NERD Production's Shay Hamias Creates Emotive Animation for Multiple Sclerosis Lifelines

Award-winning director Shay Hamias of NERD Productions directs this charming spot for Multiple Sclerosis alongside agency Digitas NY and MS Lifelines. The online film takes us the through the daily struggles of a young boy whose mother has been diagnosed. Through the vector-art style animation, we see the viewpoint of the boy through his “magic glasses” and the challenges that the family face dealing with the condition.

Director Hamias has previously won awards including a D&AD Pencil for Mindful, an awareness advert by M&C Saatchi. He says, “These briefs strike an emotional cord as you’re not selling a product but engaging and educating people on real-life important, everyday issues. I also normally find these briefs are much more open ended and creatively challenging.  I’m intrigued by emotional storytelling. Earlier on in my career I would say I was interested more in motion graphics & design but now I prefer when there is a narrative and a story to tell.”

“We have been working with our client MS Lifelines for some time and it became apparent there wasn’t a tool for MS sufferers to explain to their children about the disease in a way they could relate to. This is why we decided to make a film. We needed to find passionate, collaborative partners to help achieve this goal on the client’s behalf. After working with Shay and Milana from NERD Productions in the past, they were the right people to approach. Shay’s vision and engagement as well as his emotive animation style meant he was right man for the job,” says Brian Lefkowitz EVP/ECD of Digitas Health Life Brands, NY