Video created for gala makes case for research through women’s stories

The video “One for All” was shown to attendees of the PHASE ONE Foundation’s annual gala event. Its title reflected the gala’s theme, making the case that when it comes to cancer, we’re all part of the cure. The video’s effectiveness has earned PHASE ONE first place in the “Video” category of PR Daily’s 2017 Nonprofit PR Awards.

PHASE ONE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting innovated phase one cancer clinical research and treatment programs. The huge yellow DONATE NOW button on its home page is at the heart of its mission: It raises money to distribute in the form of grants to researchers and institutions to use in conducting phase one research—the earliest phase of any research endeavor. 

Since 2000, the foundation has funded more than 30 grants. For the gala (also a fundraising event), the foundation crafted a beautiful video that addressed a clinical trial for “triple negative breast cancer,” in which none of the receptors that can be targeted with breast cancer treatments are evident. 

The video features one patient whose life was saved by the treatment, another who lost her mother to triple negative breast cancer and a third who suffered from the ravages of chemotherapy to treat her triple negative cancer. 

Many videos employ interview techniques. Shorter ones are frequently less engaging and compelling than this nearly nine-minute production, which employed sensitive photography, deft editing (including skillful use of b-roll) and a well-conceived narrative to make the point that such phase one research must be funded; it saves lives. 

The video now appears on PHASE ONE’s website, where anyone who clicks to view it is sure to watch to the end.