YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!
A Fresh Approach to Fundraising
When Crystal Pix was asked to create a unique approach for last year's United Way of Rochester campaign film, I wanted to make sure we created a story that would grab people's attention, maybe startle them a little, but absolutely engage them to hear the message we wanted to deliver. So, of course, what works best for fundraising? Comedy! ??????
I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I did a table read of the script to United Way of Rochester CEO, Fran Weisberg and then Campaign Chair, Marty Mucci, President and CEO of Paychex, Inc. ... especially when I broke down some of the scenes for them:
"Then Danny starts a fight at the Town Hall and is arrested ...
... then he meets this guy Diesel in the jail cell ..."
"Then Esther takes a bite of this red hot pepper ...
... and she guzzles down about a quart of water and it's dripping ALL over!"
"And then Danny is scaling this 4-story building ...
... and then a firefighter extends his hand from the ladder truck ..."
So, let's bring in 3 firetrucks, the local police department, 6 lbs. of peppers, 150-feet of climbing rope ... add in an inmate's uniform, 4 tables of gaudy, knitted sweaters and 200 extras ... plus multiple Canon 5Ds, GoPros, 4 days of video production and a whole lot AutoDesk Flame work and Mocha Tracking ... and we had our campaign film!
Needless to say, a lot of trust was bestowed upon me in creating this film and I have to say, it WORKED! The campaign was a success and they reached their goal. Enjoy the fruits (or peppers) of our labor: