WePresent supports the UN and Talenthouse to give visibility to artists during COVID-19

This initiative aims to unite the world with uplifting messages of solidarity around COVID-19, using WeTransfer's global platform to support the work of creatives by giving visibility to artists promoting the UN messages.

We are excited to announce our support of the UN and Talenthouse which solidifies our commitment to using our global platform to support the work of creatives and share positive messages through creativity. 

Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, different types of creatives and freelancers were affected by it. With most of the cultural organizations closed and creative agencies having to cut media spend, the impact on the creative community has been substantial. From the start, WeTransfer has proudly supported creative communities, donating 30% of our advertising space to causes we care about. We have continued to show our support through the pandemic by donating an additional 500 million ad impressions on our highly-trafficked homepage wallpaper to showcase the work of artists and organizations that support them. 

“WeTransfer was built around the mission of supporting the creative community. Our view was, is, and always will be: people first, creativity second, technology third.” says Damian Bradfield Chief Creative Officer at WeTransfer. “Our business decisions are based on adding value to the people we serve, our users, community and the people around us. We believe that now more than ever, we can amplify the voice of the creative community, highlight the importance of creatives around the world and the need to tell their stories.”

Today, we are announcing our initiative with the United Nations and Talenthouse to continue on our mission of using creativity for good and spreading positive messages associated with combating the spread of Covid-19. WeTransfer will provide advertisement space on our homepage and on the 20th of May, WePresent, the editorial platform of WeTransfer, will dedicate space for an article that shares the personal stories of 17 of the emerging young artists that participated in the UN Open Brief. 

The United Nations invited creators to respond to their open brief for compelling creative works that convey the right public health messages, in addition to uplifting content to unite the world. The artwork raises awareness about personal hygiene, physical distancing, knowing the symptoms, spreading kindness, myth-busting and solidarity. The brief was hosted on Talenthouse’s website, part of TLNT and gathered 17,000 creative submissions over two weeks from 143 countries.

From the artwork gathered in the UN’s top 1000 artworks, our WePresent team selected a number of artists to create more awareness about their personal stories, while spreading the positive message of the UN Covid-19 Campaign. Studio Plankton, Pedro Ninja, Holly Wells, Binderiya Sanduijav, Andi Yanto and Catherine Cordasco are among the artists highlighted by WeTransfer to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and spread a positive message instead.

“It is time to unite our voices as a community and highlight the role of creatives. They need our support now more than ever.” says Holly Fraser, Editor-in-chief. "Being an amplifier of positive messages and personal stories is key to giving us hope during this difficult time. We need to keep raising awareness about topics that matter, telling unexpected stories about creativity and championing diverse perspectives.” 

Dawda Jobarteh, Global Head of UN SDG Strategy Hub states, “We have been overwhelmed by the tremendous response from creators around the globe who have leaned in to help humanity in the face of this unprecedented crisis. This pandemic demands collective action and global collaboration. The creative community has delivered powerful messages that transcend borders, languages, cultures and mediums, to help reach everyone in this fight against Covid-19. That fight begins with personal behavior change and clear understanding of the facts, so communications couldn't be more important. Now, the challenge is to get these inspiring works seen and heard by people all over the world, especially where the need is greatest.”