Organ Donor spot revolves around young organ recipient; Brit superband Coldplay donates music

One month after Tonisha Daniel and her family appeared on a 2004 radio spot talking about organ donation, she became a liver recipient.

This year’s commercial for the Illinois Secretary of State’s Organ/Tissue Donor Program features a healthy Tonisha, 16, getting ready to go on stage.

The annual spot was produced for the seventh year by Adelstein & Associates, and was co-written, produced and directed by Carey Lundin. It airs during April and May on TV, radio and movie theatres.

The spot is part commercial as Adelstein & Associates buys $1 million in media, and part PSA as stations and theaters donate earned media time.

Featured is donated music by British superband, Coldplay. The song is “The Scientist” from Coldplay’s Grammy Award?winning album, “A Rush of Blood to the Head.”

The contributed Coldplay music follows the tradition since 2001 of using songs by famous artists on Organ Donor spots.

Tonisha Daniel of Dolton was selected because she’s living proof that the organ donor program works, said Lundin. “We use her going on stage as a metaphor to dramatize her starting the next stage of her new, healthy life.”

Daniel stars in a play, with other teens, that was created especially for the commercial.

The Donor Program has been so successful, said Lundin, “that Illinois has the highest donor registry in the country, with donations up over 54 percent.”

Budget was approximately $27,000. Lundin shot on 16mm to make it look like a documentary at the Chicago Historical Society theatre.

Eric Adelstein was executive producer and co-writer; editor, Nick Kofski; camera, Andrew Dryer; art director, Abbie Jacobson; finishing by Swell; sound by Bosco Productions.

Lundin can be reached at 773/991-5655.