Light in the Darkness
TVC, Cinema, Digital & Social Campaign
The power to make a wish come true.
Diagnosis of illness in children is a heartbreaking reality for many families across the country. It brings with it anxiety, worry and heartbreak — and most of all it’s the kind of rug pull that steals away the joy of childhood.
Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children who are living with a critical condition, bringing a ray of light to families experiencing the darkest of times. Granting these wishes has a profound impact on the brave children, their families, friends and supporters. What’s less well known is the harsh reality that Make-A-Wish can only grant wishes to a small fraction of the 60k+ critically ill children in the UK each year. Tens of thousands of wishes go unfulfilled because the support to do more simply isn’t there.
Together with Make-A-Wish, we had to do something. Our goal was to lift Make-A-Wish from a charity sometimes seen as a ‘nice to have’ to one that’s front of mind for all. One that makes a huge difference in the here and now.
Our platform, ‘Light in the Darkness’, demonstrates both the reality of diagnosis and the hope and reassurance that the support of a wish can give. We wanted to show that it’s not just trips to Disneyland and the North Pole — it’s so much more than that.
For many kids and their loved ones it’s simply about kids being kids again.
“I would like to say how incredibly moving the film is. Everyone has done a fantastic job getting across the really important point about how a wish can change a young person’s life … the video is amazing and it felt quite emotional too. I was very struck by how powerful it was.”
— Teenage Make-A-Wish STARboard member
We delivered this campaign with the huge kindness and support of many others, who we thank from the bottom of our hearts. Director: John Turner (Dark Energy Films) / Producer: Harry Flinder, Money Tree Films / Post Producer: Alison Wendt / Post, VFX, Audio & Sound Design: Bubble TV / Music Composition: Echoic Audio / Retouching: Curious Productions / Edit: TenThree / Casting: Kennedy Casting / Additional production support: One Stop Films, Dukes Island Studios, PanaLux.