In a recent Washington Post article, business columnist Steven Pearlstein celebrated those area companies that maintained or increased their corporate giving in 2009, despite the difficult economic conditions. While far from the biggest contributor on the list, RP3 is proud to be included for our partnership with the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. On behalf of the foundation, we produced the “Be That Woman”  video and website to ignite a new movement of women’s philanthropy. By year’s end, over 15,000 people had seen the video, and the foundation had exceeded its fundraising goals. In 2010, the campaign will expand with the addition of more social media tools and the opportunity for members to share their personal stories of inspiring women in their lives. We look forward to a long and successful partnership, with even more good news in the years to come.

Shoot Online recently featured  our “Be That Woman” video for the Washington Area Women’s Foundation in its “Best Work You May Never See” section. While we’re thrilled about the “Best Work” honor, we’re hopeful  that our efforts to start a broader movement at bethatwoman.org will prove the “You May Never See” part wrong.  For those who aren’t subscribers, here’s what Shoot had to say:

November 06, 2009, — This stick figure animation PSA shows a mother’s journey from need to strength as she faces life with her infant. We begin by seeing her resources dwindling–a refrigerator that is emptied, money spent on medicine, a home which loses its heat, electricity and phone service. She visits a daycare center which vanishes before our eyes. Similarly so too does a bus she’s about to board with her child.

The young mother arrives at a cafe where she works at a waitress. She is with her infant since she couldn’t get daycare. Her boss points to his watch, signifying that she is late. Her waitress uniform disappears in an instant and she is left with no job.
She then visits the Women’s Center and her pencil outline turns to one made of blue marker pen, signifying a defining change from instability to security. At the Women’s Center she sees people holding up signs representing resources she can tap into–healthcare, food, education, job training.

Back home with food in the fridge, medicine in the bathroom cabinet, our mom then goes on to drop off her infant at a daycare center. She hops on a bus and heads to a computer training class. She eventually lands a job; on her desk is a picture of her baby. She returns home to a happy baby and life.

We then see her taking her infant for a walk in a baby carriage. She comes upon another mother and young girl seated on a bench–they both are drawn in the pencil rendering our initial mom and child were outlined in. The first mom approaches the woman on the bench, reaches out and touches her–the pencil turns to a blue marker pen outline defining both the new mother and child. Indeed paying it forward and helping others is part of the program.

An end tag asks for donations, with a website address–Bethatwoman.org–where we can get more info.

This longer form PSA debuted at the Washington D.C. Area Women’s Foundation’s annual leadership luncheon October 20. The Women’s Foundation is hoping people will take the video viral, get the word out, and get involved.  Email, Facebook, and LinkedIn are being mobilized by a base of thousands of the D.C. area’s most powerful women. While its origins are in the D.C. area, the idea is to unleash a wave of philanthropy among women’s groups and people who are impacted by women’s issues everywhere, initiating a national dialogue.  The video is powered through YouTube, and will soon be available on the YouTube non-profit channel, which will allow it to link to a current fundraising effort and challenge grant.

The “Be That Woman” PSA was created by RP3 Agency in Bethesda, MD. RP3 Agency arranged the donation of production services from director/animator Candy Guard of London-based Sherbet Productions, known for her simplistic animations and humorous style.

Clean Cuts Music created the original score, which was played by several members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Clean Cuts composer was Chris Kennedy. Cerebral Lounge finished the piece with Stuart Smith serving as editor. Clean Cuts and Cerebral Lounge are owned by Jack Heyrman who donated both companies’ time and talent to the project.

The RP3 creative team consisted of creative director Jim Lansbury, art directors Mike Hrizuk and Luis Erazo, and copywriter Elyse Gibson.

One day after its debut at the Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s annual Leadership Luncheon, our video is already building some nice buzz.

Jennifer Nycz-Conner of the Washington Business Journal, who was at the event, posted the video her blog. “It was different, creative and powerful. For a piece that uses no words, the project speaks volumes. But don’t take my word for it. Spend two minutes watching the video and see if those lines don’t tug on your heartstrings more than a bit.”

Thanks for your kind words, and for helping us spread the word.

RP3 is proud to have just completed an animated video to kick off the Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s 2010 campaign.

With no budget but big goals for what we could accomplish, we went to work to write a story that would resonate and inspire women of all means and backgrounds. And we found it in the simple tale of a woman who goes on a journey from need to strength, visualized by her transformation from a pencil drawn figure to one outlined in pen.

