Kangaroo Project Kicks-Off Year Two

Organ donation to be focus of PSA competition

April 16 , 2003

Minneapolis–The Kangaroo Project will be kicking off its second annual public service announcement (PSA) competition next week with the unveiling of this year’s theme: organ donation. The announcement will be made at an event at First Avenue and 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, April 23, 5:30 p.m.

The Kangaroo Project is the creative brainchild of Minnesota-based non-profit organization the Sean Francis Foundation (SFF). It is a first-of-its-kind competition that focuses on a single PSA – from concept through completion – with a predetermined cause-related theme. According to SFF President and film producer Julie Hartley, “Organ donation was selected because for every 63 people who receive an organ transplant each day, another 16 people on the waiting list die because there are simply not enough organs available.” SFF is partnering with the Transplant Center at Fairview – University Medical Center, which performs more living donor organ transplants than any other institution in the world.

Beyond fostering the creation of worthwhile PSAs, The Kangaroo Project’s secondary goal is to mentor people in the craft of television commercial production. Each year, experienced crew members mentor apprentices (“Joeys”) during the production of the selected spot. “The goal is to train new talent by giving them an opportunity to work with a professional team in a professional environment and to encourage the creative community to take a leap forward in their careers,” Hartley explained.

The Kangaroo Project is a two-pronged competition. First, the Concept Competition is held (entry deadline June 6) – in which entrants are judged on the merits of the actual concept itself. The winner will be announced at the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show at the Children’s Theater/Minneapolis Institute of Arts on June 26. This is followed by the Director Competition (entry deadline July 28), from which a director will be selected based on submitted proposals. The winning treatment will be announced in early August, and the spot will premiere at the Minnesota Advertising Federation’s “The Show” in October.

Two judging panels, comprised of top advertising and production professionals from around the country, will base their deliberations on idea concept and development; written presentation of concept; relevance of the proposal; and feasibility of implementation.

The 2002 competition attracted 49 entries in its inaugural year. Last year’s theme was motorcycle safety, due to the fact that SFF memorializes Sean Francis, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2000 at the age of 20. The winning PSA is airing extensively in Minnesota and several other states, and recently was recognized at the Houston Worldfest awards program.

For more information on the Kangaroo Project, go to kangarooproject.com or contact Kirk Hokanson at 612/617-0000. To learn about organ donation, go to fairviewtransplant.org.