TimeZoneOne and Schafer Condon Carter win Regional Emmy® Award for “On the Fence” Campaign

CHICAGO – TimeZoneOne (TZO) and its partner agency Schafer Condon Carter (SCC) are proud to announce its “On the Fence” COVID-19 vaccine awareness campaign for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) was honored with a Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy® Award from ​​the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the 64th annual Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy® Awards. The campaign was recognized for Outstanding Achievement for a Commercial in the Commercial Campaign category.

The Regional Emmy® award-winning public health campaign developed by TZO and SCC, featured 18 real-life stories from Illinois residents across the state who were initially hesitant about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, but are now fully vaccinated. The awareness campaign launched in January 2021 as COVID infection cases in Illinois continued to spike statewide particularly in rural areas. The campaign’s target audience was driven by data. A series of nine surveys of more than 2,000 residents over a year and a half identified a significant number of people who were ‘on the fence’ about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine but could still be persuaded.

“To receive a prestigious Emmy Award means the world to everyone who contributed to this emotional public health campaign highlighting such heartbreaking and lifesaving stories from people directly impacted by the virus,” said Daniel Thomas, TimeZoneOne CEO. “We are extremely proud of this campaign and the significant impact it had to decrease the unvaccinated rate in Illinois from 18% to 9% in just a few months.” 

The “On the Fence” campaign debuted in both English and Spanish through a variety of traditional and online media channels, including cable, broadcast and connected TV; streaming audio and radio; billboards and bus shelters; digital display and video; print and social media. 

“This dynamic campaign is a true testament to the power of genuine storytelling,” said SCC Chief Creative Officer, Denny Hebson. “We are so grateful to every person featured in the “On the Fence” campaign who trusted us with their stories in an effort to get more people in Illinois vaccinated and save lives.” 

To view select “On the Fence” campaign videos, click here.

The “On the Fence” campaign is TZO and SCC’s third campaign for the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) specifically aligned to promoting the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. The agency’s fourth campaign titled “MPV” will be released in late December, and will include informative messaging reflecting the monkeypox vaccine is safe, effective and readily available.

Produced by Tessa Films, the “On the Fence” campaign was part of the state's larger “All in Illinois” effort, backed by doctors and public health experts, encouraging Illinoisans to protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and boosted.

See below for a complete list of production credits for the “On the Fence” campaign:

State of Illinois 

Leah Beardslee - Deputy Press Secretary, Office of Governor JB Pritzker 

TimeZoneOne / Schafer Condon Carter 

Daniel Thomas - CEO of TimeZoneOne 

Dennis Bannon - Executive Director, Production 

Joe Raser - Director, Brand Strategy 

Kelly Christoffer - Account Director 

Jackie Smith - Account Supervisor 

Ron Sone - Creative Director 

Tiffany Dotson - Senior Editor

Ruby Bowden - Video Editor 

Corey Ciszek - Creative Director 

Johnny Hall - Content Production Director

Alison Quagliato - Art Director 

Sam Kraft - Content Manager 

Camille Suknovich - Producer 

Tessa Films 

Chan C. Smith - Director 

Lisa Masseur - Executive Producer 

Seth Deahl - Interim Head of Production 

Brooke Gaston - Line Producer 

Bjorn Amundsen - Director of Photography