LBP recently had the pleasure of working with Pennebaker/FifthRing and the United Way of Greater Houston on the 2010 -2011 Campaign video, a very exciting and moving project. Our team worked closely with Susan Pennebaker - Agency Principal and Halina Dodd - Associate Creative Director from Pennebaker as well as, Anne Neeson – VP Donor Relations, Krista Heide – Sr. Relationship Manager, Brand Donor Relations and Ed Davis – Director, Media and Public Relations of  United Way. The project consists of the 2010 -2011 campaign video, two PSA’s and a series of web videos. LBP’s Producer, Linda Ruff and Director, Kenny Benitez, along with Susan Ellis of Ellis Creative Group, took the chalkboard designs Pennebaker created for the print campaign and adapted it for video.

The concept of the video centered on drawing tally marks on the chalkboard with each tally representing a person United Way has assisted and the countless possibilities available to them. United Way provided us with everyday people who had called on United Way for assistance.  The United Way beneficiaries came from every background with very different needs but all had two things in common – they appreciated the assistance and support provided by United Way and have benefitted greatly from it. From substance abuse recovery to after school programs to senior assistance programs – we covered it all. To get the real emotion and relaxed answers so imperative to the concept, Locke Bryan stepped in as interviewer.  He was able to put the talent at ease and get the honesty the client was looking for.  Each story, told from the heart, demonstrated the impact United Way has in our community.

Director Kenny Benitez set the mood using the two Canon 5D cameras to capture the emotional stories. Day one, the LBP team rolled our chalkboard through the halls of a local middle school where we shot in an empty classroom and their Auditorium.  A United Way agency site provided us with our second location at their beautiful new headquarters in Houston where we were able to interview several more lives touched by United Way.

In Post Production, Kenny Benitez crafted the stories into the project’s final form and, working with Illustrator Matt McLoed, spent long hours working in Photo Shop Illustrator and After Effects to create the intricate chalk animations that appear throughout the program. Composer Stephen Benitez added the final touch with a custom score.

An amazing organization, great interviews and hours of post creativity resulted in a moving video. Until this shoot, we had no idea how many organizations United Way sponsored. LBP was honored to be able to be a part of telling their story.