The documentary tells the story of three children who lost their lives to gun-related violence: “from a 17–year-old girl who committed suicide with her father’s gun; to an argument among young teenage boys in Iowa that ended in bloodshed; to the Barden family who lost their 7-year-old son in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.”
“In the two years since I lost my son, I have been speaking with communities across the country to better understand the causes of gun violence,” said Nicole Hockley, communications director for Sandy Hook Promise and mother of six-year-old Sandy Hook victim Dylan. “What we have learned is that, as a nation, we can help to prevent tens of thousands of gun deaths, by first learning the warning signs of violent behavior and focusing on community-based programs to help and heal those most at risk.”
Stick around for the 35-minute What They Left Behind, along with credits, after the jump.
Credits:
Client: Sandy Hook Promise
Agency: BBDO New York
Title: “Monsters Under the Bed” [3 minute film]
“What They Left Behind” [35 minute documentary]
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Peter Alsante
Senior Copywriter: Ryan Lawrence
Senior Art Director: James Kuczynski
Executive Producer: Julian Katz
Producer: Mona Lisa Farrokhnia
Music Producer: Rani Vaz
Account Director: Lindsey Conklin
Group Director, Behavioral Planning: Gordon McLean
Production Company: BULLITT, Los Angeles
Director: Tarik Karam
Director of Photography: Brian Burgoyne
Executive Producer: Stephen Daldry
Executive Producer: Todd Makurath
Line Producer: Nathaniel Greene
Researcher: Katrina Parks
Editorial Company: Final Cut, New York
Editor: JD Smyth
Editor: Spencer Campbell
Post Producer: Mackenzie Alexander
Executive Producer: Lauren Bleiweiss
Finishing Producer: Alek Rost
Audio Engineer: T. Terressa Tate
Flame Artist: Cecil Hooker
President: Stephanie Apt
Music: Ben Lukas Boysen
Composer: Ben Lukas Boysen
Color Correction: Company 3, New York
Colorist: Damien Van Der Cruyssen
DI Producer: Rhonda L. Moore
Color Assistant: Matt Paul
Executive Producer: Stefan Sonnenfeld