With the economy as it is, many people have been forced to alter their preconceived notion of the type of person who becomes jobless or, worse, homeless. Anthony Cooper, a recent graduate of Full Sail's Online Entertainment Business Master's Degree Program raised awareness for this cause by helping to create the “Cardboard Campaign,” an emotional set of success stories scrawled on torn pieces of cardboard. In turn, the campaign has become a personal success story for Cooper, earning three ADDY awards.
“Creating television commercials/PSAs is only a small, yet powerful element of my job. My primary goals are to breakdown stereotypes and rebuild lives of the homeless,” Cooper says “I just want the viewing audience to realize that most homeless people aren’t much different than them, and most of them just need the chance to succeed. That's where the idea for our Cardboard Campaign came from.”
Cooper’s work on the campaign was a collaborative effort between his organization, the Jimmie Hale Mission, and The Forté Marketing Group. Although the industry recognition of the ADDY is moderately important on a personal level, he says the greater goal in winning these awards is in getting free promotion for his non-profit organization.
“Winning the award really wasn’t the point,” Cooper said. “The amount of money you pay to submit your work for an award is so cheap compared to what you would pay for the advertising.”
This marketing strategy has worked so far for Cooper whose work has garnered him upwards to 20 awards and distinctions, of which 15 have come while working with Jimmie Hale Mission.
The struggle that Cooper faces most is in gaining visibility and credibility for the company because it is a non-profit organization rather than a business. When his work gains industry recognition, it puts the Jimmie Hale Mission on the same level as businesses in his community.
“We really want to stand apart professionally and visually in the media,” Cooper said. “It just adds a little bit more credibility and definitely adds more visibility.”
Cooper got his start in the entertainment world by counseling friends who were already in the industry and developing an interest through independent research of “the biz.” His goal is to one day be more directly involved in the entertainment industry, but until then, he looks forward to growing in his current work.
Cooper graduated from the online Entertainment Business MS program during which he worked for the Jimmie Hale Mission full-time and balanced his family life with two children and a wife at home. Incredibly modest, he keeps his many industry awards in a drawer rather than displaying them in his office.
“Every once in a while, I open the drawer and look at them and think, OK, I can make it through another day,” Cooper says.
