Middlechild launches Friday’s Child
January 6, 2023
Middlechild Productions is going through a rebrand and splitting up its TV Documentary and Advertising arms. The Advertising arm which specialises in charity campaigns, will become Friday’s Child.
David Sumnall, Founder and MD of Middlechild Productions, said: “We’ve run the two parts of our business side by side successfully for a few years now but with both growing significantly in recent times it felt right to give them their own distinct brands. According to the poem ‘Friday’s Child is loving and giving’ which felt like an apt name for our charity clients to be under.”
Middlechild established its credentials as a TV Production company and pivoted into DRTV adverts by chance.
Sumnall continued: “We were working on an RSPCA TV series and they asked us to help on their ad campaign, initially in post, then to direct and produce them. Our documentary sensibilities really helped us develop a fresh and unique style of adverts that has now become commonplace in the industry.”
A few years later and the company is now working with most of the major charities in the UK, including – RSPCA, Age UK, Action Aid, Christian Aid and Save the Children UK.
Concentrating on producing adverts, podcasts and digital content solely for charities and non-profit organisations has proved to be a winning strategy for the team.
Tom Sabbadini, Senior Producer commented: “We’re focused on the third sector and how to improve the fortunes of these brilliant organisations. It’s enabled us to become experts in the field and we can bring that expertise to our clients. As we’re a stand-alone production house we can work with agencies on behalf of the charities or with the charities directly depending on the brief.”
The past 12 months has seen Middlechild work directly with new charity clients Animals Asia and The Woodland Trust. After two successful campaigns that performed well, the collaboration certainly won’t be the last, and this year will see Middlechild reteam again with both charities on new projects. Reteaming with creative agencies has allowed Middlechild to embrace some new creative challenges. Sabika’s Story is the company’s first fully animated project which was developed alongside animators The Like Minded and 11London for Christian Aid. The animation tells the important story of the children swept up in the Rohingya genocide. Last year, Arthur London and Middlechild worked on an important campaign for Save the Children International, which shared the dangers faced by millions of new-born babies across the world and the amazing work carried out by birth attendants, nurses and doctors to save their lives. Towards the latter part of 2022, Middlechild reunited with Consider to create an ambitious campaign launching in time for the World Cup 2022 for Age UK.
Laura King, Producer, said: “2022 was an exciting year for the company in which we’ve nurtured our existing relationships with charities and also embraced new opportunities to broaden the company’s portfolio. The launching of Friday’s Child couldn’t have come at a better time as the team begins to grow. Though Middlechild has been creating DRTV content for years, the launching of Friday’s Child feels so exciting and we can’t wait to start working with our clients in 2023.”
Friday’s Child will carry on the legacy that Middlechild created; working with talented agencies and vital charities to tell important stories to the public.