HOLLYWOOD UNITES WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS TO ADDRESS
VACCINE HESITANCY IN PSAs FROM THE CREATIVE COALITION
Led by The Creative Coalition and Yale University School of Public Health, first-of-its-kind Task Force brings together corporate leaders, nation’s top doctors, entertainment industry, and NGOs to tackle COVID vaccine hesitancy
May 5, 2021 (NEW YORK, NY) – Today, The Creative Coalition and The Creative Coalition’s National Blue Ribbon Task Force to Stem COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy released their latest PSAs featuring actor Wilson Cruz (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Emmy Award-winning journalist Ann Curry (“Today Show,” “NBC News”), SAG Award-winning actor Jon Huertas (“This Is Us”), Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor John Leguizamo (“The Mandalorian”), SAG Award-winning actor James Pickens Jr. (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Emmy Award-nominated actor CCH Pounder (“NCIS: New Orleans”), Academy Award-nominated actor Gabourey Sidibe (“Empire”), and Emmy Award-nominated and SAG Award-winning actor Chandra Wilson (“Grey’s Anatomy”). Additional PSAs featuring other artists, such as actor Alyssa Milano (“Insatiable,” “Charmed”), will be released soon.
WATCH THE NEW PSAs HERE and get more information at http://thecreativecoalition.org/vaccine
“Some of you have a ‘wait and see’ attitude about the COVID-19 vaccine,” says one of the PSAs. “I get it. It’s smart to be cautious. While you’ve been waiting, over 100 million people have been vaccinated with no lasting side effects. It’s been tested and proven nearly 90% effective in keeping you safe from COVID. You want to get back out there, safely. So, why are you still waiting? It’s time for you to be there. This is your shot.”
The “Be There. This Is Your Shot” PSAs were developed by iconic advertising legend Allen Kay (“If you see something, say something”). The PSAs were written by Chris Bessounian (“The Resident”), Zoanne Clack (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Jacque Cofer (“The Unicorn”), Chad Gomez Creasey (“NCIS: New Orleans”), Mark Goffman (“Umbrella Academy”), Lindsay Goffman (“The Good Doctor”), Daniela Lamas (“The Resident”), and Tianna Langham (“The Resident”). Select versions of the PSAs will be available in English and Spanish.
In April, The Creative Coalition and the National Blue Ribbon Task Force debuted their first PSA starring Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman, urging people to roll up their sleeves to achieve a fully vaccinated nation. It was also previously announced that the PSAs will be shown in movie theaters across the country through a partnership with National CineMedia (NCM), the largest cinema advertising network in the U.S.
About the National Blue Ribbon Task Force to Stem COVID-19 Hesitancy
Launched in February 2021, the National Blue Ribbon Task Force to Stem COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy is a national effort spearheaded by The Creative Coalition in partnership with the Dean of the Yale University School of Public Health that brings together the most significant influencers and leaders in the U.S. from the entertainment industry, Fortune 500 companies, academia, medicine, professional sports, retail, fashion, and NGOs to lead social welfare and public advocacy efforts to stem COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The Blue Ribbon Task Force provides programming, leadership, guidance, and creative assets in a national campaign aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy across the most vulnerable communities.
In addition to The Creative Coalition and Yale School of Public Health, other entities that are part of the task force include APCO Worldwide, Berlanti Productions, BNY Mellon, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, The Corcoran Group, Deloitte, Franklin Templeton, Interpublic Group, Merck, NASCAR, Pace University, Stanley Black & Decker, The American Cleaning Institute, The Corcoran Group, UPS, ViacomCBS, and Walton Family Foundation, among others.
Co-chairs of the Task Force are Katie Bayne, Founder & President, Bayne Advisors; Jenny Johnson, President & CEO, Franklin Templeton Investments; Margery Kraus, CEO & Executive Chairman, APCO Worldwide; Rob O’Neill, SVP, Content Strategy & Acquisitions, ViacomCBS; and Dr. Sten Vermund, Dean, Yale University School of Public Health.
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THE CREATIVE COALITION is the premier nonprofit, 501(c)(3) nonpartisan charity of the entertainment industry dedicated to using the power and platform of the arts and entertainment communities in award-winning public service and advocacy campaigns. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilizing, and activating its members on issues of public importance. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s president. www.TheCreativeCoalition.org
THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT YALE UNIVERSITY provides leadership to protect and improve the health of the public. Through innovative education, research, policy analysis and practice that draws upon interdisciplinary scholarship from across the graduate and professional programs at Yale, the school serves local, national and international communities with its knowledge and expertise. We foster health equity, social justice and respectful discourse to enrich our teaching and scholarship, as well as empower the communities that we serve. www.publichealth.yale.edu
Contact for The Creative Coalition:
Seth Adam, The Lead PR
e. seth@theleadpr.com
c. (661) 803-4465