Fire Kite from Nashville had one week to turn a Labor Day insight into a film that would cut through holiday noise. The concept was deceptively simple: while Americans plan beach days and barbecues, 703 million people around the world are laboring just to survive.
What started as a straightforward juxtaposition became something more powerful—a mirror that forces viewers to reckon with their own comfort against global reality. It’s the latest collaboration between the independent agency and charity: water, following their “Sleep for Water” campaign earlier this year that invited people to donate pennies per hour of sleep.
The insight that started with a question
Alex Goulart, Founder and Executive Creative Director at Fire Kite, and his team weren’t looking for a complicated execution. The insight was already there, sitting in plain sight: Labor Day means rest for some and endless work for others.
“This was one of those ideas where we knew we had a great insight—Labor Day is not a day of rest for people who don’t have clean water,” Goulart says. “It was just a question of what’s the simplest and strongest execution.”
The answer came in contrasting casual Labor Day conversations with the daily reality of water collection. No fancy production. No elaborate setups. Just real people talking about their holiday plans while powerful imagery tells a different story entirely.
Street interviews meet global reality
The film opens with voiceover asking various people on the street about their casual Labor Day plans. While their responses follow typical holiday thoughts—relaxation, time with friends, enjoying nature—the imagery depicts the stark contrast of adults and children in developing countries “laboring” for their daily sustenance.
But Fire Kite layered these casual responses against footage from communities without clean water access. As depicted in the film, a “walk” becomes walking miles to get water. “Time with friends” transforms into digging or carrying buckets of water together. “Having a cocktail” shifts to drinking water that is unclean.
The real-life “streeter” style voiceover technique creates a visceral contrast that doesn’t feel manipulative or heavy-handed. It simply shows two realities existing simultaneously, exactly as described in the film’s creative approach.
From pitch to production in seven days
Brady Josephson, VP of Marketing and Growth for charity: water, remembers the moment Fire Kite presented the concept. “The best concepts are often the simplest and that’s certainly the case here. When Fire Kite pitched it, we immediately loved it.”
But here’s where independent agencies prove their worth: speed and agility that larger shops can’t match. From initial concept to finished film took exactly one week.
“From a purely executional standpoint, to be able to move from an idea to something in-market in a week is such a gift and asset,” Josephson notes. When timing matters—especially around holidays when attention spans are shorter—indies like Fire Kite can move at the speed of relevance.
The power of authentic contrast
The film works because it doesn’t lecture or guilt-trip viewers. Instead, it creates space for reflection through authentic contrast. The “real-life ‘streeter’ style voice over really brings the juxtaposition to life,” as Josephson puts it.
Creative Director Zach Fugate helped shape the execution, while Producer Wes Wages and Project Manager Lori Shoukry moved the project from concept to completion. The entire team understood that when timing matters—especially around holidays when attention spans are shorter—indies like Fire Kite can move at the speed of relevance.
Editing and music came from freelance contributor Carrie Todd, while the production demonstrated what charity: water CEO Scott Harrison and his team including VP of Marketing and Growth Brady Josephson and Performance Marketing Manager Courtney Marin knew they needed: authentic storytelling without the layers of approval that often dilute original insights.
Fire Kite‘s approach reflects their broader philosophy: making brands legendary through audacious creativity that doesn’t sacrifice humanity for cleverness.
Building on a relationship that works
This isn’t Fire Kite‘s first campaign for charity: water. Earlier this year, the agency created the “Sleep for Water” initiative that launched on World Sleep Day, encouraging people to donate 10 cents for every hour they sleep. If every American participated, charity: water estimated they could raise enough in 12 months to end the global water crisis altogether.
That campaign’s success likely contributed to charity: water’s confidence in Fire Kite‘s ability to move quickly on the Labor Day concept. Both campaigns share the same insight: taking something people do automatically—sleeping, taking holidays—and connecting it to the reality that 703 million people still lack access to clean water.
The Labor Day film demonstrates what happens when independent agencies focus on what they do best—finding human truths and executing them without layers of approval that dilute the original insight.
“Ultimately, contrasting casual conversations around Labor Day plans with the daily reality for 703 million people was the most powerful way to go,” Goulart explains.
It’s the kind of work that reminds you why charity: water’s commitment to transparency—100% of public donations go directly to water programs—matters. And why agencies like Fire Kite exist to amplify that message with both intelligence and heart.
The Nashville agency has been building momentum since launching, with recent work including campaigns for Vaulted that showcase their ability to find unexpected angles for complex stories.
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Fire Kite
Alex Goulart LinkedIn
Fire Kite LinkedIn
Contact: alex@firekite.co
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