UnLtd Adland Bail Out event raises a record-breaking $140,000 for charity partner Whitelion
The Adland Bail Out event which saw 70 senior adland figures spend a night behind bars has raised a record-breaking $140,000 for UnLtd’s charity partner Whitelion.
On Friday 4 May, industry leaders from media owner, media agency, tech and creative sides swapped their home comforts to spend a night as “inmates” inside the cells of the chilling Yasmar Facility, a former Juvenile Detention Centre.
Instead of the usual champagne reception on arrival, the inmates were lined up, interrogated and finger printed before being locked into their cells. Push-ups and solitary awaited anyone who dared to show up late or misbehave. After a dinner of prison grub the inmates then took part in thought-provoking workshops that highlighted the
issues that many young people at risk face.
Says Kurt Burnette, chief revenue officer, Seven: “I gauge experiences in life not just about what it is I actually did but how it made me feel and how it made me think and learn. The experience with Bailout made me feel think and learn about the plight of people who often, through no fault of their own, get dealt the
wrong cards. What we got to see in an emotional and confronting evening is how the fantastic work of organisations like Whitelion can do so much good and play such a significant part in changing the lives of people in a positive way. It was inspirational and impactful and so well put together. It is a credit to all involved from Whitelion and UnLtd and to all of those who took part. I was honoured to be an inmate (for a short period of time!)”.
In order be released on Saturday morning, each participant was tasked to raise a minimum of $1,000 bail. Thanks to the generosity of our industry and the hard work by the inmates, the event raised an incredible $140,000 for Whitelion making the event the biggest Bail Out event in history. The Media Owner Gang raised the most funds with an impressive total of over $51K raised. The three biggest individual fundraisers – Kurt Burnette, Seven; Lou Barrett, News and Sue Squillace, Spark Foundry – also got the opportunity to swap sides and become guards for part of the night.
Says Chris Freel, CEO, UnLtd: “Thank you to all of the inmates and to the broader industry for their support. Bail Out has shown the huge positive impact that we can make as an industry when we come together for good. It’s not often that we can claim to save lives in our industry but through this event we have done exactly that.”
Bail Out is a national campaign for Whitelion, providing a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of a young person that has been disconnected from our community due to abuse and neglect, drug addiction and poverty. Whitelion is a charity that connects at risk young people with the community to educate them to make positive and often life changing choices through practical and effective support such as mentoring programs, education and employment.
Says Mark Watt, CEO, Whitelion: “The $140,000 raised by UnLtd’s Adlang Gang enables Whitelion to fund over 12 months of crucial outreach services on the streets of Sydney, assisting some of the most at-risk young people with locating stable housing, finding employment, engaging with education or accessing mental health support. The support and effort from UnLtd during the Bail Out campaign is truly life-changing for at-risk young Australians.”
The Adland Bail Out 2018 inmates included:
Media Owner Gang:
Adam Sadler, SBS
Adam Thorn, Mumbrella
Arvind Hickman, AdNews
Brendon Cook, oOh!
Dave Roddick, Adshel
Kurt Burnette, Channel 7
Lou Barrett, News Corp
Mark Frain, MCN
Nick Young, MCN
Oliver Newton, JCDecaux
Peter Charlton, Nova
Rob Atkinson, ARN
Rod Prosser, Network Ten
Stuart Parker, Car Advice
Susie Bayes, The Guardian
Tony Bell, The Guardian
Tony Kendall, HT&E
Media Agency Gang:
Aimee Buchanan, OMD
Andy Antoniou, Orchard
Cameron Swan, Active International
Craig Jepsen, The Media Store
Danny Bass, IPG Media Brands
Kerry Field, Mindshare
Kristiaan Kroon, OMG
Lucy Formosa, PHD
Mark Lollback, Group M
Mel Hey, OMD
Nick Behr, Kaimera
Nicole Turley, Mediacom
Peter Horgan, OMG
Sophie Madden, MFA
Sue Squillace, Spark Foundry
Toby Barbour, Starcom
Venessa Hunt, Group M
Yvette Mayer, OMD
Creative Gang:
Chris Austin, 3rd Space
David Park, Maud
Denise Shrivell, Mediascope
Emily Perrett, Clemenger
John Broome, AANA
Jules Hall, The Hallway
Karen Halligan, KPMG
Kim Portrate, ThinkTV
Max Learmont, Ikon
Nolan Yu, UM
Penny Davy-Whyte, Tilt Media
Rob Logan, 3rd Space
Rowena Newman, ThinkTV
Toby Hemming, Bold PR
Anita Lyons, Yahoo!7
Adam Wade, Amobee
Fiona Harrop, Big W
Mary Waite, Unicef
Tech Gang:
Adam Furness, Impact
Craig Bonser, Quantcast
Damein Thomson, Sizmek
Fiona Roberts, InMobi
Guy Burbidge, Quantcast
Matt Fahd, REA Group
Mitch Waters, The Trade Desk
Nicole Gardner, Quantcast
Pete Hong, Storyful
Ryan Linahan, Quantcast
Sam Adams-Nye, Folo
Sarah Wyse, Wyse Women
Will Easton, Facebook