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Concept: Successful Adults Credit Meals To Their Success.
Proposed Shoot Schedule:
- Pre-production: September 1–22, 2015
- Shoot Date: Wednesday, September 23
- First Cut: September 30th
- Launch: October 10th
Creative Requirements:
- Casting
- Research (employing reality television techniques to evoke an emotional response from mostly real people)
- Food Preparation
Branding: The LittleThings/Chicken Soup for the Soul logos will appear at the end in the final story copy, but not throughout unless we want to do a very subtle watermark.
Schedule: 7AM–8PM
Location: LittleThings offices and respective work locations of the subjects.
We asked five adults who have excelled in their chosen professions to come to the LittleThings offices one day in October. We just asked them to skip breakfast. They're all successful, but come from very different backgrounds. They include...
...a CEO of a successful media company...
...a Columbia University physics professor...
...a lawyer...
...a real estate executive...
...and even a Broadway actress.
The day had just started, and already they were getting a little angry about missing their breakfast: "How long am I going to have to do this for?"
Then we gave them a tray of food. This is the only thing they were allowed to eat that day.
Some made jokes about it: "Um, but I'm trying to avoid gluten."
But some were a little angrier: "You're kidding, right? What about snacks? Can't I at least snack?"
We wrapped their lunches to go and asked them to come back to our offices at 7 when we'd explain our reasoning.
We sent our cameras to check in on them halfway through the morning, and then again in the late afternoon to see how they were doing.
Not well.
"I yelled at three people. They didn't do anything wrong. I was just hungry."
"I should have just stayed home today. That's how unproductive I feel."
"Really, I just want to nap. I feel exhausted."
"You're kidding me, right? That lunch was barely a snack. How do you THINK I'm feeling?"
When they came back to our offices at 7, they were still upset, angry, and comfortable. We asked them if they'd be willing to do it for the rest of the week — or month.
They did NOT like that idea.
Then we told them that for 16.1 million children in the world, that's their only reality.
One in every six students goes to school hungry. If these five successful people can't function for one day, how can we expect our kids to do well?
Their reactions ran the gamut of emotions. Some were embarrassed: "I feel a little silly now. I guess one day isn't so bad."
Some were furious: "What? How is that possible?"
Some were deeply saddened: "I wish there was something I could do. Is anyone doing anything about it?"
That's where Chicken Soup for the Soul comes in.
Chicken Soup for the Soul is partnering with The Humpty Dumpty Institute's Breakfast at School Program to ensure that no child in America goes hungry.
The $20,000 donated by Chicken Soup for the Soul will go to cover food cost, training for staff, and equipment required for the program.
How does that make our professionals feel?
"Relieved."
"Happy. I'm glad to know someone's do something about this."
"It's a start. Thank God someone is. I didn't even think about it being a problem until you told me."
The video would end with a call-to-action directing the viewer to more information.
