Email
Print"Le Bonheur State of Mind"
The local children's hospital makes a memorable music video.
Our favorite thing we’ve come across in a while:
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital has put together a music video, to the tune of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ song “Empire State of Mind.” With fresh lyrics about the hospital, rapped and sung and performed on camera by hospital employees, “Le Bonheur State of Mind” is a slice of pure charm and positive vibe.
MBQ interviewed Andrew M. Sullivan, media design specialist at Le Bonheur and co-director of the video. (To watch the video, go to
www.mbqmemphis.com/2011/10/le-bonheur-state-of-mind.html.)
MBQ: What role did you have in making the video?
Andrew M. Sullivan: I shot it and edited the video. Paula Dycus, administrative director of professional practice and research, and I split the director role. Paula’s background is in nursing and administration, but she’s got great instincts for video. I was amazed at how often she and I would walk away from a shoot with the same ideas of which were the best shots. That sounds like an insignificant thing, but it’s rarer than you’d expect.
What kind of reaction did you get from administration when you pitched the project?
They pitched it to me! Our Chief Nursing Officer, Kathie Krause, was a huge driving force behind and proponent for this video. Paula was the field commander, and I was ... I can’t think of the proper military metaphor, but Kathie was the four-star general back at base whose support made the rest of it possible.
Who wrote the lyrics?
They were written primarily by a core group of Le Bonheur staff members: Ashley McCoy, Ann Mann, Gena Evans, and Delinda “Sunshine” Stewart were really completely finished before I came on board.
Are the performers Le Bonheur employees?
Yep, every one of them. In fact, with the exception of a few family members of Le Bonheur staff who are in the video, I think every person that appears on camera works at Le Bonheur. We wanted to highlight the sense of family and shared purpose at Le Bonheur by spending time with as many different people and departments as possible.
Who are the lead singers?
The rappers are nurse practitioner Lai Brooks, nurse practitioner Stacy Hines-Dowell, nurse practitioner Chrisla Tidwell, registered nurse Kimberly Sharp, and emergency medicine technician Wayne Sutter. The chorus consists of: Theresa Drewry, RN; Gena Evans, RN; Ann Grace, RN; Marissa Irwin, RN; Ashley McCoy, RN; and Delinda “Sunshine” Stewart, unit coordinator.
Where did the idea for the video come from?
Paula Dycus presented the notion of Le Bonheur creating a video first to our Magnet Champions, a group of 40 or so clinicians tasked with guiding us towards Magnet status. Magnet status is the highest national recognition a hospital can receive to recognize excellence in nursing. We knew that other hospitals had done videos sort of like this in their Magnet campaigns, and our staff felt that it would be a good way to increase awareness and excitement.
How long did it take to complete?
It took about five hours to track the vocals and about a day to mix and master. Then we had about 35 shoots spread across two weeks, based on unit availability. I’m not sure how long I spent editing it, as I was flipping between this and another project, as well as inserting shots right after shooting them. It was only hours between getting the last shot and having a complete draft, but I continued to tinker and polish right up until 15 minutes before it debuted.
Who came up with the concepts for the components from each unit/division in the hospital?
It varied from department to department. Most often, they would have an idea of what they wanted to do. If it was detailed and rehearsed, I would just let them do their entire routine a few times while I shot from various angles, knowing that the pacing of the video would mean using only very short segments. If it was a rougher sketch of an idea, I would massage it into something that I thought would read well on camera. And if they didn’t have any particular plan, Paula and I would just holler out ideas as they came to us. Everyone was really invested in making this fun video into a reflection of what kind of place Le Bonheur is. •
