Rett Syndrome Research Trust Launches Awareness Campaign in Iconic Times Square Location
Horizon Media, A2A Media, Garage Media Join Forces To Create Pro Bono PSA
The Rett Syndrome Research Trust is pleased to announce a campaign to boost awareness of Rett Syndrome in the most iconic of all advertising venues – Times Square in New York City. A newly created public service announcement will run an average of nine times an hour for three months starting November 1st on the colossal 6000 square foot Mediamesh display at the corner of 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. An estimated 1.5 million people are expected to view the PSA daily.
Rett Syndrome strikes little girls almost exclusively, with first symptoms usually appearing before the age of 18 months. These children lose speech, motor control and functional hand use, and many suffer from seizures, orthopedic and severe digestive problems, breathing and other autonomic impairments. Most live into adulthood and require total, round-the-clock care. Rett Syndrome is caused by mutations in a gene called MECP2.
The Rett Syndrome Research Trust is the premier organization devoted exclusively to promoting international research on Rett Syndrome and related MECP2 disorders.
While Rett Syndrome has become a high-profile disorder in scientific circles, it is still fairly unknown in the lay and medical communities; thousands of girls and women remain un- or misdiagnosed. We welcome this unique opportunity to help raise the profile of this disease, which has been dramatically reversed in pre-clinical models.
“I am so thankful to Bill Koenigsberg, CEO and Founder of Horizon Media, who secured this spectacular advertising real estate; Garage Media, owner of the Port Authority Display; A2AMedia, who manages the screen, for giving us the opportunity to showcase our disorder; and Jon Denny, film and TV producer, for creating our PSA. When smart, talented, generous people come together for a good cause, amazing things can happen,” said Monica Coenraads, Executive Director of RSRT and parent of a teenaged daughter severely disabled by Rett Syndrome.
About A2aMedia
Boston-based A2aMEDIA, Inc. is a next generation media company that designs, installs, operates and sells advertising for large-scale LED media displays as transparent building facades. Based on technology invented, patented and manufactured by GKD (Duren, Germany) A2aMEDIA employs a unique technology called Mediamesh®. The cinematic displays harmonize building form and function: they are visually engaging, aesthetically appealing, and offer significant revenue generation opportunities. Because Mediamesh is up to 70 percent transparent, it preserves a building’s unique architectural elements, while allowing clear views from the interior. Advertising agencies, advertisers and civic organizations receive the benefit of a highly visible digital medium for sharing marketing messages. Building owners benefit from the ability to monetize real estate through advertising sales. For more information, visit their website.
About Garage Media
Hartford, CT-based Garage Media partners with property owners throughout North America to create iconic digital displays with design services, technology selection, financing and project management. Garage Media focuses on hard-to-monetize locations such as parking garages, on buildings over glass and ventilation, and rooftop displays. New technologies completely refresh the world of outdoor advertising from the point of view of building owners, advertisers and the viewing public, setting “Buildings in Motion.” Garage Media forms a strong relationship with clients from the earliest stages of opportunity identification to the selection of the optimal media program at the right cost and return. Garage Media is a strong supporter of PSAs and provides appropriate messaging for various important causes. For more information, visit their website.
About Rett Syndrome
Rett Syndrome is a genetic neurological disorder that almost exclusively affects girls. It strikes randomly, typically at the age of 12 to 18 months, and is caused by random mutations of the MECP2 gene on the X chromosome. Rett Syndrome is devastating as it deprives young girls of speech, hand use, normal movement often including the ability to walk. As the girls enter childhood the disorder brings anxiety, seizures, tremors, breathing difficulties, severe GI issues. While their bodies suffer, it is believed that their cognitive abilities remain largely intact. Although most children survive to adulthood, they require total round-the-clock care.
About the Rett Syndrome Research Trust
RSRT is a non-profit organization with a highly focused and urgent mission: eradicate Rett Syndrome and related MECP2 disorders. In search of a cure and effective treatment options, RSRT operates at the center of global scientific activity, funding bold projects that are unlikely to be supported by the NIH or other more traditional funding agencies. RSRT refutes the conventional practice of labs working in isolation, instead seeking out, promoting and funding collaborations and consortia in which scientists work across multiple disciplines. These relationships enable the development and execution of a research agenda that neither academia nor industry could achieve alone. Since 2008, RSRT has provided $25 million of financial support to: 4 clinical trials testing 3 compounds, 33 scientists in 27 academic institutions and 3 biotech firms. To learn more about the Trust, please visit www.ReverseRett.org.
