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“Stop the Iron Pipeline” is an initiative to bring about awareness and policy change surrounding the issue of illegal gun trafficking in the state of Maryland (and the surrounding DMV area). Three years in the making, the campaign has generated thousands of petition signatures which have in turn helped catalyze important legal and legislative action around illegal gun trafficking.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a galvanizing short film that tells the story of a gun trafficker traveling up the Iron Pipeline, concluding with him selling a gun to a teenager. The film is soundtracked by a personal and powerful original song by Maryland-born hip hop superstar Logic, produced by Maryland native 6ix, and featuring The Baltimore Resonate Children’s Choir.

The Music Playground was brought on as a partner in this project for music supervision, live action production, post production and as a 360° PR and social media liaison and strategist.

The Music Playground handled artist and choir casting, music strategy and creative direction, music production, clearances, licensing, and day-to-day facilitation with artist management.

The Music Playground President Sydney Ferleger executive produced the campaign anthem film, working alongside an award-winning director and multiple production partners on behalf of the brand client and agency. The short film anchors the campaign website, which is promoted on brand and artist socials. The :30 and :15 cutdowns, which also CTA the campaign website and petition, are running on broadcast TV, and aired regionally during the Super Bowl.

The Music Playground managed a 360-degree PR campaign around and after the release of the video, working closely with the artist management teams to coordinate artist social posting, press releases, interview opportunities, influencer partner campaigns, and more.

Finally, The Music Playground oversaw the release of the track as a single on streaming platforms, as an extended version featuring a guest verse from fellow Maryland native hip hop artist Oddisee. The release of the track supercharged the campaign and led to thousands of additional petition signatures and additional policy action around the issue of illegal gun trafficking, as well as an outpouring of support from both artists’ fan communities.