‘The Story of Monica & Naomi’ video wins two awards at the W3 Awards

This week, "The Story of Monica and Naomi," the launch video in Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry, our joint campaign with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, won Best in Show and a Gold Award at the W3 Awards. The W3 Awards honors creative excellence on the web, recognizing the creative and marketing professionals behind award-winning websites, videos, and marketing programs. 

The heart-breaking video, which tracks the growth of the relationship, engagement, and marriage between Monica and Naomi, fictional characters who represent thousands of gay and lesbian servicemembers in the U.S. military, was produced in partnership with Freedom to Marry, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, and Blue State Digital. The video was directed by Jessica Lacombe, art-directed and animated by Andy Zimbelman, with assistant illustration by Dave Cicale, and sound design by Nick Kraus. Account executive Leone Kraus supported the project.

The video provided an engaging jumping-off point for Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry, our campaign to highlight the ways in which servicemembers in same-sex relationships are hurt by the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from respecting lawful marriages between same-sex couples. Since launching in May, the campaign has also demonstrated how DOMA hurts real same-sex military couples and their families - including Charlie and Karen Morgan, Joshua Snyder and Steve Hill, and Daniel and Jerret Henderson

Read more about Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry, check out all of the winners of this year's W3 Awards, and watch "The Story of Monica & Naomi" below: