Eleven survivors.
One familiar song.
A PSA that changes what the song means.
Eleven survivors of school shootings recite a familiar pop song, and the song changes meaning under them.
My contribution was collaborative writing around the reveal, pacing, and call to action, within a process led by the creative team and survivor advocates.
The piece gave the testimony room to alter the meaning of a familiar song, then directed people toward Know the Signs and the practical work of prevention.
The reveal was where the writing carried the most responsibility
The reveal changes how the audience hears the song. I worked on the pacing and surrounding language so the survivors could speak, followed by a clear invitation to learn the signs and help prevent violence.
The testimony carried the piece. My writing supported the pacing and structure around it, with care for what viewers were hearing as the PSA unfolded.
I worked on where the surrounding language was needed and where it should leave space. The speakers’ own language was protected throughout.
Teenage Dream received the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. In the year between its launch and the Emmy, participation in Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs programs grew from more than 14 million people to more than 18 million.
Those numbers belong to the campaign and the program. My part was the collaborative writing, inside a larger effort led by the creative team and survivor advocates.
The audience hears the song change meaning.
A clear reason to learn the signs.
Sandy Hook Promise’s prevention programs.
Give viewers a clear route to prevention information and resources.
After hearing those experiences, a viewer needed to understand what they could do next. Know the Signs connected the attention the PSA received to Sandy Hook Promise’s educational work.
Campaign result.
Program totals belong to Sandy Hook Promise. Learn the signs at sandyhookpromise.org.
Eleven survivors. One familiar song. A PSA that changes what the song means.
Eleven survivors of school shootings recite a familiar pop song, and the song changes meaning under them.
My contribution was collaborative writing around the reveal, pacing, and call to action, within a process led by the creative team and survivor advocates.
The piece gave the testimony room to alter the meaning of a familiar song, then directed people toward Know the Signs and the practical work of prevention.
The reveal was where the writing carried the most responsibility
The reveal changes how the audience hears the song. I worked on the pacing and surrounding language so the survivors could speak, followed by a clear invitation to learn the signs and help prevent violence.
The testimony carried the piece. My writing supported the pacing and structure around it, with care for what viewers were hearing as the PSA unfolded.
I worked on where the surrounding language was needed and where it should leave space. The speakers’ own language was protected throughout.
Teenage Dream received the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial. In the year between its launch and the Emmy, participation in Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs programs grew from more than 14 million people to more than 18 million.
Those numbers belong to the campaign and the program. My part was the collaborative writing, inside a larger effort led by the creative team and survivor advocates.
The audience hears the song change meaning.
A clear reason to learn the signs.
Sandy Hook Promise’s prevention programs.
Give viewers a clear route to prevention information and resources.
After hearing those experiences, a viewer needed to understand what they could do next. Know the Signs connected the attention the PSA received to Sandy Hook Promise’s educational work.
Campaign result.
Program totals belong to Sandy Hook Promise. Learn the signs at sandyhookpromise.org.