Curating Authentic Motherhood Moments for Upwork’s Mother’s Day Campaign

Catch+Release is a licensing platform that lets advertisers browse the open internet to discover and license found content (real content from the internet) for their commercial campaigns. So, when freelancing platform Upwork was searching for authentic clips of motherhood for its ‘#MotherhoodWorks’ campaign, Catch+Release was there to research, source and licence videos from TikTok and elsewhere online for them.

In celebration of Mother's Day, Upwork was looking for specific shots to capture what real motherhood looks like - being a teacher, mentor, therapist, parent, chef and more. Hoping to show the value of what working mothers can bring to the workforce, Catch+Release uncovered and licenced 23 shots from TikTok and home videos resulting in this raw and realistic film.

To discuss how this project came about and the process and benefits of using found content for an intimate project such as this, LBB’s Ben Conway spoke with Catch+Release’s senior creative and curation lead, Helen Giano, and director of clearance and acquisitions, Lloyd Winston.

LBB> How did this project come about? What was Upwork’s brief like?

Helen> Upwork was looking for a very specific set of horizontal shots without a text overlay that would capture what the full-time job of motherhood looks like: being a teacher, mentor, therapist, parent, chef and more. 

In celebration and recognition of Mother’s Day, Upwork hoped to raise awareness and show the value of what working moms can bring to the workforce as well as challenges organisations should keep in mind when hiring – the platform was on a mission to get people to consider that what makes someone a great mom also makes them a great hire. The team wanted the campaign to encourage employers to hire working moms and inspire mothers to spark their careers to gain independence and flexibility. 

LBB> The film shares that in 2020, 1.6 million mothers left the workforce - how did you react to this stat, and how did it influence your work on this project? Is this a phenomenon that you had witnessed yourselves as a team during the pandemic?

Helen> This is a staggering stat. Both teams at Catch+Release and Upwork were highly invested in this project having lived through 2020 and seeing the toll the pandemic took on work-life balance with the world shut down and children remote learning. This campaign comes from a first-person’s point of view having experienced a very tough time, which weighed heavily, especially on moms. 

For the most part, Catch+Release has been a remote work company, so for some, the work-from-home shift was not as abrupt. However, everyone being at home at all times completely blurred the lines between work and home/family, which was certainly felt around the globe – there was no way any family could avoid that in 2020. 

LBB> Why was Catch + Release the ideal production partner for this project? Why was using licensed videos from TikTok and elsewhere effective for telling this story - rather than shooting footage for the film?

Helen> Upwork partnered with Catch+Release for its #MotherhoodWorks campaign to curate, clear and license authentic, powerful found content from the internet. Using stock didn’t feel real and custom production would’ve taken too long for the project turnaround time. 

Found content (aka real content from the internet) resonates better with people and based on Catch+Release data results in a 3x higher average engagement rate than traditional ads. By working with Catch+Release, Upwork could drive better engagement, save time compared to custom production, and reduce the risk of licensing content from real people. 

And this certainly was the right time for the right project. Being cooped up at home lent more time for moms to post content as a way of making sense of the new reality that was thrust upon them. Moms turned to places like TikTok to talk about their new reality, and Catch+Release met them where they were... On the platform. This was the time for moms to poke fun, be sad, be angry, be hopeful, and show how they were coping. These moments that were captured authentically illustrated how resilient moms are, which was perfect for the campaign’s story. 

LBB> Talk us through the process of finding the shots! What was the research process of finding the right clips like? And what is the process for licensing videos from TikTok specifically?

Helen> Catch+Release was able to uncover and license 12 shots that perfectly fit the campaign from places like TikTok and home videos. The process always starts with the client's creative, which in this case was Upwork’s brief and slide deck. Before the team is able to start research, we need to understand what the client is looking for, in terms of tone and aesthetics. It’s equally as important to know what they don’t want to see. 

Once we are aligned on creative, we can start the process of finding shots that match their vision. From there, the researchers uncover shots that have a good chance of being licensed, which is an important step in the curation process for Catch+Release – this is called ‘responsible curating’ - essentially meaning that the person who posted the shot can be contacted. This particular project was five days of research alone. Lastly, we leave it to the clearance team to reach out and work their negotiating magic and successfully license the shots. 

Lloyd> Regarding TikTok specifically, Catch+Release doesn’t license content directly from TikTok, but rather licences content from the rightful owners of content posted on the platform. When content is curated from TikTok and requested for clearance, our team of clearance specialists uses various tools and techniques to positively identify the image/video copyright owner and all visible faces or other identified IPs, and then the team works with each IP to obtain their permission to allow their owned content to be included in a campaign/project. This includes sharing the creative details and the project use terms and then negotiating a fee for the proposed use.

LBB> What were some of your favourite videos? What elements of Motherhood were you looking to uncover - and how long did it take to find the perfect clips?

Helen> For me, this shot around the four-minute mark perfectly captures the tone of what we were going for. Even though this mom is trying her best to have time to reflect on her own, her child is in the backseat asking for her attention. This is the raw honesty that makes a campaign like Upwork’s a success, which cannot be produced or replicated. 

LBB> How collaborative do you have to be when sourcing the right shots for a director’s specific vision? And also taking into account how an editor is going to put everything together!

Helen> All of Catch+Release’s projects are different depending on the director and editing house involvement. Most of the collaboration with our customers’ creative departments happens before we research. Post-research, the creative director trusts that we will be able to execute their vision with all the found content presented to them.  

With that said, we tend to deliver more than needed so the editors have options to choose from. It’s also helpful to have backup shots in case a piece of found content cannot be licensed – this could be contractual, or if the copyright owner or model declined to participate in the campaign, among other things. This happens occasionally, so we typically have backups for our backups. 

LBB> What was the most fulfilling part of this project for you - and equally, what provided the greatest creative challenge?

Helen> The most fulfilling part of this project in particular was showing how resilient, kind, funny and patient all the moms were in the clips. We’re all familiar with how real the mental load is for working mothers, and 2020 amplified that. I loved being able to highlight this in a positive way and be part of a campaign that recognises the sacrifices mothers made during 2020 - and continue to make today. 

LBB> As we’re talking about Mothers and Mother’s Day - do you have any mom-wisdom that was given to you that has helped your career?

Helen> Unlike me, my mother is not a person of many words. What I did learn from her is to hold your head up high and know your worth. My grandmother, who lived to be 102 years old, had many pearls of wisdom such as living with whoever you decide to marry first, and not following a career path that pigeonholes women.

Lloyd> In years past whenever I showed concern about what someone may think of me, my mom would always say, “Be your best, son, and don’t worry about what people think, because no matter what you do, they are going to think anyway.” I always found the statement funny, but I see and appreciate the wisdom in it too.