Change the Ref, Energy BBDO Stage A Sobering Recruiting Drive To Combat Gun Violence

This film highlights a “New Recruits” activation in Montclair, NJ, created by Energy BBDO on behalf of Change the Ref, a leading gun-control organization. The event took place last Saturday and was hosted by Change the Ref founders Manuel and Patricia Oliver whose son Joaquin “Guac” Oliver and 16 others were murdered, the victims of gun violence, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Flynn Drew directed the film via Energy BBDO.

“New Recruits” seeks to enlist children for action in the heart of a warzone, showcasing the shocking fact that if they were active-duty military, they might face a safer reality than the one America’s gun-centric culture has wrought at home. The event took place at a “faux-recruitment” center--the key message being, “Send your children to war. It’s safer than sending them to school.”

The goal is to raise awareness about the crushing reality our children face every day, amplify awareness for the Change the Ref organization, and push for a ban on weapons of war.

The catalyst for this idea started with a tweet from President Biden who shared the statistic that over the last two decades, more school-aged children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active-duty military combined.