Hernando County Sheriff’s Office: “Bully”

About The Project:

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office has been a long-standing client with Kernel (and Bright House Networks), trusting our creative expertise for their PSAs. For 2019, HCSO was looking to bring increased awareness to the issue of online bullying.

Coming up with the idea was a balance between making sure it would resonate, while having to navigate a complicated set of legal requirements of what can and cannot be shown. Threats of violence would normally be shown with firearms or weapons, so we turned it around, and focused on how seemingly covert threats online can have very real, real-life consequences.

Shown in movie theaters across Hernando County, in addition to regular cable networks, we gave the PSA a haunting, movie trailer vibe throughout. Thanks to some clever lighting work from our Kernel videographers, the result fit with the intended outlet and started making an immediate impact. It also brought home a Silver TELLY in 2019.