SOLUTION: Achievement Plus—Centers on the Whole Child, a video showcasing the impact of Achievement Plus reflected in the faces of the youth that participate. Teachers, parents, and Achievement Plus staff explain in words the philosophy and affects of the initiative. The video employs diverse images of the students involved in a variety of activities from science and gardening, to art and woodworking, to illustrate the positive potential of the program.

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

CHALLENGE: Teens like junkfood. It is hard to get them interested in eating well. ACS was looking for a way to educate and motivate teens to eat healthy thereby reducing their risk of disease. They needed to show teens that it's not difficult to get the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, it just requires a bit of creativity.

SOLUTION: Talk Shop. An MTV-style talk show with a cool host named Doctor D. Throughout the video, Dr. D interviews his rock star guest and quizzes her on her knowledge of healthy eating. The show features call-in questions and and interview with a juggling doctor as well as fun graphics, appetizing food, and a few surprises along the way. The program has been very successful at promoting healthy eating habits in an exciting way teens can relate to.

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD

SOLUTION: The Adventures of Pep and Fresh: The Choke's on You, featuring the loveable, quirky professor named NOSMO KING ("That's NO SMOKING, get it?"). NOSMO is joined in his wacky laboratory by two kids, Pep and Fresh, who want all the facts on smoking. The program addresses key concerns about cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. It stresses responsibility for one's own health and promotes the positive choices kids can make about tobacco.

The dangers of smoking are represented by NOSMO's archenemy NIC O'TINE, who NOSMO must battle as he keeps appearing in his computer. Even the kids know NOSMO can take him, NIC O'TINE is in rotten shape from smoking. The program has been a huge hit in elementary schools and has won several major awards.

HAZELDEN FOUNDATION: Drug Prevention

CHALLENGE: Methamphetamine is an extremely dangerous and addictive drug and its use is growing nationwide at an alarming rate. Hazelden was looking for a way to create a drug prevention video about methamphetamine for a high school aged audience. Unfortunately, drug prevention videos often carry a bad reputation with young people who have grown weary of the same heavy-handed message and out-of-date style.

SOLUTION: Walking On Thin Ice, a provocative 20-minute video that turns conventions about drug videos upside down. It opens with a parody of the old school drug film scare tactic and quickly moves into what is reality for teenagers today. Powerful testimonials are heard from youth that have been there, done that, and somehow lived to tell about it. Interviews with paramedics and police officers spell out facts about the drug's physical and mental affects. A visit to the morgue helps reinforce the possibility of its final consequence. The video actually closes positively with an up-beat look at ideas from other teens on how to avoid and refuse drugs.

 

SOLUTION: Blue Moon created a compelling narrative built around the fictional story of Conner, a once talented architect whose struggle with alcohol abuse has slowly crept into the lives of everyone at the firm. As Conner's drinking spirals out of control, his work performance goes downhill and his moods and behavior become less predictable.

His co-workers find themselves covering for his errors and shouldering more and more of his workload. His manager, Lou, is at first reluctant to take action, fearful of losing a talented employee, but soon finds himself dealing with resentful employees, angry clients and the prospect of losing a large project. Finally he takes his problem to the Human Relations Director and together they come up with a plan that offers Conner the help he needs and stems the damage to the company.

In addition to this engaging and dramatic narrative, crucial information is provided through a drug and alcohol abuse counselor specializing in crisis management. His testimony provides managers and supervisors with the information they need to know when addressing substance abuse problems in the workplace.

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HOUSING MINNESOTA Affordable Housing Media Campaign

CHALLENGE: There is a crisis in our midst -- silent and hidden, but devastating in its consequences. We have allowed housing to become so scarce and expensive that thousands of people cannot find a decent place they can afford. In the Twin Cities alone, current estimates suggest a housing shortage of almost 40,000 units, and 185,000 families are paying more than they can afford for their housing.

SOLUTION: Last October Blue Moon was selected to join a partnership that included public relations firm Tunheim Santrizos and housing advocacy organization Minnesota Housing Partnership to design a media campaign that addresses the housing crisis in Minnesota. The initiative was funded in-part by a grant from The Minneapolis Foundation.

Based on the research from several national studies and the communications plan authored by Tunheim Santrizos, Blue Moon assembled a creative team. Will Hommeyer headed up the team and art directed the campaign components. It included the HousingMinnesota name and logo, radio spots, billboards and transit signs, newspaper ads, CD-ROM and an 8-page color brochure.

The campaign development and design phase took 9 months to complete and included input from a group of about twenty collaborative nonprofit organizations. The creative elements included campaign concepts, logo designs, photography, creative writing, poetry, personal profiles, graphic design, and original music. We even got the Governor to narrate one of the radio spots.

Blue Moon produced a cohesive and powerful campaign. It surpassed our clients' expectations and recently won a top award from the National Low Income Housing Coalition in Seattle, Washington.

"I don't have to worry about where we're going to sleep..." Joe Letendre

"The help we are getting here has made life worth living". Helen Stone

IN THE HEART OF THE BEAST PUPPET & MASK THEATRE

CHALLENGE: HOTB Creative Director Sandy Spieler wanted a video instillation to augment the exhibition Theatre of Wonder, a major retrospective at the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum. The exhibit coincided with the 25 anniversary of the theatre and celebrated their creative and innovative work. The puppets were beautifully displayed in groupings thought out the museum along with the application of lots of brightly colored paint. But puppets don't move. They are static when not in use. A video, however, can bring them to life. The viewer has the opportunity to see and hear the puppets in action on the stage and on the street.

 

SOLUTION: Blue Moon created two videos for the exhibition. Out of the Mud is a 60 minute documentary that covers the first 25 years of HOTB¹s mainstage productions and May Day is a short video that focuses on the annual May Day Parade. Producer/director Will Hommeyer captured the spirit of this anything but ordinary theatre group by interweaving historical performance footage and behind the scenes footage and music with interview segments of some of the principal artists who have been part of the Theatre's history. According to Curator Colleen Sheehy, "The videos are great.... It was the largest and one of the best attended exhibits in the history of the museum". Both video programs are for sale at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre 612-721-2535.

MINNESOTA SOYBEAN GROWERS ASSOCIATION

CHALLENGE: The soybean is underrated (and it really doesn't get much press). The MSGA wanted to increase soybean awareness; their nutritional value as well as their many uses in industrial products such as printing ink and building materials. They especially wanted to introduce soybeans to kids.

 

The video is a zany, fast-paced piece packed full of great information and hosted by a character named The Dean of Beans (a man who knows more about soybeans than even Bill Nye the Science Guy). The CD-ROM provides an interactive exercise called Operation Soybean, in which a student explores different rooms around the Dean's laboratory to find even more fun information about agriculture, soybean history, nutrition, and industrial uses for our little bean buddies.

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MINNESOTA STATE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL