Advertising Will Save Us from Gun Violence, with Leo Burnett’s Sam Shepherd and Ashley Geisheker

Can advertising’s immense power to change behaviour be used for good? In this brand new podcast, produced by Intelligence Squared, Myra Nussbaum, President and Chief Creative Officer at Havas Chicago and Dan Lucey, Chief Creative Officer at Havas New York, talk to the people who are harnessing the power of advertising to help people and the planet.

This week, Dan and Myra were joined by Sam Shepherd and Ashely Geisheker from Leo Burnett in Chicago. Last year, Sam and Ashley were part of the team behind The Lost Class, a campaign to raise awareness about the members of the high school class of 2021 who were killed by guns. The film was produced by Leo Burnett in support of Change the Ref’s campaign to introduce universal background checks for gun sales. Among many other awards, it was nominated for an Emmy.

Sam Shepherd is Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett Chicago. He has received a host of top industry honours including Titanium Cannes Lions, D&AD Black pencils and Agency of the Year. He has worked with world class brands from HBO and BMW to Absolut Vodka and Oreo. Passionate about many social causes, his pro bono work for the charity Water is Life aims to raise life-saving donations and awareness for access to clean water in countries such as Kenya, Haiti and India.

Ashley Geisheker is Executive Vice President and Head of Production at Leo Burnett Chicago. She leads all aspects of the creative agency’s production capabilities and has steered ambitious productions for brands including Bank of America, Samsung and Wingstop. Her clients and work have been recognised by major industry awards including Cannes Lions, The One Show and the Effies.

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