I create every campaign as if lives depend on it.
Because they do.
I was a recruiter in Silicon Valley. Paid well to find the best for tech corps. But then, I became a mom, and then ... a stepmom. Having kids, you learn about kid stuff. Like Girl Scouts, science projects and … child sex trafficking? Turns out my city, Oakland, was notorious for it. Back in 2010, public officials weren’t making a big deal about the children and teens being sold for sex. So I decided to make a big deal about it.
WHY ME?
Using my background in advertising and recruiting, I dove into this devastating issue and became a multimedia producer and activist. I partnered in launching several major awareness campaigns, which received national distribution and recognition. And my activism led to the formation of Oakland’s child sex trafficking task force and California’s Sexual Abuse and Sex Trafficking Prevention Education law, which I co-authored.
In 2014, I founded Abolitionist Mom, a social good production company focused on strategy and design. My clients are government and nonprofit agencies addressing critical social challenges. With the help of many creative partners, we design impact-oriented social marketing and public service campaigns (PSAs).
But, it takes more than design skills to make a great PSA. Great PSAs connect. They tell stories, evoke compassion and a sense of personal responsibility. Great PSAs make people care and get involved. Every campaign I create is thought-provoking and sometimes, when needed, just straight-up provocative.
-Genice Jacobs