Drill and Suicide Prevention: Inside T&Pm’s Bold Mental Health Campaign

When it comes to mental health, the hardest conversations are often the most important. This was the insight driving T&Pm’s groundbreaking new campaign for, ‘This Is Not A Drill’, created in collaboration with suicide prevention charity CALM. Led by creatives Osagie Samuel, Arnold Jorge and Gareth Ellis, the project does something unexpected, using the raw energy of drill music to create an urgent wake-up call for young people.

With a perfect balance of sharp lyricism, measured comedy and storytelling, the campaign aims to help gen z and the generations after them recognise when a friend might need them to listen.

Born from the British Arrows Young Arrows competition, the campaign is as surprising as it is impactful – successfully flipping a genre often associated with nihilistic sentiments into a life-saving intervention.

With a track produced by legendary drill figure Carns Hill and performances from Top Boy’s Kadeem Ramsay and Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens, the films bring authenticity and levity to a subject too often weighed down by stigma.

LBB’s Zoe Antonov met with Osagie and Arnold to discuss the creative process, the balance between humour and sensitivity, and how the tragic loss of their friend and collaborator, Gareth Ellis, enhanced the urgency of the project.
​

LBB> This campaign was born from the British Arrows Young Arrows competition. Can you share what the initial idea looked like and what inspired it?

Osagie> The initial idea came from wanting people to act quickly to a situation – if someone is suffering in silence and thinking about suicide, acting quickly could be critical. We thought if we were to treat signs of people struggling with their mental health as a reason for urgent action, we’d be able to make change. The idea and strapline ‘This Is Not A Drill’ crystallised around this intention – as a way to interrupt a jaded, doom scrolling audience with a wake up call.

Being music fans ourselves, we recognised the popularity of drill among young people all over the country. It's a genre that resonates with gen z, in large part because it's urgent, raw and unfiltered. We knew that flipping a genre infamous for nihilistic elements to communicate a message about potentially saving lives could have a massive impact on social media, because it’s so unexpected.

LBB> How did you strike the right balance between authenticity, sensitivity and creativity, while crafting the project?

Arnold> Gareth, Osagie and myself, all being huge fans of comedy, knew that we wanted to explore a humourous angle. People don’t always want things shoved down their throats, especially something as heavy as suicide awareness. So, we sort of looked at it like, if we add all elements of what makes drill, drill, comedy, comedy and a music video a music video, we’d be able to strike the right balance.

From bringing on Carns Hill, one of the biggest drill producers, to make the instrumental, to getting one of the most popular grime and drill music video directors Kevin Hudson to direct it, recording the song at a key drill music studio ‘Studio Maniac’, right down to finding the most authentic cast to convey each story. All of these things played a huge role in creating the perfect combination.

Osagie> Because the project is in large part an educational piece – for people to learn to recognise the signs of depression and suicidal ideation so they can support friends that need help – the balance was all about grabbing attention and keeping it. Working in advertising we know that if you preach at people or are overly serious you're in danger of losing your audience, so we tried to bring entertainment to it. We’d planned to include humour from the start, to bring levity to a serious subject, and there was a lot of drafting and crafting the script and song lyrics to make sure we had a good balance.

LBB> Why was drill the perfect genre to convey this message?

Arnold> As a genre of music which predominately promotes negativity, violence and crime, we knew a drill song that did the complete opposite would have a huge effect on those who heard it. Not only to fans of drill music, but to those outside of it too. Going by the stats which were presented to us by CALM (about those who are affected by suicide), drill felt likethe perfect in.that e needed to get through to our target audience, and allow our message to land in exactly the right places.

Osagie> We felt the tension in combining this sometimes controversial and often misunderstood genre with drama and humour would be unexpected and impactful, amplifying the message in a way that would stand out from the masses of content competing for our audience's attention in social media. We knew that mashing up comedy with music and drama would not necessarily be a comfortable mix for everyone, but that's kind of the point. It’s not a comfortable conversation.The intention was always to catch people off guard, shock and charm them – and ultimately have them come away with the tools to help a friend in need.

LBB> The campaign features an original track produced by Carns Hill. How did the music itself contribute to the storytelling, and what creative choices were made to make the track so impactful? How did the writing process go?

