America is one of two countries in the world that does not have a national paid leave policy. Which means families cannot afford to take time off work when they have or adopt a baby. “A Long Five Years” tells the story of Lauren. A pregnant woman who cannot afford to take time off work to have her baby so she has done the only thing she can think of--just stay pregnant. For five years. We watch as she struggles through her work day at a small law firm with a toddler in her belly. Which may sound ridiculous, but it’s not nearly as ridiculous as America’s lack of paid leave policy.

• Timeline – Shoot – Oct 6

Edit/Finishing – Oct 10-Nov 15

Launch - The MAKERS Conference was in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 6-8. MAKERS@ is an opportunity to partner with companies and organizations to celebrate and acknowledge their game-changing female employees and connect them to the larger MAKERS network. MAKERS@ is for the organization that believes its people are its strongest asset, that invests in innovative, groundbreaking female leaders, that knows that empowering women will empower the world, and that dares to lead and refuses to follow.

Social Media campaign

This resulted in more than three million total views (see metrics) and nearly 100 news articles, including by major national outlets. The overall strategy was two-tiered: We first focused on earned media to generate buzz, followed by a social media push that coincided with the official airing of the ad at the MAKERS Conference. This approach helped generate sustained attention to the ad and the issue.