Award-Winning Actor/Director Eric Stoltz Directs Powerful Spots

New York, NY (September 9, 2013) – the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids has collaborated with Hill Holliday to launch a new campaign today for The Medicine Abuse Project, a national action campaign from The Partnership at Drugree.org. The Project’s goal is to prevent half a million teens from abusing medicines by 2017. The integrated creative campaign, featuring the tagline “Mind Your Meds,” includes national broadcast, print, radio, digital and outdoor public service education messages. The two spots can be viewed here and here.

Actor/Director Eric Stoltz, who has appeared in such films as Mask and Pulp Fiction and has directed television episodes of Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Nip/Tuck and more directed the TV spots, which portray an adult opening a bathroom cabinet for medication. When the mirrored door closes, the reflection is that of a teenager, the implicit message being, “mind your meds.” Stoltz is also providing the voiceover for the TV and radio spots.

Stoltz is affiliated with Disorderly Conduct, the Los Angeles-based commercial production company headed by Kate Cohen, Marisa Polvino and Executive Producer Ron Cicero who helped make the “Mind Your Meds” campaign possible. Disorderly Conduct is a division of Straight Up Films, the feature film company co-producing Transcendence with Johnny Depp as well as the Natalie Portman film Jane Got a Gun.

“As I directed these TV spots, I was shocked to find out how dangerous the abuse of medicine really is, especially among teenagers,” said Stoltz. “Having recently lost a dear friend of mine to drug addiction, I wanted to help show that there is something you can do to help protect your families and loved ones.”

Teen medicine abuse is a pervasive and devastating problem, with one in four teens admitting to using a prescription drug to get high or change their mood.[1] Most teens who report medicine abuse say they get those medications from their family or friends.[2] The Medicine Abuse Project is a multi-year effort led by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and is designed to help combat this public health crisis deemed an “epidemic” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s always a great feeling when you can do meaningful work that can make a difference in the lives of young people,” said Lance Jensen, Chief Creative Officer of Hill Holliday. “This is an important issue and we hope this work really gets people talking.”

“What an honor it has been to work with Hill Holliday on this important initiative,” said Kristi Rowe, Director of Branding and Integrated Marketing for the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. “Their dedication and strategic approach to the creative concept, combined with Eric Stoltz’s passion and vision for the TV spots, has resulted in a ‘sticky’ campaign that will help educate parents about what they can do to prevent this dangerous behavior.”

The Medicine Abuse Project aims to help educate parents, teens and the public about the dangers of medicine abuse and unite parents, educators, health care providers, coaches, government officials, law enforcement officers and other partners to help save lives.

For more information, please visit The Medicine Abuse Project.

 

CREDITS:

Agency: Hill Holliday

 

TV Production:

Chief Creative Officer: Lance Jensen

SVP, Management Supervisor: Amy Hardcastle

SVP, Group Creative Director – Art: Kevin Daley

SVP, Group Creative Director – Copy: Tim Cawley

VP, Executive Producer: Alex Vainstein

Broadcast Assistant: Maggie Flatley, Kevin Boyle

VP Director of Project Management: Paul Pantzer

Project Manager: Jennifer Dodds

 

Radio Production:

SVP, Management Supervisor: Amy Hardcastle

SVP, Group Creative Director – Copy: Tim Cawley

Broadcast Assistant: Maggie Flatley, Kevin Boyle

 

Production Company: Disorderly Conduct

Director: Eric Stoltz

Executive Producer: Ron Cicero

Line Producer:  Alana Mitnick

Director of Photography:  Crash

Art Director:  Brad Cohen

 

Editorial:  Whitehouse Post

Editor: Trish Fuller

Producer: Alejandra Alarcon

 

VFXs, Transfer and Conform: MPC

Telecine: Derek Hansen

Compositing: Alex Harding, Sohee Sohn, Jon McKee, Mikael Pettersson & Derrick Yuen

Producer:  John Skeffington

EP: Justin Brukman

 

Animation: Scott Woolwine, Hill Holliday

 

Original Music: Human

 

Record & Mix: Soundtrack Boston

Engineer: Brian Heidebrecht

 

Voice Over: Eric Stoltz

 

Secured Donated Ad Space: Horizon Media