Arnold> Music was a big part for us, as we felt it’s what would allow the story to be told in the unique way that it was. Writing the project was the easy part, as myself and Osagie both have years of experience in music; both being rappers in our own right. However, the one challenge we faced was finding the middle ground between making a genuinely good drill track and making something that would relate to a broader audience.

We didn’t want to make something that would upset drill fans and musicians by taking the essence away from it, so we knew bringing Carns Hill on board would add a stamp of approval to the campaign as well as keep the authenticity that we were looking for, and in return allow us to not have to go so gritty on the lyrics, and have the freedom include comedy into the song, which was a big thing to us and our late partner Gareth.

Osagie> We had to stay true to the form of drill. From a technical point of view we wanted to have a staccato delivery with a minimalist flow so that it wasn’t too verbally dense but still sonically authentic when paired with the beat from drill pioneer Carns Hill. Beyond that, it had to work from a storytelling point of view – the crew’s ‘interventions’ came about where friends or family members missed the signs, so witty responses that were educational, entertaining and suitably sensitive had to be succinct enough to fit into a short verse for each situation.

LBB> The performances by Kadeem Ramsay and Jordan Stephens bring a unique presence to the films. What was the collaborative process like with them, and how did their personal experiences shape the way they approached their roles?

Arnold> Both Kadeem and Jordan were very open with us about why they had agreed to get involved with the project, stating that each of them had gone through their own experience with mental health, which helped make it much more personal for everyone that was involved from them both, CALM, and me and Osagie. Jordan especially expressed his willingness to play a role outside of what he’d typically do. We had him playing a pizza delivery guy, which as small a cameo was, we feel had such a big impact on that particular chapter.

LBB> How did you decide on the different storylines and what did you want to represent with them?

Osagie> To craft the five storylines we took our lead from CALM’s Worried About Someone guide which outlined the signs that a loved one may be thinking about suicide. Even though our primary audience was 18-24 year olds, we wanted the stories to resonate across different demographics, across the country, for maximum impact. ​​Whether it’s a young man trying to open up to a friend who misses the opportunity to engage, a mum that misunderstands her school age daughter’s behaviour, or a mate that is going through a bad breakup, the scenarios had to be universally relatable.

LBB> Given that 18-24-year-olds are the least likely to seek help for their own mental health struggles, what insights guided the tone and language of the campaign to ensure it genuinely spoke to them specifically?

Osagie> CALM’s research shows that even though gen z knows a lot about mental health, they are often reluctant to talk about their own struggles. This insight informed each scenario featured in the film series and gave us a context for the drill crew’s ‘intervention’. Mental health is a complex issue, one which can be bewildering when a loved one needs help. Empowering friends and family to be a support network – even if that loved one is communicating what they’re going through – was the key goal. ‘Are you listening?’ is both the hook of the song and the hook of the idea – we wanted people to know that they can help a mate in trouble, even if they’re not talking, as long as you are listening.

LBB> The creative process took a deeply personal turn with the passing of Gareth Ellis during the making of this project. How did that impact the team, and did it influence the final message of the campaign in any way?

Osagie> Gareth’s passing impacted the team massively. He was a clever, funny and mischievously creative guy who has been part of everything I’ve done creatively for the last four years, so everything changed really. It was difficult for all of us on a personal level, but our agency T&Pm was super supportive, particularly our ECD at the time, Toby Allen, as were the team at CALM. Obviously the project became much more of a personal one, and all the more important for us to make it happen and make it well. It felt very much like Gareth was there in spirit as the project went through production. We put all our love and energy into it and we hope that it’s a fitting tribute to a much loved friend and colleague.

LBB> What do you hope the legacy of 'This Is Not A Drill' will be, and how do you see this campaign shaping future conversations around mental health awareness in youth culture?

Arnold> We’re hoping that through this project, mental health amongst the younger generation will become something that isn’t a taboo to discuss anymore. We want to be able to change the narrative of how people, especially amongst the youth, view mental health, creating safe spaces for them all over the world to share, discuss and acknowledge their feelings in ways that are unique and authentic to them.

Osagie> From the beginning, our goal was to get people talking about the project, talking to each other about their mental health, and listening out for the signs of depression and suicidal ideation so they can support friends that need help. We’re proud of our work for CALM, they do such a great job offering advice and tools to help prevent suicide. We would love to see even more engagement and awareness for the work that they do and it would be a great legacy to Gareth if this project can help save some lives.