I’m A Hurricane
Jump in and jam along with Pedro, as he learns all about what a hurricane is and how he can be aware when one is on its way.
American Red Cross
Prepare with Pedro | Hurricane Series
Pedro the Penguin is back! And this time, he’s here to teach kids all about hurricane safety! We were so honored to partner with The American Red Cross and PBS member stations to produce this set of animated music video PSAs for kids & families all across the state of Florida. And not only does Pedro have a whole new look for this series…he’s boppin’ along to some of the hottest Pedro jams yet!
All Episodes
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1 / 4
I’m A Hurricane
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2 / 4
Watch vs. Warning
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3 / 4
Prep A Kit
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4 / 4
Shelter vs. Evacuate
Pedro’s Big Splash & New Partnership
Pedro The Penguin is back to teach Floridians about Hurricane Safety in a brand new campaign! This time, he’s supported by a partnership between two of the world’s most trusted brands – The American Red Cross and PBS!
We were so proud to produce this charming set of musical animated PSAs in which Pedro teaches kids & families across Florida about hurricane safety. But just as important – is ensuring that all the right people are seeing it. We’re equally proud to have helped facilitate this first ever partnership between The American Red Cross and Florida Public Media – strategizing distribution on PBS broadcast & streaming. This built up an extensive network of educational leaders across Florida and beyond to promote the content, and extends the placement of key learning materials online.
A Cast of Characters
Singing hurricanes & dolphins. A dancing TV, phone, and radio. A crooning car and an energetic emergency kit. The cast of characters in this series in indeed non-human. But because the focus of this campaign was to boil down singular key messages for each video, we spent our time designing a suite of characters that would enhance core lessons without detracting from them in any way. Designed with simplicity and maximum charm in mind, Pedro’s cast of buddies in this series are intended to both enhance curriculum and dance their anthropomorphized hearts out.
Sing Along Time
When it comes to boiling down key hurricane safety lessons into singular easy-to-remember messages, what better form to use than a song! After many years of working together with The American Red Cross Youth Prep Program to shape Pedro The Penguin’s lessons into stories of various shapes and sizes, this time we knew that songs were the way to go.
Together with our songwriting partner, Jason Rabinowitz of The Pop Ups, we crafted diddies that were intended to be catchy, memorable, and evocative of a uniquely Floridian Flair. Good luck getting these hurricane ear worms out of your noggin! Once you bop, the fun don’t stop!
Distribution and Partnership Strategy
We and our American Red Cross partners worked closely with leaders from Florida Public Media to thoughtfully plan everything:
- Duration & frequency of airing amid hurricane season
- Airing on broadcast vs streaming platforms
- Placement between specific PBS KIDS shows to maximize viewership for both English & Spanish speaking audiences
- Adjusting end cards during Hurricanes Milton & Helene to ensure that the right messaging was reaching the right people at the right time
Thanks to this partnership, we were able to leverage targeted PBS contacts for audience testing and campaign promotion, facilitate placement of key messages on PBS online platforms, and lay the groundwork for future engagement between The American Red Cross and PBS member stations.
The Impact
A staggering 10.2 million families across Florida viewed the PSAs. And, the traffic driven to the Prepare With Pedro website increased by over 200% during the campaign.
A Polyglot Penguin
Both during the creation and distribution of the series, we made localization for our Spanish speaking audience a top priority. Written & recorded in both English & Spanish, the Pedro Hurricane Preparedness Campaign ensures that the songs and animation weren’t just simply dubbed as an afterthought – they maintained both the core messaging and the catchiness of their English counterparts.
During distribution, we also paid close attention to the placement of the Spanish versions of our PSAs. We recognized that the biggest Spanish speaking audience would be tuning in for shows like Alma’s Way and Rosie’s rules.
Credits
Creative Director Katie Trayte
Series Director Katie Trayte
Series Producer Mike Capbarat
Writer Mike Capbarat
Songwriter & Song Producer Jason Rabinowitz, The Pop Ups
Illustrators Conner Troxclair, Stella Oei, Eri Hashimoto
Animation Demente Studio
