The sixth annual UnLtd: Big Dream event saw over 650 people across the media, marketing and creative industry come together in Sydney to celebrate and showcase the positive impact the industry has had on young people at risk.
The inductees to the Hall of Good were revealed at the event with OMD winning the Good Company category.
Danielle Galipienzo from Initiative was named as the Social Change Maker and the ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ campaign by Zenith and Cocogun for Missing School was chosen as the Campaign for Good.
UnLtd director of partnerships Jade Harley said giving back to the community is deeply entrenched in OMD’s DNA and this is evident from their long-term commitment to supporting several causes from foster children to leukemia.
"OMD has been a committed and valued partner for The Pyjama Foundation of nearly 10 years," she said.
"With OMD’s support, Pyjama Foundation has been able to grow from a local Brisbane charity to a nationally recognised and respected organisation with a fundraising campaign that raises nearly $1M each year. The incredible media support OMD has rallied for their National Pyjama Day campaign over the years has been instrumental in raising their profile and helping attract new donors and partners.”
OMD Australia co-CEO Laura Nice said the agency is so fortunate to have UnLtd inspiring the industry and connecting companies with incredible organisations that can really make a difference for youth at risk.
"Giving back to the community is such an important part of OMD’s culture and this is driven by everyone across our agency," she said.
"We are so proud of our passionate and talented OMDers who drive our partnership and work with the brilliant team at The Pyjama Foundation, and those that get involved in all the important events that UnLtd host throughout the year. This recognition by UnLtd as a Good Company is all thanks to our team and client partners who inspire our efforts to keep making a difference into the future.”
The event, sponsored by MiQ, oOh!media, Val Morgan Cinema, NOVA Entertainment, Magnite and Yahoo, raised funds for UnLtd’s work to support charities helping young people at risk. Guests also had an opportunity to make a dream come true for First Nations children through The Big Pledge for DeadlyScience.
Over $87,000 was raised for DeadlyScience’s Dream Makers project to fund 3D printers and learning resources to inspire First Nations students in remote schools to become the next generation of scientists, doctors and engineers.
This year’s Big Dream event saw guests go through a series of creative storytelling experiences to highlight the realities many young people at risk face. The event also saw UnLtd announce their new cause-led direction and their support for the Raise The Age campaign.
The campaign, created by Tag with media support from Carat, previewed at the event with the full campaign launching in November.
UnLtd CEO said Stephen Hunt said for nearly 20 years, UnLtd has brought the industry together to help impactful charities grow, and while it will continue to do that important work, it knows it can do more.
"We want to bring experts from our industry and the cause sector together to create tangible, systemic change to end youth disadvantage," he said.
"One of the first projects we’ll be tackling is the shocking fact that in Australia, children as young as ten are locked up in prisons. We know locking up children creates long-lasting harm to children and society and it simply doesn’t work. It creates a ‘revolving door’ of incarceration with 85% of young people returning within 12 months when released from sentenced detention. It’s also a huge cost for taxpayers - it costs over $1 million per year, per young person in prison in NSW.
"We can’t wait to get the industry behind this important campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility.”
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