• by Les Luchter , April 25, 2024

Marking her debut as both a video director and creative director, Nia Sioux also stars in “Capture the Convo,” a series of seven social media videos designed to convey the importance of peer-to-peer mental health support among young adults.

Sioux, a 22-year-old who first achieved recognition on Lifetime’s “Dance Moms,” serves as interviewer during the videos, which range from :30 to :90 in length and are subtitled “Real conversations on mental health.” Her subjects: five other young adult celebrity creators, whose combined social media followings number 58.8 million: Kenzie Ziegler, GAYLE, Brooklinn Khoury, Zach Hood and Paul Russell.

Produced for the Ad Council’s six-year-old “Seize the Awkward” mental health campaign targeted at young adults (16-24), with a particular focus on Blacks and Hispanics, the first “Capture the Convo” video debuted April 25, on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Six more videos will follow during May, aka Mental Health Awareness Month.

“What would you want to hear from a friend if you’re having a difficult time with your mental health?” Sioux asks Hood in the first video. ”Just spend time with me, being there,” he replies. “It’s like the number one thing somebody can do for you.”

The videos, which end with the suggestion that “for more resources on how to check in on a friend, go to seizetheawkward.org,” also features the song “Lose Me Too,” donated by musical artist ROSIE.

The “Capture the Convo” campaign also includes sharable GIFs, available from “Seize the Awkward’s” GIPHY page.

For “Seize the Awkward,” “Capture the Convo” follows the launch of “Check In On Your Friends,” a “PSA starring Megan Thee Stallion that debuted in the fall and was created by longtime “Seize the Awkward” creative agency Droga5. Another “Seize the Awkward” spot around the same time, this one student-produced, featured Heisman Trophy-winning USC quarterback (and the likely top pick in Thursday night’s NFL draft) Caleb Williams.

Other “Seize the Awkward” campaign materials over the years have featured such celebrities and influencers as Billie Eilish, Aminé, Orion Carloto, Lauv and Noah Cyrus.

“Captured the Convo” is a campaign of the Ad Council in collaboration with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The Jed Foundation. Production of the videos was handled by RUOKAY with an all-female and LGBTQIA+ crew.

“Seize the Awkward” is part of the Ad Council’s $65 million Mental Health Initiative, funded in large part by the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah.