Out of pure curiosity, Colle McVoy creative director Lydia Choi posed the following questions at a client kickoff: “Who introduced you to fishing? Do you still fish? If not, what happened?”
Unanimously, the women at the meeting chimed in with very similar experiences: “Yes, I’ve fished–and my dad/grandpa/uncle taught me when I was a kid. In my pre-teen years though, the invitation to fish fell off. So, I stopped fishing–though my family member still does with friends.”
Nearly two years later, Take Me Fishing (Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation) is rolling out a national campaign encouraging dads to invite their daughters back out on the water for Father’s Day while echoing the stories of these women and women from across the U.S.
Centerpiece of the campaign is this animated short, “Second Catch,” created by Colle McVoy in partnership with Minneapolis based MAKE studio, with Andrew Chesworth serving as animation director. A daughter and a granddaughter learn how to fish–and love it–but this time around hopefully the new generation will get the chance to continue, taking the prior generation along for the return ride.
“There’s beautiful imperfection in this story that we wanted to claim without making anyone feel bad,” shared Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation marketing director Rachel Piacenz. “What causes people to fall away from and then back to fishing are subtle–and we see that unfold in how this tradition is passed down from one generation to the next.”
Over 1,000 animation artist hours and almost five years (1,728 days) of render time were recorded from when work kicked off in late February until the final animation shipped in late May.
According to the team, it was important to go the animation route to give viewers the canvas space to see themselves in the story.
“We did explore telling this story through live-action. Ultimately we felt animation was necessary for telling the story with the passage of time, giving people the space to see themselves in the animated characters. There’s so much magic to sprinkle around through animation–every expression, texture, lighting and more. We imagined and the talented hands at MAKE manifested even the most minute details,” said Colle McVoy’s Choi.
“Fishing is about so much more than just catching a fish,” shared Colle McVoy ECD Dustin Black. “While I wait and watch the bobber in the water with my daughter, I’m making memories I’ll never forget.”
The “Second Catch” animated film will receive significant distribution within Disney CTV which includes Disney+, Hulu, and DXP (DXP is Disney’s streaming solution providing reach across Disney’s vast portfolio of TV networks such as Disney kid’s networks, ABC, ESPN, Freeform, National Geographic and more).
The animated video cuts will run across Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok.
CreditsClient Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation Agency Colle McVoy Ciro Sarmiento, chief creative officer; Dustin Black, executive creative director; Lydia Choi, creative director; Greta Hatzung, designer; Kelly Herring, copywriter; Allison Sadeghi, sr. producer. Production Company MAKE Danny Robashkin, creative director; Owen Robashkin, exec producer; Aaron Dabelow, producer; Andrew Chesworth, animation director; Aaron Dabelow, technical director; Alec Soelle, Alex McKenzie, Josh Schneider, Kevin Wisdom, story artists; Jacklyn Heeyun Kim, Josh Schneider, Menghan Wang, Pei Hua Yang, Rayna Buxton, designers; Alex McKenzie, Angie Orbeta, Anushka Sudhakar, Cody Vinson, Daniel Blanco Ramos, David Almeida, Dusty Smith, Felix Eyal, Guga Baraldi, Jean Moreno, Jeffer Rossi, Jesus Gutierrez Fernandez, Joe Kim, Jordan Powers, Jun Liu, Kevin Wisdom, Lauren Carr, Ling Zhao, Lisa Cui, Paola Velez-Miranda, Riley Eastman, Sofia Tonin, Stanley McNeiece, Szu Yu Liao, Zaini Jalani, 3D artists.
The Best Work You May Never See: Ad Council, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, GSD&M, Director Andre Muir Show Us “The Bravest Thing”
As Suicide Prevention Month begins, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Ad Council teamed with agency GSD&M to roll out PSAs for their national campaign: “Don’t Wait. Reach Out.” The initiative, which started in 2021, urges Veterans who are facing challenges to visit VA.gov/REACH, a comprehensive website that helps them access the many resources available.
The PSAs, including this one titled “The Bravest Thing,” were directed by Andre Muir of production house SMUGGLER. “The Bravest Thing” acknowledges that it can be hard for Veterans to reach out if they’re struggling--but in the eyes of their loved ones, seeking help is an act of bravery. By featuring Veterans alongside their friends and family, the film encourages Veterans to open up if they’re struggling and reminds everyone that they can play a role in supporting Veterans in their lives.
“When a Veteran is ready to reach out, VA is ready to provide services and support. One of the bravest things Veterans can do is ask for help,” said Dr. Matthew Miller, executive director, VA Office of Suicide Prevention. “These new messages are powerful and compassionate additions to the ‘Don’t Wait. Reach Out.’ campaign that features the voices of loved ones, underscoring the vital role that family and friends play in supporting Veterans. We all play a role in suicide prevention and this call to action engages community and connections, which are crucial in preventing Veteran suicide. Through this campaign, we can spread hope that Veterans, and all of us, can overcome crises and difficult life challenges.”
6,392 Veterans lost their lives to suicide in 2021, according to the latest data from the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.... Read More