Non-profit EARTH University is based in Costa Rica and specializes in sustainable agriculture. They have a noble mission offering underprivileged students the opportunity to learn to use the earth sustainably to transform their villages after graduation. There is success story after success story of graduates positively affecting communities and lives.

Using actual sand from EARTH University, we created the stop-motion story of "Susana and her Load of Crap." The story was arced out well before the animation process and over a period of ten weeks we created the animation entirely in sand. Frame by frame was drawn by hand. Featuring an original soundtrack and narrated by actress Anne Heche, it tells the EARTH story of Susana and her biodigester. The posting on YouTube offered a click thru to the microsite where one could learn more about EARTH University, make a donation, see a behind-the-scenes video, and read more about the actual Susana and what she is doing now.

Through a short video, the campaign caught the attention of our U.S. target, generating nearly 300,000 video views across various online channels in just 4 weeks and creating buzz through major sources like Fast Company, Huffington Post, MasterCard, and Whole Foods. As a bonus, the video was seen by viewers in more than 145 countries.

By opening up a platform for EARTH to share their amazing success stories, we’ve not only established a name for the university in the U.S., but a pipeline for future support, with online donations already up from the campaign.