Grass Roots + High Tech

Coffee Kids, an international non-profit dedicated to helping coffee-farming families improve the quality of their lives, was invited by The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) to present to over 7,000 people in the coffee industry from 72 countries. For this important fundraising opportunity at the SCAA Annual Convention and Exhibition, Coffee Kids worked closely with Animal to create a film, honoring the 20th anniversary of Coffee Kids. The film was included in the conference’s opening address and later screened at an anniversary dinner where Coffee Kids raised nearly $100,000.00 on the spot.

“This video served initially as a mechanism to reach an audience at the SCAA convention. It had to be short, succinct and immediately on message. Not only did we achieve that… we have been able to use this video as an outreach and fundraising tool ever since,” said Carolyn Fairman, Executive Director of Coffee Kids. “The team did an excellent job of capturing the nuances of our mission and communicating what makes us unique.”

Carolyn Fairman, Executive Director of Coffee Kids

The ten-minute film was produced by Animal, together with Barnaby Jackson, President at Providence, Rhode Island-based Machine Hero.

“We were approached to discuss the production of a short film for the SCAA conference” said Jackson. “We saw this as an opportunity to help an organization create a film from the very beginning of the creative process. Coffee Kids is a unique and powerful example of how one good idea can blossom to become an agent of transformation for thousands around the world. We wanted to be a part of that.”

Coffee Kids began with a visit to Guatemala by Bill Fishbein. He was so moved by the plight of coffee-farming families that he created Coffee Kids to give back to the families at the base of the industry. Over the past 20 years, Coffee Kids has struck a chord with the industry, attracting highly visible donors and benefiting hundreds of coffee-farming families.

Bill Fishbein, Founder of Coffee Kids

Throughout the project, Animal utilized state of the art technology such as sophisticated online collaboration tools, tapeless acquisition formats, fiber optic networks, shared area storage and digital delivery formats. Because of this, the team was able to deliver a final HD product to both the client and the A/V company responsible for the presentation two days ahead of schedule, allowing the video to be tested and then played at the conference for coffee industry leaders.

Over a period of three days, the crew recorded interviews in Brooklyn, New York, Providence, Rhode Island and Burlington, Vermont. Many voices from the Coffee Industry were heard from, including:

• Rob Stephen, Owner of Coffee Solutions and President of Coffee Kids Board of Directors
• Donald Schoenholt, Owner of Gillies Coffee Roasters
• Dan Cox, Owner of Coffee Enterprises
• Carlos Murrillo, Owner of Expocert
• Lois Maffeo, Communications Manager at Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters
• Rick Peyser, Director of Social Advocacy and Coffee Community Outreach at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
• David Abedon, Professor at the University of Rhode Island and Coffee Kids Co-Founder and Board Member
• Susan Wood, CEO of The Coffee Exchange and Coffee Kids Board Member
• Carolyn Fairman, Executive Director of Coffee Kids
• Bill Fishbein, Founder of Coffee Kids

Carlos Murrillo, Owner of Expocert

Behind the lens was Animal’s Founder and Creative Director, Joshua Backer.

“The individuals we interviewed for this film are outstanding advocates for coffee-farming families,” said Backer. “But more importantly, they speak to the need for fair treatment of human beings around the world and how support for organizations like Coffee Kids makes a concrete difference.”

“The film is a great success for Coffee Kids. It not only tells our story and history, but looks ahead to the next twenty years,” said Fishbein, founder of the Santa Fe, N.M.-based non-profit.

Naturally, Coffee Kids’ success is also Animal’s success, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

As Backer puts it: “Animal has always operated on the principal of working collaboratively and utilizing new technology to maximize creative output. By design, we have created a studio that can produce high end work, typically found only in markets used to paying a premium for good strategy, creative and execution. The pipeline we have created for projects - our work flow - the people we bring together and the way we do it - this is something that goes into every project. It’s just who we are.”