Venice Arts’ Apprentices, Working With NBCUniversal’s Creative Impact Lab, Creates National TV Spot for Challenged Athletes Foundation
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 20, 2024) Today marks 100 days until the Paris Paralympics and, as part of its promotions, NBCU is broadcasting a 30 second spot across its platforms, produced by Venice Arts with a team of apprentices from its Center for Creative Workforce Equity.
The spot features Paralympic hopeful Derek Loccident and his powerful narrative of empowerment through sport. Originally a collegiate football player, Derek faced a life-altering accident that severed his left foot during his sophomore season. Undeterred by adversity, he transitioned to track and field with a prosthetic leg provided by Ossur and the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Derek’s dedication has driven him to compete for a spot on the world’s biggest athletic stage this summer: the Paralympics in Paris.
This is the third PSA created by Venice Arts’ team of professional creatives and its apprentices on behalf of NBCUniversal’s Creative Impact Lab. The lab is designed to broaden access to the industry for the next generation of diverse creative talent while helping nonprofits such as the Challenged Athletes Foundation—empowering individuals with physical disabilities to embrace vibrant, active lives—to tell their stories.
"Featuring Derek Loccident's journey… is a win-win partnership between CAF, Venice Arts, and NBCUniversal’s Creative Impact Lab," said Kara Sterner, Chief Marketing Officer at CAF. "This collaboration not only showcases our mission but also amplifies our visibility, enabling us to scale our impact. It's a prime example of how targeted exposure through creative alliances can empower nonprofits to expand their reach and deepen their community engagements."
Venice Arts thanks CAF for being an excellent, collaborative partner; Derek for sharing his time, talent, and story with us—even while in the middle of training for the Paralympics; and the entire team at the NBCU Creative Impact Lab, but especially Hilary Smith, Jessica Clancy, Kristen Johnson, and Marie Dilemani. It has been a true pleasure working with each of you! For social posts, please use @ to draw the attention of all individuals named
Creative Team
Frederick Thornton, Producer
Charlie Schmidlin, Director
Malcolm Bray, Apprentice Producer/Director
Olivia Aquilina, Cinematographer
Semira Paul, Apprentice Cinematographer
Ko Massiah, Editor
JJ Tolibao, Apprentice Editor
NBC Mentors
Annie Koeblitz - Multimedia Producer at NBC Sports
Don Simon - Vice President Creative at NBC Sports Group
Crew
Crystal Gomez, Makeup Artist
Kristian Greene, PA
Matthew Hayward, Camera Operator
Travis LaSalle, 1sts AD
Grace McCarthy, 2nd AC
Kai Philavanh, 1st AC
Nicolas Sandoval, G&E Swing
Sam Satossky - Key Grip
Shane Smithburger, PA
Sonic Titan Sound
Colvin Ang - Lighting
Jim Blank - Sonic Titan Sound