As an owner of a major entertainment marketing firm in Hollywood, it’s Seth Phillips Althoff’s job to make superheroes look good. His agency, BOND, has made Hollywood movie trailers and posters for some of the biggest movies of the decade, including the new Star Wars films, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy and Justice League. So when a client presented Seth the opportunity to help some real life heroes through our firefighter charity, he jumped at the opportunity to do as much as he could.
“I have such respect and profound gratitude for the men and women who do that work,” Seth said from his office in sunny Los Angeles. “I’m from blue collar Ohio and these are the jobs you aspire to have when you’re growing up. No kid is playing ‘agency exec’ in their backyard.”
BOND & Scott Edwards team up to fundraise for our firefighters
The client was Scott Edwards, a marketing executive with Fox On Air who had decided to participate in the Sketcher’s Performance Los Angeles Marathon to raise money for the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund. With help from Seth and other generous donors, Scott was able to blast past his initial fundraising goal of $650 and raise a whopping $4,400 for the firefighter charity.
It was the Firemen’s Fund’s first year as an official charity partner of the L.A. Marathon. Hard work from people like Scott combined with the generosity of businesses like BOND made the fundraising campaign a major success.
“I know Scott and I know over the years he’s been charitable with his time and his energy and his resources – any time he puts something out, it’s something I’m going to pay attention to,” Seth said, who serves as the managing director at BOND. Scott urged friends and colleagues to donate through his page on Crowdrise.com, which highlighted the sacrifices firefighters make for the community.
“They deal with overwhelming challenges, and many have made such sacrifices, hopefully we can all make small ones together that will amount to a profound contribution to their families and the greater good,” Scott said.
Supporting Our Firefighter Charity
The money Scott and other runners raised through the marathon will go toward helping families of firefighters who have been killed or injured in the line of duty. The Firemen’s Fund gives assistance in multiple ways: providing money for scholarships, medical aid and even basic living expenses. The cause appealed to Seth at BOND, who is often approached by fundraisers looking to raise money for different causes.
“There are a lot of things in the entertainment industry that people promote and oftentimes it’s difficult to drill down to what the charity is or what the benefits are or how the funds are ultimately going to be put to best use,” Seth said. The marketing executive now counts the Firemen’s Fund as one of the core charities he supports – after he gave money for the marathon fundraiser he immediately asked to be put on the Fund’s mailing list for future events.
Seth created BOND with three other veteran marketers in 2012 to provide major studios with marketing materials across all platforms: print, digital and A/V. The name was inspired by the founders’ desire to create bonds between colleagues, clients, and consumers through creative excellence. Since then they’ve created eye catching posters and heart-stopping trailers for Hollywood blockbusters. Seth considers himself lucky to work in an environment where fun comes first.
“We love what we do and we are really passionate about the work,” Seth said. “We understand how lucky we are to do this work and it’s all because of the people in the civil services that keep us safe to pursue our dreams that we get a chance to do what we do.”
Check out the incredible work by BOND on their website: https://wearebond.com/
To see more stories of heroes that support our firefighter charity, visit our supporters page..
By Kate Cagle