Armed with that simple idea, we began our search for an animator who would not only be appropriate stylistically, but who would be willing to donate their time and talent for the cause. Candy Guard of the world renowned production company Sherbet in the UK stepped up. And she hit it out of the park. Her simple style and ability to tug at the emotions with subtle gestures and facial expressions really brought the piece to life. Next we turned to our old friend and frequent collaborator Jack Heyrman of Clean Cuts and Cerebral Lounge. Not only did he love the idea, but before we could even finish our pitch, he offered to do original music and post production for free. Over the next few weeks, his teams at Clean Cuts and Cerebral did what they always do–they made the idea even better. In fact, they brought in players from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to give the score it’s rich, sweeping sound.

The video debuted at the Women’s Foundation’s Annual Leadership Luncheon on October 20th. And we’re happy to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. We encourage anyone who sees it and is so moved, to share it with their friends, family and colleagues to increase awareness of the important work being done by the Women’s Foundation.

It will be housed permanently at bethatwoman.org. And soon, we’ll be expanding the campaign by asking everyone to share their personal stories and honor the women who’ve had a positive impact in their lives.

As a woman-owned agency, we were pre-disposed to the cause. And when they asked us to do a video for their annual Leadership Luncheon, we knew they needed more than just a video. Because we knew that in order to truly make an impact we had to do more than just get donations. Or sign-up volunteers. We needed to start a movement. A movement that would galvanize women throughout our area and unleash a new wave of women’s philanthropy. And we believe we’ve done just that with our “Be That Woman” campaign.

The video you see here, which debuted today, is just the first step of that  movement. This simple tale of one woman’s journey from a position of weakness to one of strength not only illustrates the Women’s Foundation’s holistic approach, it shows the importance of paying it forward and helping someone else. And that’s exactly what makes them so effective. They don’t just help women in need. They help all women become more aware, more connected and more involved in creating lasting social change.

We hope that you’ll be inspired to support the movement in whatever way you can. Whether it’s by sharing the video with friends, family and colleagues, by getting involved, or by making a donation. And we invite you to follow the movement at bethatwoman.org in the weeks and months to come, as we expand the campaign by asking everyone to share their personal stories and honor the women who’ve had a positive impact in their lives.

Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who contributed their time and talent to the video, website and luncheon materials. They truly embody the spirit of “Being That Woman.” (Or as our friends at the Foundation like to say, “Guys who get it.”)

Elyse Gibson, Luis Erazo, Mike Hrizuk, Craig Coughlin, Eric Andrade, Jeff Tien, Sarah Essam, Candy Guard and everyone at Sherbet, Jack Heyrman, Rich Issac, Chris Kennedy, Austin Caughlin & Wall Matthews and everyone at Clean Cuts Music, Lee Konen, Alissa Liebert, Stuart Smith & everyone at Cerebral Lounge.

I was in a meeting the other day for one of our newest clients, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. They believe in a holistic approach that targets food security, health care, job training & security, access to child care, and transportation for girls and women in the area. Their premise: If you invest in a girl or a woman in your own community, you’re investing in the whole community.

I was stricken by how this women (and some guys who “get it”, as they would say), from different backgrounds, with different areas of expertise, came together in such a spirit of community. The camaraderie, common purpose, shared goals. A spirit of community that is sometimes lost in the daily grind – easy to overlook in the crush of deadlines or the frantic need to cross 20 things off a list in 12 minutes.

12 minutes*. That’s about the amount of time it took RP3 to open its doors. And for those of you who have started your own businesses, it’s not even close to being enough time. But yet, in that psychotically short period of time, a community was born. And this community, not unlike our friends at the Women’s Foundation, is an independent group of people – women and guys who get it – if you will, who are real people fighting to make a difference. That’s not to say that women are the key to success – but there is something to be said about the bridges that can be built.

I’ve seen the networks expand, and I’ve seen the gauntlet thrown by RP3′s own president, who happens to be a woman. As a woman, a minority woman, who has often come up upon the rigid threat of the glass ceiling, it is amazingly refreshing to be here, right now, at this juncture in time. At that conference room table. In this efficient microcosm of a company. It’s a challenge I’m willing to take.

* slight exaggeration, for illustrative purposes only

The newly minted and woman-owned RP3 Agency has joined forces with the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, which has been igniting women’s philanthropy to holistically improve the lives of girls and women in the DC area for over a decade.

RP3 Agency will be working with the Women’s Foundation on several key strategic initiatives to help drive the organization’s next 10 years of success.  The collaboration includes a brand planning project and delivering positioning, messages and themes.  The creative strategy will be unveiled as a part of the Women’s Foundation’s annual luncheon this fall, an event that generates $1M towards initiatives to support girls and women.

“The Women’s Foundation is an incredible organization of deeply committed people who understand that investing in a girl or woman is an investment that helps everyone.  The power of that investment is felt far beyond the dollars invested.  RP3 is honored to participate in this powerful community,”  said RP3 President Beth Johnson.