The Hard Work Club has been busy developing their brand, creating their shop and figuring how to jump on the Canadian creative scene in style. Last Friday, the agency launched its first work with its “The Mother Rising” campaign for the Canadian Women’s Foundation for Mother’s Day.
May is Maternal Mental Health Month and statistics show women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, spending an average of 95 hours per week in caregiving roles. All that work creates an undue amount of stress, which leads to spikes in depression and anxiety. In fact, 35% of Canadian mothers have reported symptoms of depression, which is up 19% from last year.
“The Mother Rising,” produced by an all-female crew, was created to highlight the real mother and showcase how they should be portrayed properly and offered justice for how they are not.
“It was important for us to launch with a campaign that was meaningful to us personally, and a call for positive change,” Meghan Kraemer, Hard Work Club partner and creative director said in a statement. “The pandemic laid bare the challenges facing mothers like never before, exposing ‘balance’ for the falsehood it is. We believe mothers and the work of motherhood should be put in a new light.”
The campaign aims for just that with a 90-second empowerment anthem calling for justice and equality for women from all walks of life. The narrator of the spot commands the audience’s attention by speaking about the different types of mothers–from adaptive and adoptive, mothers “on the Zoom” to those “still not in the room.” The script continues “Let’s see the strength she carries. Help her rise up.”
“There’s never been a more important time to focus on diverse mothers and family caregivers in Canada,” Andrea Gunraj, vp, public engagement at the Canadian Women’s Foundation, said in a statement. “This campaign opens space for them to tell their stories without judgement, to be angry and frustrated at the ways they’re expected to hold it together with such little support, and share what systemic changes need to happen so they can have a better future. This isn’t just a mothers issue; this is an all-of-us issue and it’s time for us to rise up with them.”
To learn about “The Mother Rising” campaign, visit canadianwomen.org/the-mother-rising.
Credits:
Senior Director, Public Engagement: Sarah Ruddle
Vice President, Public Engagement: Andrea Gunraj
Vice President, Philanthropy: Suzanne Duncan
Agency: Hard Work Club
Creative Directors/Creative Team: Meghan Kraemer, Christian Buer
Agency Producer: Sam Benson
Business Lead: Cameron Stark
Production Company: Fela
Managing Partners/Executive Producers: Director X, Taj Critchlow
Chief Operating Officer: Dean Rosen
Head of Production: Amir Karimi
Production Manager: Keisha Beattie
Director: Kimberley Veitch
Assistant Director: angelicamilash
Producer: Mikayla Fusollo
Director of Photography: Nina Djacic
First AC: Avigal Levona
Second AC: Alissa Dawn
Gaffer: Rory Sommerville-Bathmaker
Key Grip: Asmaa Er-Rouhi
Swing: Hala Sadovy
Makeup Artist: Temi Shobowale
Key Production Assistant: Ariel Hughes
Covid Coordinator: Pouria Midavoodi
Casting: Jesse Griffiths Casting/Jesse Griffiths
Editing House: School Editing
Executive Producer: Yumi Suyama
Editor: Lauren Horn
Colour/Online: Studio Feather
Executive Producer: Sara Windrim
Producer: Rebeca Ortiz
Colourist: Ana Escorse
Kinetic Typography Artist: Sonia Ruffolo
Audio House: SNDWRx
Executive Producer: Alison Lawee
Singer/Songwriter: NEFE
Music/Mix: Didier Tovel