The Kangaroo Project

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SHOOT MAGAZINE

5/14/2004

Kangaroo Targets HIV/AIDS

by Robert Goldrich

Minneapolis - Sponsored by the nonprofit Sean Francis Foundation to mentor promising creative and filmmaking talent via the production of a public service TV spot that is guaranteed air time, the Kangaroo Project now enters the third year of its annual competition, looking to extend its reach nationally. The 2004 Kangaroo Project is seeking concepts for a PSA that addresses the HIV/AIDS epidemic among young people.

Concepts from the PSA come from anywhere and anyone; deadline for submissions is June 11. The first round of judging will cull those entries down to 10 finalists. Judges will consist of a cross-section of agency creatives and filmmaking artisans in Minneapolis, where the Sean Francis Foundation is headquartered. Then a national panel of judges - drawn in large part from those assessing the work at this year's Minneapolis Advertising Federation Awards - will scrutinize those 10 finalists and select the winning concept.

Once the concept it chosen, directorial entrants will submit treatments so that they can be considered to helm the project. Again, anyone can submit a treatment - established directors, aspiring directors, editors, ad agency artisans and others who would like to take a crack at directing a worthwhile PSA. Deadline for treatment submissions is July 30. Plans call for production of the winning spot to get underway in September.

The Kangaroo Project has partnered with the Minnesota chapter of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), a national fundraising organization dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS. DIFFA has guaranteed that it will secure airtime for the PSA. The spot will also be screened for an industry audience at the Minneapolis Advertising Federation Awards in October. Since it's inception in '84, DIFFA has raised and distributed more than $31 million nationally to help fund 1,500 AIDS/HIV organizations. With 15-plus chapters, DIFFA has defined its mission as drawing upon the talents and commitments of professionals in the design industry to produce major fundraising events, develop merchandising programs, and raise continuous awareness to fight HIV/AIDS.

In it's inaugural year of '02, the Kangaroo Project turned out a motorcycle traffic safety PSA. Last year, the PSA promoted organ donation. In year one, concept entries were primarily from the Minnesota community. Year two was the submissions increase a bit from other markets. Now in '04, the Kangaroo Project is looking for a more significant percentage of entries to come from all over the country. Toward that end, Kangaroo Project organizers have put together a trade print ad campaign, which they will soon unveil.

The ads show an opened condom packet, which contains a mini film reel. On the packaging is a Kangaroo logo, an expiration date of June 11 and an advisory warning that reads, "If used properly, your TV concept will help reduce the risk of transmission of HIV infection (AIDS)."

Kirk Hokanson, owner/president of Voodoo Films, Minneapolis, a key member of The Kangaroo Project team, related "There's been an explosion in terms of HIV/AIDS infections among young people - party because people that age have immortality and invincibility as part of their psyche. Also, there's te notion that with drug cocktails, you don't have to worry. There have been focus groups of kids in their mid-teens, and the results of this research are sadly that many kids don't want to get tested, don't care and don't really want to know. Research shows that scare tactics in advertising don't work, celebrity stand-ups don't work. We need an inspired creative vision in order to reach young people."

Hokanson, who is also president of the Minnesota chapter of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), added that in order to help ensure that inspired creative is rooted in knowledge of the HIV/AIDS problem, there are links on the Kangaroo Project web site ( www.kangarooproject.com ) to DIFFA and other sources. The Web site also contains info on the Kangaroo Project, including entry forms, eligibility criteria and background on the competition.

As in years past, Kangaroo Project organizers will line up industry talent and resources to donate time and services to the production of the PSA. Also being gathered is a coterie of apprentices, called Joeys, who are interested in learning about the business and gaining on-the-job training and mentoring. Prospective Joeys can apply to work on this year's PSA by logging onto the Kangaroo Project Web site. For example, last year's PSA on organ donation deployed some 30 crew members and 27 Joeys. In '02, the mix for the motorcycle safety PSA was 60 crew members and 45 Joeys.

Genesis - Julie Hartley, a veteran producer and production manager, teamed with several members of the Minnesota production community, including Hokanson, to form the Sean Francis Foundation, named after her 20-year-old son who died in a motorcycle accident in '00. From the Sean Francis Foundation sprung the Kangaroo Project.

Francis was a production assistant and an aspiring producer. But with Francis' life cut short, the Kangaroo Project was initiated to make an ongoing positive filmmaking contribution in his memory through nurturing and the opening up of new creative opportunities for deserving creatives, directors and crew members - in some cases, helping them to start their careers.

The Kangaroo moniker grew out of the fact that the animal nurtures its baby in her pouch. The apprenticeships parallel this in that experienced crew members help Joeys take a hop forward in their chosen profession. The Kangaroo designation was also chosen because Francis was born in Australia.

Last year's Kangaroo Project resulted in the production of "Beautiful People," a spot conceived by Brian Hurley who shortly thereafter landed a staff position at Martin/Williams Advertising, Minneapolis. The PSA, which promoted organ donation, was directed by Josh Thacker, an editor at Fischer Edit, Minneapolis.

Hartley noted that "Beautiful People" figures to get more airplay in the coming weeks to help promote the Transplant Games, which are set for July in Minneapolis. People who have undergone transplants, as well as organ donors from around the world gather to compete in different athletic events at the Transplant Games, which are sponsored by the Fairview University

Transplant Center in Minneapolis.

High on Hartley's agenda is gaining greater national exposure for Kangaroo Project PSA's. The original motorcycle safety PSA, for example, was distributed throughout the country by the National Association of Broadcasters. At press time, that spot was slated to debut on a TV station in Florida. Hartley reasoned that DIFFA's national reach should help this year's winning PSA garner significant airtime in the US.