Wide-ranging mental health campaign produces stunning photography collection

Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health has delivered a wide range of outstanding, high-performing content. In addition to a documentary film, social media and other engaging content the initiative has produced, a collection of photos has earned Be Vocal first place in the “Photography” category of PR Daily’s 2017 Video and Visual Awards.

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals partnered with five leading mental health advocacy groups, singer and mental health advocate Demi Lovato and various creative professionals, including photojournalist and documentarian Shaul Schwarz, to bring the Be Vocal photography collection to life in an effort to empower adults living with a mental health condition to speak up for themselves and as a community to advance mental health in America. 

The Be Vocal Collection features 10 people living well with various mental health conditions, “showing what mental health can look like when people get the support they need—while also acknowledging the challenges of mental illness.” The photos were shot by Schwarz and developed in partnership with Getty Images to create a collection that is free for editorial use, and which strives to reframe how mental health is portrayed.  Be Vocal won the award because of the stunning quality of these images and how effectively they convey the ideas developed in the initiative concept. 

Nearly 275 media stories were published about The Collection, accounting for more than 819 million traditional media impressions. In addition, social media has delivered over 352 million impressions. 

Congratulations to Maureen Sheltry (Sunovion Pharmaceuticals), and Keri McDonough, Stephanie Budnick, Chaz Cox, Devonne Sutton, Rebecca O’Neill, Amy Rosenfeld, Zohra Roy, Samantha Polansky, Sydney Shale and Allison Predmore (Biosector 2).