Smiling for Smiddy

Smiling for Smiddy is a charity organisation created in memory of Adam Smiddy, a young man who died of Melanoma Cancer in 2006 at the age of just 26.

Founded by Adam’s close friend and triathlon coach, Mark Smoothy, soon after Adam’s death, Smiling for Smiddy raises funds for ongoing world-class cancer research and health care through the Mater Foundation by hosting annual bike ride and triathlon challenges.

Client Goal: To generate awareness about the charity and to attract sponsors and riders through video content of the annual Smiddy events.

Our Approach:  To develop a high-quality unfeigned documentary of the 2009 and 2010 ‘Smiddy Challenge’, a 1600km eight-day ride from Brisbane to Townsville, to be broadcast on television and at events.

The Results:

The 2009 documentary, ‘A Journey of Friends’, was a huge success screening on WIN Television and attracting 38,000 viewers. It also went on to win the Best Documentary category at the 2010 Queensland Multi Media Awards.

The 2010 documentary, ‘The Long Road’, also went on to air on WIN Television throughout Queensland and attracted an audience reach of 40,734, scoring the second highest ratings for its time slot, with the AFL taking out the prime ratings only marginally.

Multiple sell-out screenings of the documentaries have been held across Queensland including special showings at the Brisbane Schonell Theatre. The 2010 documentary is also set to premiere in Perth in September 2011.

The documentaries have played a pivotal role in raising the profile of Smiling for Smiddy, assisting the charity to inspire new riders to take part in the annual challenges and helping to raise much-needed funds, which to date total over 1.9 million dollars.