The onion alert is in full effect. Skype has been promoting their global capabilities with a “Stay Together” campaign produced by Pereira & O’Dell, and the fourth video in the series, “The Born Friends Family Portrait,” is a smart showcase of the program’s utility. Two girls, Sarah from Indiana and Paige from Auckland, were both born without fully developed left arms and formed a long distance friendship over the years. Sarah and Paige are now teenagers, and as you can see in the accompanying clip, finally met in-person. It’s touching and respectfully filmed.
The three prior videos cover similar stories – a father talking to his family still in Africa, a zookeeper in America keeping tabs on an animal family in Australia, and a two young cousins (common theme) closing the gap between Brazil and America. We should probably expect more tearjerkers from Skype, because these are the kind of tales that sell themselves. No misdirection or exploitation, just a documentary setup that has the right kind of appeal. Credits after the jump.
Chief Creative Officer – PJ Pereira
Executive Creative Director – Jaime Robinson
Creative Director – Jonathan Woytek
Senior Art Director – Tim Delger
Senior Copywriter – Katie Brinkworth
VP, Client Services – Gary Theut
Account Director – Ivy Truong
Account Supervisor – Ali Forgeron
Account Executive – Michael Reardon
VP, Strategy – Nick Chapman
VP, Media Strategy – Joshua Brandau
Strategy Director – Justin Cox
Associate Strategy Director – Jasmine Summerset
Media Strategist – Liz Wood
VP, Production – Jeff Ferro
Senior Integrated Producer – Victoria Whitlow
Senior Broadcast Producer – Elisa Moore
Senior Integrated Producer – Erin Davis
Print Producer – James Sablan
Filming was shot by directors Peking (Gregory Mitnick and Nat Livingston Johnson) via Station Film with executive producer Caroline Gibney and producer Sarah McMurray.
Photographer/Artist: John Clang
Editor Jessica Congdon at Umlaut Films with assistant editors Peter Geiger and Michael Pavoni, colorist Ivan Miller, executive producer Gina Locurio and producer Kelly Gibbs.