Motion design, illustration, and writing for a campaign to win unemployment benefits for caregivers. The animated video received more than 200,000 views and reached the lawmakers who voted to close the unemployment loophole.

Skills in use Collaborators

Animation M. Kristjansson:
Writing Communications Director
Illustration
Design
Art direction

Context

Imagine losing someone you love: your child, your spouse, or your parent. Now imagine losing that person, losing your job, and discovering you're ineligible for unemployment—all in the same day. This happened to Sarah Moreno*.

Sarah is an in-home care provider for her 15-year-old daughter, Sophia*, who lives with cognitive disabilities and frequent seizures. Because of California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, Sarah gets paid for the life-saving care she provides. But when Sophia went into a life-threatening coma and had to be hospitalized, Sarah lost her status as an IHSS caregiver. For the month that Sophia was in a coma, doctors were unsure if she would live.

In addition to this traumatic experience for a parent, Sarah’s income suddenly dropped to $0. Yet unlike other workers, she couldn’t file for unemployment because of a law that excludes IHSS providers who care for their child or spouse.

Though her daughter survived, Sarah felt the cruelty of this exclusionary rule, which affects over 120,000 caregivers in California. UDW worked with Sarah to introduce AB 1993, a state law that would permanently close the unemployment loophole.

Approach

As part of our social media strategy surrounding the bill, I created a short, informative video to engage legislators and the public. The project challenged me to construct a cohesive narrative about a complex topic in under one minute.

Because this was my first time animating and using Adobe After Effects, the project served as an important learning experience for me—I gained confidence using the graph editor for custom motion curves, creating effective storyboards, and illustrating for motion design. I approached the process with a focus on timing and spacing, both of which are central to any successful animation.

I hit roadblocks specifically around my limited experience with motion paths, so certain movements weren't as natural as I wanted them to be. In retrospect, I've also noticed multiple areas where I could have improved my working efficiency in After Effects and considerably reduced the amount of time required to complete the project. As I've progressed as an animator, I've adopted a more efficient workflow and filled the gaps in my knowledge of motion paths—and I'm excited to apply these skills to my next animation project.

Outcome

In just a week, the video was viewed over 200,000 times and was shared by prominent state senators and assembly members. The bill accomplished a rare feat: it won bipartisan support and was voted unanimously through both the senate and the assembly.

Watch the full video here: