Staples, Inc. is building on its long-standing commitment to supporting education and helping teachers bring learning to life for students with the debut of a new public service announcement (PSA) starring superstar Katy Perry.
Driven by a statistic from the Education Market Association that an estimated 99.5 percent of all public school teachers use their own money to equip their classrooms, frequently at a cost of more than $400 per year, Staples and Katy Perry have teamed up to inspire the public to help classrooms in need by making a donation in Staples stores or online.
“I believe in education as a foundation for a great life, so I want to make sure that students across the country are inspired by their teachers and afforded every opportunity to realize their dreams,” said Katy Perry. “When I teamed up with Staples in 2014, I learned firsthand how desperately teachers need our support – many of them even dig into their own pockets to provide simple tools that we would expect to already be available in our classrooms. So when Staples approached me again this year, I jumped at the opportunity because I saw the lasting effect our collaboration had on DonorsChoose.org and thousands of teachers and students.”
The PSA highlights DonorsChoose.org – a charity that has funded more than 700,000 classroom projects for teachers and has positively affected more than 18 million students across the country – and encourages viewers to make their own donations by visiting a local Staples store or StaplesForStudents.org.
“Knowing the crucial role that teachers play in bringing learning to life for students, we’re excited to join forces with Katy Perry to raise awareness of the need to support teachers across the country,” said Frank P. Bifulco, Jr., executive vice president global marketing, Staples. “Through Staples’ $1 million donation and contributions from customers in stores and online to DonorsChoose.org during the back-to-school season, we can all help teachers make more happen in classrooms.”
Making of the PSA
The PSA, which begins airing nationwide for the back-to-school season, was filmed in Los Angeles by renowned production company RSA Films. It was directed by Aya Tanimura, who has previously collaborated with Katy Perry on lyric videos for several hit singles including “Roar,” “Unconditionally” and “Birthday.” The script was developed by the Staples Creative Agency with input from Tanimura while animation was completed by Open The Portal.
Tanimura’s unique creative treatment for the back-to-school-inspired project incorporates stop-motion animation featuring paper cut-outs throughout the playful and colorful PSA. Katy Perry is awed as an imaginary doodle world suddenly comes to life, while she shares a personal anecdote from her time as a 4th grader in music class. Perry goes on to talk about the harsh reality that many teachers face on a daily basis, having to spend their own money to provide adequate supplies and equipment to students.
RSA Credits: Director: Aya Tanimura; Executive Producer: Jules Daly; Executive Producer: Marjie Abrahams; Head of Production: Elicia Laport; Producer: Alejandra Quesada; Director of Photography: Welles Hackett.
Staples Creative Agency Credits: Derrick Wood, VP global creative director; Brian Distefano, director, group creative.
Open The Portal Credits: Animation Director & Animation Designer: Kangmin Kim; Executive Producers: Micah Cordy & David Braun; Producer: Pia Dulu; VFX: Jason Oshman, Cam Leeburg, Andrew Racho, Paul Evangelista, Larry Ho, Ashley Dunn-Martin; Music Composer: Barrett Slagle; Sound Design: Barrett Slagle; Props: George Metaxas.
Win a $50,000 Scholarship and Chance to Meet Katy Perry
Beginning June 26 through September 10, fans who spend $25 or more in any Staples store will receive a unique entry code on their receipt to enter the sweepstakes online at Staples.com/StaplesForStudents.
One grand prize winner will win a $50,000 scholarship plus a trip for two to Los Angeles to meet superstar, Katy Perry. Four first prize winners and one guest each will also win air travel to Los Angeles, two nights stay and spending money to meet Katy Perry at the VIP Winners Celebration.
Entries must be submitted before September 10, 2016 at 11:59 PM ET and entrants must be 13 years or older. Visit Staples.com/StaplesForStudents for official rules.
The Staples for Students campaign has included school supply drives, support for teachers in classrooms, donations for education projects, classroom initiatives such as Designed by Students, and the sale of products that give back to communities and classrooms in need.
