There are so many anthem films in the world; probably too many. But this one doesn’t fit in; doesn’t follow the pattern; has real oomph.
This Mother’s Day campaign, The Mother Rising, for Canadian Women’s Foundation was created by Toronto’s newest agency, Hard Work Club. It was produced by an all-female crew headed by director, Kimberley Veitch, who has dedicated her career to empowering women and raising awareness of social injustice against women. The spot was specifically created to capture the nuance missing from so many portrayals of mothers in advertising and culture, where mothers are often presented as one-dimensional caregivers, carrying out chores like laundry or the dishes.
Women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, currently spending an average of 95 hours per week in caregiving roles. That has led to elevated levels of depression and anxiety, with 35% of mothers reporting symptoms of depression last year, up from 19% pre-pandemic according to Statistics Canada.
“There’s never been a more important time to focus on diverse mothers and family caregivers in Canada,” stated Andrea Gunraj, vice president of public engagement at the Canadian Women’s Foundation. “The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on them has been dire, especially for those facing multiple barriers such as racism, poverty, and gender-based violence. This campaign opens space for them to tell their stories without judgement, to be angry and frustrated at the ways they’re expected to hold it together with such little support and share what systemic changes need to happen so they can have a better future. This isn’t just a mothers’ issue; this is an all-of-us issue and it’s time for us to rise up with them.”
“It was important for us to launch with a campaign that was meaningful to us personally, and a call for positive change,” added Hard Work Club partner and creative director, Meghan Kraemer, one of three founders of the agency, alongside partner and creative director design, Christian Buer and Cameron Stark, partner growth and operations. “The pandemic laid bare the challenges facing mothers like never before, exposing ‘balance’ for the falsehood it is. We believe mothers and the work of motherhood should be put in a new light.”
Hard Work Club is the result of a longstanding association between Kraemer and Buer, who first studied together at OCADU more than a decade ago. The pair met Stark when they worked together at The Hive in 2015 as the leads on the Coca-Cola account, and the trio realised they shared the same goals and career objectives as well as the philosophy that “change is worth changing for”.
“We want to create the best work of our lives, free from the complications and roadblocks some traditional agency models present,” Buer stated. “We want to work with like-minded clients and organisations that align with our values and desire to do things differently. Category disruption is the stuff our dreams are made of.”
“We’re all no-nonsense, heart-on-our-sleeves type people, and for one reason or another we’ve spent our careers thus far feeling a little bit like outsiders,” added Stark. “We’re not interested in ‘playing the game’. We want to make work we’re proud of, for clients we believe in.”
The Mother Rising is being supported by donated media including digital pre-roll, and the Instagram feeds of several well-known momfluencers. The Canadian Women’s Foundation is also running the video on its social media channels. On top of the spot launching for Mother’s Day, it supports Maternal Mental Health Month (May) and Maternal Mental Health Day (May 5).
Credits:
Client: Canadian Women’s Foundation
Senior Director, Public Engagement: Sarah Ruddle
Vice President, Public Engagement: Andrea Gunraj
Vice President, Philanthropy: Suzanne Duncan
Agency: Hard Work Club
Creative Directors & Creative Team: Meghan Kraemer & Christian Buer
Agency Producer: Sam Benson
Business Lead: Cameron Stark
Production Company: Fela
Managing Partners & Executive Producers: Director X & Taj Critchlow
Chief Operating Officer: Dean Rosen
Head of Production: Amir Karimi
Production Manager: Keisha Beattie
Director: Kimberley Veitch
Assistant Director: angelicamilash
Producer: Mikayla Fusollo
Director of Photography: Nina Djacic
First AC: Avigal Levona
Casting: Jesse Griffiths @ Jesse Griffiths Casting
Editing House: School Editing
Executive Producer: Yumi Suyama
Editor: Lauren Horn
Colour & Online: Studio Feather
Executive Producer: Sara Windrim
Producer: Rebeca Ortiz
Colourist: Ana Escorse
Kinetic Typography Artist: Sonia Ruffolo
Audio House: SNDWRx
Executive Producer: Alison Lawee
Singer/Songwriter: NEFE
Music & Mix: Didier Tovel
