Pick up heroin and you'll throw away everything you love.
Story
Audio, sound and production studio, Mix Kitchen and Schupp Co., reunited to create another provocative anti-heroin PSA for the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse. “All American Girl” aired during Super Bowl 50. It’s a 60-second story set to a lilting, melodic song that follows a vibrant, healthy, teenage girl turning her back on things that matter, falling into a downward spiral of decay, breaking down from heroin addiction. Beautiful, tender, vocals from Lauren Duski and music and lyrics from Craig J. Snider brought together the soundtrack produced and mixed at Mix Kitchen. Snider oversaw all aspects of audio and music including casting of the announcer, voice recording, sound-design, and final mix. Since airing, “All American Girl” has garnered over 400,000 YouTube views. Similar to last year’s campaign, this year’s PSA sets up the viewer with “feel good” music, yet what they see is dark and cringe worthy.
Philosophy
Create lyrical Americana, folksy tune/soundtrack and juxtapose with haunting imagery of teenage girl becoming a heroin addict. This PSA sets up the viewer with “feel good” music, yet what they see is dark and cringe worthy.
Problem
An NCADA press release quoted NCADA’s Executive Director Howard Weissman stating that in 2015 deaths related to opiates in the St. Louis area have decreased, but that the numbers are still unacceptable. “These PSAs are intended to be unnervingly relatable so that we can further narrow the gap between public perception of heroin and opioid use in our community, and the reality of the actual—and catastrophic–outcomes we’re seeing.”
Result
An Indie Americana musical scored against this major societal cancer. The juxtaposition of the music’s ‘normality’ and the visual’s depiction of addiction and her demise, represents what families are facing everyday.