In the fast-paced, high-pressure world of modern advertising, truly passion-driven projects are a rare commodity. Yet, for the past year, Paul Jordan—a creative partner at adam&eveTBWA in London—has quietly orchestrated a monumental labor of love. The result is a vibrant, multi-layered animated short film launched in recognition of World Mental Health Day, created in collaboration with the UK-based mental health charity Sport In Mind and sponsored by nutritional supplement brand Berocca.
The ambitious project, which brought together an extraordinary roster of 18 individual animators and 12 top-tier production companies, serves as a powerful visual celebration of the profound psychological benefits of running. More than just a standard brand film, the campaign doubles as the official launch vehicle for Sport In Mind’s new "100K Your Way Challenge," an initiative designed to encourage people across the United Kingdom to get moving while raising critical funds to support the charity’s ongoing mental health initiatives.
For Jordan, the film is deeply rooted in personal experience and hard-won perspective. Over the years, running has been more than just a physical exercise for the London-based creative; it has served as a vital sanctuary for his mental well-being.
"This campaign is deeply personal," Jordan explains, reflecting on the arduous year-long production process. "Running has given me so much over the years including space, clarity, and a way to feel more like myself. Creating this film felt like a way of giving something back. I see it as a love letter to running, and a way of repaying what I think of as a kind of ‘life debt.’"
That deeply emotional core inspired an unprecedented creative collaboration. To bring Jordan’s vision to life, the production called upon a delightful and diverse spectrum of animation techniques, spanning stop-motion, traditional 2D, intricate claymation, and cutting-edge 3D computer graphics. The roster of talent enlisted for the project reads like a veritable who’s who of the contemporary animation and motion design industry.
The creative heavyweights contributing their distinct visual styles to the film include Kristian Andrews, Andy Baker Studio, Danny Boyle, Jack Brown, Ingi Erlingsson, Anthony Farquhar-Smith, Victor Haegelin, HouHou, Alex Jenkins, MegaComputeur, Clement Morin, Ewan Jones Morris, Honor Price, Santiago Carrasquilla, Alva Skog, Chris Ullens, Hannah Lau Walker, and Dan Woodger.
Coordinating such a massive creative hive required immense logistical effort, supported by 12 distinct production powerhouses: All Of Us Here, Blinkink, Coffee & TV, Nexus Studios, Not To Scale, Partizan Films, Passion Pictures, Strange Beast, Studio AKA, Sweetshop Films, and This Is Jelly. Under the production guidance of Megan Sutton, the team managed to seamlessly weave these disparate visual styles into a cohesive, flowing narrative that mirrors the winding, unpredictable journey of human mental health and physical endurance.
The rich tapestry of animation is paired with an equally compelling auditory landscape. The project’s lyrics were written by Paul Jordan, alongside Christian Nardecchia and Genesis Elijah, and are performed with driving rhythm and emotional resonance by UK rapper and producer Genesis Elijah. The music supervision was handled by Wake the Town, led by supervisor David Bass, with intricate sound design crafted by Ben Gulvin, and editing precision delivered by Jules Bayer-Crier at Ten Three.
Sponsored by Berocca, the campaign aims to dismantle the intimidation often associated with physical fitness and mental health advocacy, encouraging audiences to embrace movement on their own terms. Through Sport In Mind’s "100K Your Way Challenge," the initiative provides a practical, community-driven framework for individuals across the UK to engage in physical activity while directly funding the charity’s pioneering community sports programs, which use physical activity to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems.
