They say to write what you know. So, when tasked by Colgate to write a script about smiles in a year like 2020, we couldn’t have felt less qualified.

It was mid-pandemic, on the eve of a contentious election. What could a toothpaste brand possibly say about smiles that wouldn’t elicit a global eye roll? Colgate couldn’t solve every problem, but they could acknowledge the truth: sometimes you need help finding your smile. As we put it, “It wasn’t his smile that he needed so dearly, it was someone like you and your smile shared sincerely.”

Our protagonist lives in a world outside COVID, yet experiences similar emotions: loneliness, hopelessness, fear. Upon finding his smile, he finds something more contagious, optimism. We chose a rhyming storybook style for its reassuring tone, a welcome reprieve from the many somber ads. Hopefully, by speaking honestly about smiles, we helped spread some, too.